19. Chapter Nineteen Abby

Chapter Nineteen: Abby

T his was our shot.

The Sisterhood of Vipers had put everything in place–planted nurses in the prison to loop Nathan in, planted guards. The nurses said that he’d been injured, and that wasn’t part of the plan…but it gave us an opportunity to feed him more information.

The problem? That beating had seemed planned.

And I was starting to wonder if Kenny meant to kill him rather than give him back to me.

We followed Kenny’s men from San Francisco, hiding along the side of the highway as they hid from the approaching convoy. This was going to be a real fucking clusterfuck–but at this point, we didn’t have any choice. In the chaos, we would swoop in and grab Nathan, and maybe even take some enemy Serpents out in the process.

I was pregnant and about to jump in to a full-on gang war.

Fantastic .

I sat in the shadows of the redwoods with my pistol at the ready, Knuckles Chen beside me. We’d come up with all of this together–along with Alex, Jack, and Xinyi Linbut I still didn’t quite trust him. For now, he was a useful tool to get Nathan out, to get us safe. He glanced over at me, eyes darting to my weapon.

“So…” he said.

I gave him a discerning look. “Mmhm?”

“You’re not just an art student, are you?”

I snorted, shaking my head. “No…I’m not just an art student.”

“And what are you?”

I chewed on my lip. “That’s my business.”

“Given I’m about to walk into a firefight with you, I think it’s my business, too.”

I laughed. “Okay…fair enough. But you have to promise not to freak out.”

“Go for it.”

“Alright then. FBI. Or… ex -FBI. I think that ship has definitely sailed at this point.”

He didn’t say anything, so I looked back at him. Knuckles was just staring at me, head tilted. “Does Nathan know?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “We already had a knife fight about it, then kissed and made up.”

“A knife fight?”

I nodded again. “Story for another time–the convoy’s on the way.”

The conversation was over–because now, all I could think about was Nathan. I couldn’t see him, of course, but I could feel him. With him in that van, I was closer to him than I’d been in weeks…and it ached like an open wound.

My mind raced, images of Nathan flashing before me. He was more than just another case; he was part of my soul. I felt the cool metal of my gun against my palm, and despite the desperation of the situation, a spark of clarity ignited within me.

I loved him. More than I'd ever thought possible.

And I would tear heaven and earth apart to get him out of that van.

The woods rose up on either side of the highway, normally a remote spot with little traffic. Kenny’s guys were poised to form a barricade up ahead–and I heard tires squeal as the convoy made their way through. Two armored trucks and an armored van…

Hilarious.

As if that would keep me away from him.

The armored truck at the front turned abruptly, smashed into one of Kenny’s cars; the van veered off toward the opposite side of the highway.

It was time to make our move.

Insurgents erupted from the treeline, taking both Kenny’s men and the prison transport guards by surprise. Me and Knuckles both lined up shots toward Kenny’s men, aimed, fired–

Then, chaos.

The plan had been to eliminate the threat then get Nathan out, but it was already well beyond that…because there were more Serpents waiting in the shadows. I heard a scream and a howl and saw Alex fighting off a few enemies with Neon Nelson’s help. Motorcycles zoomed up the highway toward us, Kenny’s men shooting at the van.

Fuck. They weren’t going to rescue Nathan at all.

They were going to kill him.

And I couldn’t let that happen.

"Abby, don't!" Knuckles shouted, but his voice was drowned out in the cacophony of gunfire and grunts. I was racing toward the van, heedless of the danger. My dad’s lessons at the shooting range, the endless drills at Quantico, they all funneled into this singular moment of action.

There were guards everywhere…people who wanted to kill me. Who wanted to kill all of us.

And that was when I saw her.

Diane Hayes, wearing her FBI jacket, was getting out of Nathan’s van, its tire blown out. She didn’t even look at me; her gaze was fixed on the man crawling toward the trees, wearing a prisoner’s uniform.

A man I hardly recognized, but knew deep in my bones.

Nathan .

I hadn’t seen him in person in far too long, and the sight of him sent me reeling. He looked like hell–dark circles under one eye, the other swollen and bruised. His hair was long and shaggy, beard grown out. I didn’t think he saw me; he was bleeding from the back of his head, just trying to get away, eyes blind.

I cried out his name without thinking. “Nathan!”

He and Diane both looked at me.

“Stop!” I shouted.

He tried to move toward me, but Diane caught him–and when he fought back, she sent a fist into his gut. It normally wouldn’t have done a thing for someone to hit him like that, so I knew he must be hurt when he staggered, reeled…and she started to haul him away.

Away from me.

My heart clenched painfully in my chest. I never liked Diane or respected her. She had always been a threat. And in that moment, she was just another obstacle. Everything in me told me that I wasn’t to harm a federal agent. She was one of my own, wasn’t she? But she had her hands on the love of my life, the father of my child, and I knew it was silly…but it was almost like our baby kicked and forced me to do it.

Murderous little thing.

I took a deep breath…

…and pulled.

The sound of the gunshot echoed through the air, a deafening crack that seemed to still the world for just an instant.

Then chaos resumed, louder and harsher than before.

I didn’t see where my bullet hit; didn’t see Diane fall. My singular focus was now on the space where Nathan had been, now obscured by gangsters clashing with the cops. I fired again and again, pushing forward like a woman possessed.

The battle raged around me: Triad against Fed, Vipers against Serpents. But as the bullets whizzed past my head and screams ripped through the air, all I could think of was Nathan.

I found the place where he’d been, all I saw was a retreating cop hauling him away. I tried to run after him–

But someone grabbed my ankle, sent me to the ground.

Motherfucker.

Of course she was still alive–this fucking monster, the one thing standing between me and Nathan. Her grip was steely, her eyes wild with desperation.

We were the flip sides of the same coin–the FBI agent who’d betrayed everything she knew for love…and the other staying true to the cause.

But I couldn't let her stop me. Not now.

"Abby!" she cried out, but her plea fell on deaf ears. “Remember your oath!”

I only knew one oath–to the Sisterhood of Vipers, and to Nathan Zhou.

I stomped down hard on her hand, grimacing as her fingers released their hold. She cried out in pain, the sound lost in the chaos around us.

I didn’t sprint toward the van because she managed to grab her gun and trained it at me. I dropped low, twisting under the belly of a nearby car as Diane's shots whizzed scant inches over my head. Grit and asphalt bit into my palms as I skittered across the ground, eyes locked on my target.

But Diane was up again, and she was running toward me. I had no idea where she had gotten the strength, but it didn't matter. I had to beat her to Nathan.

I had to get him out.

Launching myself forward, I darted from behind the car and sprinted towards Nathan's new prison, one of the armored trucks. Diane was hot on my heels, screaming.

“You betrayed everything, you bitch! Your father would be so damn disappointed…”

It was a battle of endurance, of who wanted it more. I raced forward, away from Diane–

–a man stepped in my way, staggering away from some other fighter. He was wearing a suit–one of Kenny’s men–and he lunged at me with a savage roar. Instinct and training kicked in, and I rolled beneath his grasp, the man’s fingers brushing past my shoulder. Pushing hard against the ground, I sprang to my feet and spun around, raising my gun just as he recovered and charged at me again.

My bullet found its mark, ripping through the man’s chest, his momentum stalled as he collapsed onto the pavement in front of me.

I was losing count of the people I’d killed.

Maybe that was what it meant to accept this life.

I sprinted towards the van, my chest burning and legs aching. Diane was still behind me, I was sure of it. Desperation fueled my adrenaline as I closed in on the van, each stride taking me closer to Nathan.

Then my ponytail tightened–tugged hard . I was yanked back by my hair, and I caught sight of Diane for a split second as she pulled me to the ground, into the dirt…

Off the side of the highway and into a deep ditch.

We both rolled, picking up pine needles and dirt, my breath leaving me in a big woosh . I was dizzy, nauseous. I worried about my baby.

If she’d taken Nathan and my baby…there would be hell to pay.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Diane snarled from somewhere nearby, pain in her voice. “There’s a reason I didn’t shoot you back there.”

We both stood up, and then we were facing each other down. Our weapons were gone, or at least out of our hands–one gun was off to the side.

I didn’t say anything.

I just ran for it.

We collided as we both ran for the gun, falling once again in a tangle of limbs. She was stronger than I thought she would be, or maybe it was the adrenaline pumping through her. But so was I. Gritting my teeth, I managed to free one hand and landed a punch on her jaw. She grunted, releasing her grip on me slightly. Taking advantage of the brief window, I freed my other hand and pushed her away from me with all the strength I could muster.

I extended my arm, reached for the gun, took hold of it.

Then I buried the muzzle in her gut…and this time, my bullet found its mark.

Everything happened at once; someone pushing me over, the bullet ripping through the night air, the sharp intake of breath as it found its mark. Diane crumpled, clutching her stomach. She spat out a cough of viscous red blood; I almost threw up.

The sight of her falling, pain etched across her face, should've satisfied me. Instead, a pang of guilt twisted in my gut.

I didn’t give a damn about her.

But my dad would never forgive me.

I tried to get up, only to realize that I was badly scraped up, covered in bruises. My head pounded…and I reached up and found blood on my temple. Fuck . I must have bashed my head on something when we fell.

I stood up…reeled. Diane was lying completely still in the pine needles across from me.

My knees buckled and I vomited again. Double fuck. I was concussed.

And that was the last thing I thought before I realized I couldn’t do another damn thing to help Nathan.