31. Chapter Thirty-One Nathan

Chapter Thirty-One: Nathan

I leaned against the cool wall of the safehouse, my heart eager to see Lily and Justin again. But I stayed put, listening to Abby’s voice float down from the second floor. Her words were muffled, but the tone wasn't.

She was holding her own against Owen.

I listened as she defended herself…as I heard her get choked up. I wanted to be here when she got off the phone with her father, well aware he might be upset.

He’d devoted his whole life to the law.

And she’d fallen in love with the worst kind of criminal.

She got through the conversation, seemed to come to a conclusion…and then I realized they were talking about me. More specifically, Owen’s visit to jail.

That’s why she’d thought I knew about the pregnancy.

“Why didn’t you tell Nathan I was pregnant?” she was saying.

My fists bunched up at my sides. I could feel the anger bubbling up, ready to boil over. Rage flushed hot across my face. I almost took the stairs two at a time to rip into him, even if it was just over the phone—

A shadow flickered at the edge of my vision, and for a moment, I could have sworn it was her—Ma. But Ma was long gone, buried with all the secrets she'd carried to her grave. Yet, here in the darkened passage of the safehouse, the ghost of her presence was a sharp jab to the gut, reminding me of what parents are meant to do—protect their kids at all costs.

That's what I had to do now, for Abby, for our kid.

Owen was trying to protect his daughter; I had to protect mine.

The creak of the stairs pulled me from my thoughts. Abby came down a moment later, her hand sliding along the railing, her eyes wide when they landed on me. Surprise etched her face, and it hit me how rare it was for her to be caught off guard.

“You waited,” she said, stepping onto the last stair.

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us, and took her hand. "I'll always wait for you," I told her, meaning every word.

Her fingers squeezed mine, and something in her eyes softened. Maybe it was relief, maybe something more, but right then, it didn't matter. All that mattered was us, here, now, together.

Knuckles waited for us at the end of a long, dim hallway. His bulk barely fit in the shadows, but his eyes gleamed, alert and watchful. Abby's grip on my hand tightened as we approached him. Without a word, he turned and led us to a heavy steel door that looked like it could take a battering ram without a dent.

He pulled open the door with a grunt, and the scene behind it hit me like a punch to the gut. It was a hive of activity. People huddled in makeshift tents, hands moving fast over stacks of cash. Tables lined with white powder, scales, and baggies. The scent of money and drugs hung thick in the air.

I knew this setup— our setup, a mirror of what we’d done underneath San Francisco.

The Vipers had been stealing my father’s business…one deal at a time.

"Jesus," Abby muttered under her breath, echoing my thoughts.

Knuckles didn't give us time to soak it in. "People wanna see you," he said, his voice low and serious.

The words sent a jolt through me. My siblings. They had to be here. Excitement clawed through me, tinged with the sharp edge of nerves. All these weeks apart, the distance between us a chasm filled with blood and betrayal. Now, just a few steps away. I hadn’t seen a single one of them since our mother died.

Hadn’t had time to process, to grieve.

Did Ma’s spirit want vengeance…or just rest?

"Let's go then," I said, more to convince myself than anyone else. Abby nodded, her face set in a determined line that told me she was ready for anything. We followed Knuckles deeper into the belly of the beast, each step heavier than the last.

Knuckles pushed open the door and light spilled into the dim corridor. Dust danced in the beam like it had no place being that dirty. We stepped into a room that looked nothing like the criminal enterprise we'd just walked through. Old couches formed a circle, worn fabric telling stories of better days. My heart did a weird flip as I saw them—my family, sitting there like some kind of messed up reunion.

Lily was on an ugly brown sofa that might've been nice once, her eyes already shiny with tears as she met my eyes. She looked small, almost lost in the vastness of it all. Justin and Derek were beside her, both looking like they'd seen too much of life's ugly side. Bao, their cat, curled up at their feet, a spot of normal in a world gone mad.

In the corner, Alex leaned back with Neon and Javi, trying to play it cool but failing. And there was Jack Kensington, his presence like a heavy weight in the room.

They all turned toward me, faces filled with something like hope, maybe relief. But Ma wasn't there, and that absence hung in the air, silent and heavy.

"Hey," I managed to choke out, feeling like a kid again, overwhelmed by the sight of them. Abby squeezed my hand, and I took a deep breath. This was family—fractured, scarred, but still standing.

Together.

Lily shot up from the couch, her movement fast and desperate. In a heartbeat, she was across the room and crashed into me with an embrace that nearly knocked the wind out of me. Her arms clung tight, her body shaking with sobs

"God, Nathan," she choked out, her voice muffled against my chest. "You're really here."

"Hey, hey," I murmured, holding her close. I rubbed her back like I’d done when she was a little kid, when Ba had fought with Ma. My throat tightened, but I fought to keep it together for her.

Then Justin was there, his own arms wrapping around us both, making it a group thing. His hug was fierce, like he was trying to squeeze all the time we'd lost out of this single moment. "We missed you, man."

I patted his back. "Missed you too."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Alex hanging back, hands buried in his pockets. He didn't jump into the reunion. He just watched, like he wasn't sure if he wanted to be part of the scene or not.

And then there was Jack, leaning against the wall, the ghost of a grin on his lips as he took in the sight of us getting back together. He didn't have to say anything; his eyes said enough, told me he got it, the weight and the warmth of family.

We stood in a tight circle, arms wrapped around each other, the noise of the hideout fading into a distant hum. Lily's voice broke through the silence first.

"I was so worried," she choked out, her words muffled against my chest. "But I knew Abby would get you out."

Justin chimed in with a grin that matched his tone. "Yeah, your fiancée is pretty kickass."

I nodded, the pride for Abby warming me from the inside out, but I didn't say much. There wasn't a need; we all knew how tough she was.

The hug loosened, and we stepped back, Lily wiping away tears, Justin still wearing that smirk. Then Alex stepped forward. His walk was hesitant, like he was crossing some invisible line drawn since the last time we'd seen each other.

"So I heard you saved my life," Alex said. His voice was low, steady, but there was something under it that I couldn't quite place.

"Don't mention it," I replied, keeping my voice even. There was no room for debts between us, not for things like that. We were family, and that was what family did.

We stood there, a little stiff, a moment more. Then Alex reached out, his hand hanging in the air between us. I looked at it, took a breath, and grabbed it. His grip was firm, just like mine.

"Alright," I said, giving his hand a shake.

But no…fuck that.

This was my brother, we were alive.

We weren’t fucking business associates.

I pulled him in and my arms wrapped around him, solid and real. It hit me right then—I hadn’t actually hugged Alex in years. Ba had us at each other’s throats as early as possible, pitting us against each other.

Now we were united.

And we would take our father down.

"Hey," he mumbled into my shoulder, tense at first but slowly relaxing.

"Hey," I echoed back, and we just stood there, holding on. It wasn't about being tough or holding grudges; it was about blood, our shared history that ran deeper than any bad blood.

Then the others were crowding in again, Lily and Justin, their arms joining ours until we were all mashed together in one big, awkward group hug. I could feel each of them, their hearts beating, their bodies warm against mine. And something in me shifted, like a lock clicking open. For the first time in a long time, I let that wall I built around myself crumble a bit, letting them all the way in. It was messy and weird and kind of perfect.

The sound of a throat clearing snapped us out of the tangle of arms and emotions. Knuckles stood there with his usual tough look, but I could tell he got what was happening.

"You two must be tired and hungry after everything," he said, voice rough like always but not unkind. "Escape and a ride ain't no joke, and I thought you’d be here sooner."

I turned to Abby then, really saw her for the first time since the chaos had settled. Her face was pale, almost ghostly, and her lips had this blue tint that set off all sorts of alarms in my head. She was cold, too cold. I reached over and took her hand, feeling the chill of her skin against mine.

"Yeah," I agreed with Knuckles, giving Abby's hand a gentle squeeze. "Let's catch up more after we've taken care of ourselves."

Abby nodded, a small smile on her face that told me she was grateful for the escape from the spotlight. Sometimes I forgot how much she hated being the center of attention. She preferred moving in shadows, along the sidelines.

I wanted to keep her safe where she was comfortable.

And more than that… fuck .

I needed to make love to her again, to warm her up.

To show her how much she meant to me, and to keep the cold at bay.