37. Chapter Thirty-Seven Abby

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Abby

R ain tapped a steady rhythm on the windowpane of the safe house. Its scent mingled with the wet asphalt. Together, they added to the night's unease. Nathan stood silhouetted against the window, his gaze locked on something in the darkness, his grey sweats hanging off his lean frame.

We were holed up somewhere in the safehouse for now, somewhere Kenny wouldn’t be able to find us.

At least we hoped so.

Even then, Nathan was paranoid. He worried that someone had stalked us here, despite Knuckles' assurance that it was safe. I couldn’t blame him. Given all he had been through--hell, all we had been through--it made sense that he was keeping watch.

Things had been…normal. We hadn’t had sex yet tonight, we’d just settled in and chatted, and everything about it felt nice, mundane.

If it wasn’t for the fact that we were worried about our lives and I was on the edge of crying all the time—an obvious symptom of the pregnancy—then I could probably get used to this.

"Anything?" I asked, breaking the silence.

He shook his head without turning, his profile etched with lines of thought. "Nothing,” he said. “I really hope they don’t know we’re here.”

"There are people watching this place," I said. "Knuckles is a careful man. And at this point, we would know if Kenny knew where we were. Right?"

Nathan nodded. “Unless he’s planning something.”

I gripped the fabric of my black slip dress. It was a useless attempt to find comfort in its smoothness. Finally, he turned from the window. His black eyes swept our room. The dragon inked across his torso seemed to coil with life in the flickering light as he approached me.

"Hey," he said softly, coming to stand by the bed, close enough for me to see the resolve in his gaze. "We need to think this through. All of it."

I met his stare, knowing well the weight behind his words, the empire he balanced on a knife's edge. In the hush between us, the storm outside felt distant. It was irrelevant compared to the shitstorm that was our lives.

Our love.

"Thinking's all we've done, Nathan. It's time for action." My voice gave away none of the fear that gnawed at me.

He nodded slowly, recognizing the steel in my tone—steel born of love and forged in desperation. We were beyond second-guessing. Survival had blurred right and wrong. “Yes, but…”

“What?” I asked, watching him run a hand through his dark hair.

Rain tapped a steady rhythm against the window, like an impatient visitor waiting to be let in. Inside, the room felt like an island in a sea of danger, our only refuge from the storm that was Kenny Zhou's wrath. For now.

"Abby," Nathan continued, his voice low, "we need to be realistic about what we're up against."

I glanced at him, my stomach knotting as I considered the gravity of our situation. My hands drifted to my abdomen, resting there almost protectively. The life growing inside me always reminded me—our actions weren't just about us anymore.

"What do you mean?" I asked, allowing the edge in my voice to betray my anxiety. "With the Triads, you mean? I know it's risky to try and steer them your way. Xinyin’s plan did strike me as wild, but hey, so was Knuckles’ plan…and we got you out, right?”

“That was lucky,” Nathan said.

“Maybe luck is finally on our side,” I replied.

“The Golden Serpents are more than just scary-sounding people,” he said. “If they don’t want this, I don’t know what it’ll take to convince them. If they’re on my dad’s side…”

The thought of trying to bend those hardened criminals to our will was daunting. But wasn't everything worth it for a chance at taking Kenny down? As long as he was alive, as long as he was the head of the Serpents, Nathan and I would fear for our lives.

I knew that for certain.

And our baby…I didn’t even want to know what would happen to our baby.

I didn’t want to know what kind of danger they would be in.

Nathan moved closer and sat on the bed. "It's more than risky—it's a gamble with our lives, Abby. With our child's life."

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his words settle over me. I knew he was right. Whether I liked it or not, this was about more than just Kenny. We were plotting to overthrow the very foundations of a criminal empire, to place Nathan at the helm. A move that could either secure our future or shatter it completely.

"Kenny's not just going to hand over power. He'll fight, and he'll fight dirty," I said, my voice steady despite the tremor I felt inside. I was trained to face danger, but nothing prepared me for this mess.

“You’re right,” Nathan said. “Which is the reason we’re doing this. But hear me out—"

"Babe, Xinyin’s right. Kenny's reign needs to end," I said, my voice firm as I envisioned the downfall of Nathan's father. "He's hurt too many people, and we can't let him continue. We owe it to ourselves, to our future—to the family we could be."

Nathan sat silent for a moment, his black eyes reflecting the weariness of a war fought in shadows. He ran a hand through his hair, then looked at me with an intensity that spoke volumes without words.

"Abby," he started, his tone laced with caution, "I know I said it before and you said no, but this is too dangerous. I need to pitch this again.”

I waited for him, though I knew exactly what was coming.

“We could leave all this behind. We could head to Canada, start fresh where no one knows us." His gaze held mine, urging me to consider the possibilities. "Or Hong Kong—you're fluent in Mandarin." He paused, a half-smile forming. "Hell, we could even try South America. I've been picking up Spanish on Duolingo."

“You have?”

“Yeah, what else do you think I do when I can’t sleep?”

I smiled. This was pure Nathan. He was always ready with a plan B, C, and D. Each escape route was plotted out with the precision of a man whose life depended on such details.

"Look, I get it. "Escape sounds tempting," I admitted. I let the idea wash over me for a second before my resolve returned. "But running doesn't guarantee safety, not from someone like Kenny. It's not just about getting away—it's about ending this so we can live without looking over our shoulders."

Nathan sighed, the weight of our reality pressing down on him. Our love had tethered us to a precipice, and with each passing day, the drop seemed steeper. I still needed justice. I wanted revenge on the man who had cast a long shadow over our lives.

The man who had hurt the father of my child so deeply.

His hand found its way to my stomach, resting gently over the life growing there. “There’s no convincing you, is there?”

I shook my head, my hair brushing against the cool pillowcase. "No, there isn't. I saw what family meant to Evelyn, to the Serpents. It's not just about power and control—it's a network of loyalty and protection. That's the kind of strength our child will need."

"Abby," he began, his voice a low rumble of concern, "this world…it's unforgiving. It's dangerous and cruel. Is that really what you want for our child?"

"I want our child to have a family that would do anything to keep them safe. To have bonds that can't be broken by threats or violence. I believe we can give them that." My eyes met his, and I saw the conflict raging behind his black orbs.

"Okay," Nathan finally conceded, the corner of his mouth lifting in a resigned smile as he spoke to my belly. "Well, baby, as you can see, what mom wants, mom gets." His hand stayed on my stomach, warmth seeping through the thin fabric of my dress.

My heart swelled at the sight, but I was suddenly close to tears again. "But we'll make this right—for us, for the baby."

"Abby, I swear on everything I am, we'll bring Kenny down. We'll give our kid the chance at a life without fear." His assurance was spoken with the gravity only a man who had lived through darkness could muster.

"And then?" I asked, my hand covering his.

"Then we live," he said simply. "We live, Abby, free from fear. Free from Kenny Zhou.”