43. Chapter Forty-Three Abby

Chapter Forty-Three: Abby

N athan and I drove through Chinatown, lost in thought about the step we were about to take.

The teahouse was just a few blocks away. The place where we’d meet with the only allies we had left.

The sun was setting, its rays casting long shadows. The city began to stir with life as neon signs flickered to life one by one. I occupied the passenger seat while Nathan took control behind the wheel. He wore a pair of black slacks and a black button-up, his long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His knuckles were pale against the steering wheel. His fingers gripped it so tightly that I could see veins throbbing beneath his skin.

"You know," I ventured quietly, "this is the right thing to do."

His response was silence; not entirely unexpected. It wasn't disagreement that kept him quiet; I knew how he felt. We couldn't rush in without a plan. Lily needed us to be tactical.

But understanding that didn't make the wait any fucking easier.

"Before we go to the teahouse," I said, breaking the silence, "there's something I need to do."

Nathan glanced at me. "What is it?"

"I need to call my dad," I admitted, my fingers already reaching for my phone.

He didn't respond immediately, but the tension in the car grew heavier. This wasn't something we could handle on our own. I’d wanted to keep my father out of it as much as possible…but that wasn’t an option anymore.

"Fine," he grumbled, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "But make it quick."

I nodded and dialed my father's number. My heart pounded in my chest as the phone rang. I knew this call could put him in danger, but I also knew that we couldn't save Lily without him.

But it wasn’t just that.

There was something else; something important I needed my father to do.

As the call connected through the car's Bluetooth, I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. My eyes darted around, searching for any sign of trouble lurking nearby.

"Abby?" My father's voice came through the speakers, a mix of concern and surprise.

"Hey, Dad," I whispered urgently, clutching my phone tightly. "Listen, I need your help."

"Abby, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"Something's come up," I told him, glancing at Nathan. "Kenny, Nathan’s dad…he took his sister.”

“He took Nathan’s aunt?”

Fuck. Of course. This was such a mess. “No, Daddy. He took Lily, Nathan’s sister. And she’s in danger, and if we don’t do something about it, he’s going to hurt her.”

“Do you want me to call reinforcements?” he asked.

I almost laughed. Jesus–at this point, I was just as likely to get arrested as Kenny Zhou. “No, I don’t want you to call the cops,” I said.

"Alright, Abby. What do you need me to do?" he asked, his voice shifting into the calm, focused tone I recognized from years of watching him work.

"Meet us in Chinatown," I instructed, my gaze locked onto the horizon as if I could already see him rushing to our aid. "We'll fill you in on the details when you get here."

My dad sighed. “Okay…just text me the address.”

I laughed. “Thanks again, Dad.”

“See you soon, Sprout.”

The city lights flickered like a thousand fireflies in the darkness as we sped through the night. Nathan's grip on the wheel was tight, his knuckles white from the pressure. I could see the worry etched into the lines of his face, and it made my heart ache. He deserved better than this.

"What are you up to?” Nathan asked.

“Nothing,” I shrugged, playing coy. "I just want to see my dad before we confront Kenny."

His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before he nodded, accepting my answer without further questions.

Trusting me above all else. It meant more to me than words could express.

The teahouse was up ahead of us on the right, and Nathan pulled over to parallel park. From here, we would drive straight to the suburbs to meet with Kenny– after we’d gotten our friends at the teahouse to go out and set this city on fire. We’d managed to touch base with Alex and Jack as well, and they were all set to raise hell.

There would be a lot of rebuilding to do after Kenny was gone, but I had faith that we could make it happen.

“You ready for this?” Nathan asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go in.”

Nathan got out and came around to open my door for me, and as I got out, I was reminded of the last time I was here. That night, I’d met with Evelyn Zhou, and she’d told me everything. It was the last time I saw her before she died.

I had to believe tonight would be different.

We walked toward the teahouse, the neon sign flickering overhead. Alex was already here, otherwise I would have suspected that we might be walking into a trap. As it was, we found Alex just inside the door, hands in his pockets.

They didn’t stay that way for long, though…because he actually hugged Nathan.

They hugged for a long time, Alex squeezing him tight. Nathan held him back, eyes darting toward me before closing and just enjoying hugging his brother. Finally, Alex stepped back, swiping at his eyes as if he was just sweaty.

“Fuck, man…I thought we were goners back there,” Alex said. “Knuckles…”

“We’re going to get him out,” Nathan said. “And Lily. Is everyone here?”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “Just uh…follow me.”

He led us through the familiar lobby of the teahouse, back to a private room…then through a secret wall at the back of that room. Women sat with their hands hidden in long skirts, watching us like hawks. I assumed they had weapons hidden there–protecting their chosen champion.

Xinyi Lin was waiting in the hidden room–a space as large as a dining room, sitting at the head of a long table. Off to the right, her son Andrew was going through a large stock of weapons and what looked like homemade bombs. The FBI agent in me screamed that this was dangerous…but we needed this to survive.

“Nathan,” Xinyi said. “Abigail. Glad you made it out alive.”

“You too,” Nathan said. We took seats at the table with her, Nathan staring her down. “Are we ready?”

“No,” Xinyi said. “But it’s time to act. We can’t wait any longer.”