39. Chapter Thirty-Nine Nathan

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Nathan

M oonlight seeped through the curtains, casting a soft glow on Abby's face as she lay next to me. We were both restless, our minds racing with thoughts of what the future might hold. Our bodies may have been tangled together under the sheets, but sleep was elusive.

"Have you thought about baby names yet?" Abby asked, her voice barely above a whisper. I could tell she was trying to keep her excitement contained, not wanting to disrupt the fragile peace of the night. I understood; hope felt frightening, like we would jinx our future if we even considered the possibilities.

"Nothing set in stone," I admitted, running my fingers through her hair. "But I've always liked the name Violet for a girl."

"Violet." Abby repeated the name, letting it roll off her tongue before nodding in approval. "I like it. But…trying to think about the Mandarin translation…”

“Zi,” I offered.

“What about…” She furrowed her brow. “Zihua?”

“Like a purple orchid?”

She smiles. “Yeah.”

I ran my thumb across her cheekbone. “I think that would be perfect.”

“Or maybe Evelyn?” she asked.

My expression softened. “Maybe.”

We lay quietly for a few minutes, enjoying each other, the sound of the waves, the moonlight. Fog glowed on the ocean, drifting across the whitecaps.

“And for a boy?" she asked.

"Well, we’re not naming him after my father," I scoffed.

“Duh,” Abby snorted. “How about Forrest?”

“After…”

“The forest where you proposed,” she said. “And then where we—”

“Yeah, I don’t want to traumatize our child,” I cut in.

“Pretty sure we’re fucked on that front,” she said. “They’re going to be traumatized no matter what. But at least we’ll send them to therapy, unlike what you did.”

“Work things out with violence?”

She looked over at me, eyes sparkling. “Mmhm.”

The window’s glow cast a soft light on Abby's face as she snuggled closer to me, her head resting against my chest. I could feel her steady breaths against my skin and the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat alongside mine. We were wrapped up in each other, our fingers intertwined and legs tangled beneath the sheets.

"Everything's gonna be okay, right?" Abby whispered, her voice tinged with hope.

"Of course," I reassured her, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "We'll figure things out together. No matter what comes our way."

Abby smiled sleepily and nestled deeper into my embrace. This moment felt like a rare sanctuary amidst the chaos of our lives. It was beautiful, lovely even, and I allowed myself to believe that we could have a future together, despite everything.

Just as I began drifting off to sleep, the faint sound of something unusual pulled me back to reality. I strained my ears, trying to identify the noise. It sounded like…

…footsteps?

My instincts kicked into high gear, and I knew something was off.

"Abby," I said gently, nudging her awake. "I think something's wrong."

Her eyes fluttered open, concern etched on her face. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure, but I heard something outside." I carefully slid out of bed, not wanting to startle her further. "Stay here. I'll go check it out."

I padded over to the window, peering through the curtains into the darkness beyond. I couldn’t make anything out in the fog at first…but then I froze. The sight of a dark, unlit boat floating near the shore sent a chill down my spine.

My gut told me something was very wrong.

The faint sound of tires crunching on gravel confirmed my suspicions.

"Abby, get out of bed and get dressed now," I whispered urgently, trying to keep my voice steady. "We've got company."

She bolted upright, her eyes widening with fear as she registered the seriousness in my tone. Without hesitation, she threw off the covers and began pulling on her clothes. Meanwhile, I grabbed my jeans, t-shirt, and jacket, dressing as quickly as possible.

"Get our stuff ready," I instructed, heading for the pack we had stashed nearby. I rummaged through it until I found my gun, checking to make sure it was loaded.

Abby joined me at the window, peering out into the darkness. "Shit," she muttered under her breath, clearly seeing what I saw. "This isn't good."

"Stay close to me," I told her.

With one last look at the ominous boat outside, we slipped out of the room and into the dimly lit hallway.

Our first priority was Justin and Derek. Their room was just down the hall, and we made our way there. Abby rapped on the door, her knocks sharp but quiet, not wanting to alert anyone to our presence.

"Justin, Derek, wake up," she hissed through the door. "We need to go. Now."

The door swung open almost immediately, revealing a bleary-eyed Justin and a confused Derek clutching Bao. They seemed to register the urgency in our eyes, and without asking questions, began to hastily prepare for their escape.

"Something's wrong," I explained in a low voice as Derek fumbled with Bao's carrier. "There's an unlit boat outside, and we've heard people downstairs. We're getting out of here before things get worse."

"Who do you think it is?" Justin asked, his voice tight with anxiety.

"I don't know, but my first thought is that Ba found us," I admitted, trying to push aside the gnawing dread that settled in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of a storm we might not be able to weather.

"Doesn't matter," Abby cut in, her eyes filled with determination. "We need to move fast and stay together. Let's go."

With each step through the dimly lit corridor, I felt the weight of our situation grow heavier. We had to get everyone out, and fast. Lily's room was next on our list, and my heart raced as we approached her door. Abby gave a series of sharp knocks.

"Lily, wake up," I whispered urgently. "We need to leave now."

The door swung open, revealing a sleepy and disoriented Lily. Her eyes widened when she saw the urgency in our expressions, and without questioning us, she quickly grabbed her bag.

"Something's going down," I explained in hushed tones. "We don't have much time, and we need to stick together. Let's move."

"Okay," she nodded, fear etching itself into her features.

As we made our way through the building, I couldn't help but think about Alex. He was strong and resourceful, but that didn't mean he'd be safe. My gut twisted with worry, but I knew I needed to prioritize those who were more vulnerable first.

"We need to get Alex and Knuckles," Lily insisted, her voice shaky but determined. "We can't leave them behind."

"Look, there's no time," I replied, trying to keep my own rising panic in check. "Alex and Knuckles can handle themselves. We need to focus on getting the hell out of here."

"But—" she began, only to be cut off by Abby.

"Trust Nathan, Lily," Abby said firmly, her eyes darting around as if expecting an attack at any moment. "We'll do everything we can to find them later, but right now, we have to move."

Lily hesitated for a moment longer before giving a reluctant nod, and together, we made our way out of the corridor…

…only to find chaos unfolding around us.

As we crept along, it became painfully clear that this wasn't just another Serpents attack. People were being handcuffed and read their rights—this was an FBI raid. A cold wave of dread washed over me when I realized that we had been caught completely unprepared, leaving not only our lives but the lives of those we cared about hanging in the balance.

"Damn it," I cursed under my breath, feeling a surge of anger at our situation. "How did they find us?"

“Shit!” Abby hissed. “Against the wall and behind something, now!”

My heart pounded in my chest as we pressed ourselves against the warehouse wall, trying to stay out of sight. The flashing lights and chaos around us only heightened the sense of urgency.

“What the hell?” I asked, finding Abby’s eyes. “Did you see something?”

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Abby hissed under her breath. "Diane fucking Hayes is here."

I frowned, confused. "I thought they knew she was dirty."

"Dirty?" Abby shot me a bewildered look.

"Yeah," I replied. "I thought you knew and that's why you tried to kill her…"

"Can you two bicker about your violent tendencies later?" Lily interjected. "We need to get out of here."

Abby and I exchanged a glance. Lily was right; we had more pressing matters to deal with.

As we continued through the warehouse, every nerve in my body screamed at me to hurry up, to get us out of this dangerous situation. But I had to be cautious, careful not to make any mistakes that could cost us everything.

"Stay close," I whispered to the others, trying to keep my voice steady and calm. "And whatever you do, don't draw attention to yourselves."

"Got it," Abby murmured, her grip on my arm tightening as we crept forward.

I couldn't help but worry about what would happen if we didn't make it out of here alive. What would become of our unborn child, our future? The thoughts swirled in my head, threatening to consume me.

The sound of our own breathing seemed deafening in the dimly lit warehouse as we carefully made our way through the maze of crates and machinery. My heart pounded in my chest, each thud echoing through my ears like a warning signal.

"Over there," Abby whispered, pointing to a group of workers crouched behind a stack of pallets. "We need to get them out, too."

"Right," I nodded, carefully leading the group toward our allies. We moved like shadows, trying to avoid any attention from the federal agents swarming the place.

"Hey," I hissed quietly to the workers, motioning for them to follow us. They hesitated for a second before nodding and falling into line with the rest of us.

"Any idea where Alex and Knuckles are?" Lily asked, her voice barely audible.

"No," I replied, trying to keep my frustration in check. "But they’ll escape and we can regroup later. We need to focus on getting everyone else out."

As we neared the back exit, my nerves were stretched thin. The distant sound of shouting and footsteps kept me on edge, the knowledge that Hayes was here, along with her federal agents, only adding to the pressure.

"Almost there," I murmured to the group, hoping my words were enough to keep them going.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out from behind a large crate, gun raised – it was Diane, flanked by a few federal agents. My heart dropped into my stomach as I realized we had been cornered.

"Going somewhere?" she sneered. "I don't think so."

"Shit," Abby muttered under her breath, her hand instinctively gripping mine tighter.

"Go, now!" I shouted to the others, trying to buy them some time. “Abby, you need to run—”

“No fucking chance,” she said. “I’m staying.”

“What was it you said about being a white savior—”

She shot me a glare that would have silenced anyone. “Not now, Nathan.”

“You two are fucking slippery, I’ll give you that,” Diane muttered. “Now—I think it’s high time we put both of you away—”

I didn’t fucking hesitate.

I raised my gun and shot, sending the agents scattering. Diane fell to the side with a huff, but she was back on her feet in seconds, aiming the gun at us. She seemed intent on killing us both, and I threw myself in front of Abby—

Then a shout came from behind, and gunfire. A few agents went down.

Knuckles came up from behind them.

He’d always been a tough fighter, taught me damn near everything I knew about how to use my fists. Right now, he was putting those skills to the test. He came up behind the agents like a demon, teeth bared, flinging himself at them. He had a shotgun in his hands and he used up all the shells inside before tossing it away and laying into them.

“Run!” Knuckles shouted. “Go!”

Abby took my hand, jerked on me…and I was running. I didn’t want to leave him behind, but I knew we didn’t have any choice.

And just as I turned, I heard a shot.

Heard Knuckles cry out in pain.

…and saw Lily running in the other direction.

I tried to grab her, but she was already in the thick of it, falling to her knees beside Knuckles. “You can’t just kill him!” she was screaming. “Help me stabilize him!”

She wasn’t talking to us; she was talking to the agents. Her medical training had kicked into gear, and I knew she intended on giving herself up. That was fair—she hadn’t done anything illegal—but I couldn’t…

“Nathan, we have to go,” Abby said, and I turned to find her eyes wide. “Come on.”

I nodded, moved.

We had to get out of this nightmare alive—for Lily, for Knuckles, and for the future we all hoped to have together.

Fog hung heavy in the air as Abby and I burst through the warehouse door and into the night. The moon reflected off the water, revealing the wreckage of most of our boats. My heart sank, but then I noticed a figure waving to us from an FBI boat.

"Who the hell is that?" I asked, my voice low and tense.

Abby squinted.

Then her eyes widened. "Oh my god, it's my dad."

"Your dad?" I hesitated, suspicious. Could we trust him?

There was no time to second-guess. We sprinted toward the boat, Derek, Justin, and a few warehouse workers in tow. As we neared, I glimpsed the worry etched on Owen's face—a small comfort, perhaps.

"Come on!" he shouted, helping us clamber aboard.

As soon as we were all on, he gunned the engine. The boat roared to life, cutting through the waves. I scanned the faces around me—Derek, Justin, the workers—but one was missing.

“Lily,” Justin said quietly. “Did she…”

“She’s alive, but arrested,” I replied. “She should be safe in police custody.”

Fuck, that was a painful lie. She should have been safe in police custody…but she wasn’t. None of us were.

I just had to keep lying until we could get my family safe.