8. Chapter Eight Abby

Chapter Eight: Abby

M orning light seeped through the tinted windows of the living room, casting a gentle glow over all of us–silent figures who didn’t know what to do, the Zhou family brought to ruins. The usual hustle of San Francisco felt like a distant murmur. I rubbed my stomach unconsciously, the queasiness lingering like a bad aftertaste.

Pregnant.

The word echoed in my mind, but it was Alex's safety that had me teetering on the edge.

Nathan had trusted me with his siblings, but I didn’t know what to do about Alex. I didn’t have the kind of contacts I needed to get a known criminal out of harm’s way. I would normally have called my dad, but I didn’t want to put him in danger–or to get Alex arrested. I didn’t trust the FBI, didn’t trust Diane Hayes with any of my new family.

“We need to figure out what to do about Alex,” I muttered. “He has to have…fuck, a matter of days?…until your dad finds out he’s still alive. Nathan covered for him, but…I think he had a plan and I don’t know what it was.”

Lily frowned. “I wish I knew someone to call, but they’re all my dad’s allies.”

It came to me like a lightbulb going off in my head–the meeting we’d had a few nights ago with Nathan’s friend from San Diego.

"Jack Kensington," I murmured to myself. "I need to call Jack."

Justin glanced up, his brown eyes clouded with worry. He shifted on the couch, clearly uncomfortable. "Jack's more Nathan's friend than ours," he said, his voice barely above a murmur. "But yeah, he's a friend."

"Could you give me his number?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Sure." Justin fumbled with his phone for a moment before sending me Jack's contact card.

"Thank you," I whispered, barely recognizing my own gratitude amidst the turmoil churning inside me. I didn't want to alarm Lily or Justin any further—they looked like deer caught in headlights.

Best to handle this next part alone.

With a deep breath, I pushed myself to my feet. My limbs felt heavy, weighted by the gravity of our situation and the fatigue that seemed to be part of being pregnant. I moved toward the bedroom–Nathan’s bedroom–where he’d kept me prisoner, shown me the depths of his depravity…where I’d fallen in love.

We were fucked up and twisted, but I loved him more than I’d ever loved anything before.

I closed the door behind me with a soft click, sealing myself within the confines of a past life that seemed so distant now. Alone with the shadows dancing on the walls, I dialed Jack's number, holding onto the sliver of hope that he could help us navigate through the treacherous waters we were about to sail.

The bedroom was a mausoleum of memories, each object a headstone marking the life I shared with Nathan. His scent lingered on the pillows, a cruel reminder of our intertwined lives now unraveling. It felt like years ago when he had done whatever he wanted to me in this bed…but fuck, I definitely wanted it too. I wanted him too.

He had known that before I had.

I sat on the edge of the bed we used to share, gripping the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white.

"Come on, Jack," I whispered to myself.

After an unbearable stretch of silence, a crackle on the line. A click. And then, a voice.

"Hello?"

"Jack, it's Abby. I need help," I blurted out, the words tumbling from trembling lips.

“Abby?” he asked. He clearly didn’t recognize me.

“Nathan’s girlfriend…uh, fiancee,” I said, my voice practically breaking when I said the last word. “We’ve met a couple of times.”

“Oh! Right. Okay, yes,” he said. Then he went quiet for a second. “Is Nathan okay?”

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. “I think so. I hope so,” I said. “That’s kind of why I’m calling you.”

"What's wrong?" Concern laced his voice, cutting through the static of the line.

"He—he’s been arrested." The sentence felt foreign, even as I spoke it; a truth too heavy for my tongue.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jack’s voice spiked with confusion. "For what?”

“He kind of…killed a federal agent,” I murmured. “But that’s not what I’m–”

“Seriously?”

“I can’t explain everything over the phone, Jack,” I uttered, biting my lip to keep it from quivering. “We need your help. Well, I don’t need your help, and Nathan would handle this by himself if he was here. But he’s not here, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know who to call, I–”

"Okay, okay. Slow down," Jack's voice was calm, calculated. "Tell me what you need."

"Alex," I started, the name catching slightly in my throat. "Nathan didn't have a choice in what he did, but now Kenny—his own father is after him, and Alex too. Alex has been trying to lay low, avoid getting caught in Kenny's crossfire, but with Nathan gone…he's vulnerable."

"Christ." The word was a hiss of frustration from Jack. "Where's Alex now?"

"Hidden. But he can't stay there forever," I said. "Kenny won't stop until he finds him, and without Nathan…"

"Say no more," Jack cut in. "I've got a place in San Diego. Secluded, off the books. I can take Alex there."

My heart skipped—I mean, it felt like it stopped for a second before pounding again. Relief flooded through me, warm and welcome as sunlight after an endless night.

"Really?" I asked, cautious hope flickering within me. "You'd do that?"

"Of course." There wasn't a hint of hesitation in Jack's tone. "Nathan is family to me. And now so are you. Congrats, by the way. Nathan has always had excellent taste.”

"Thank you," I breathed out, the words barely audible even to my own ears. "Thank you, Jack."

"Keep your head down," he advised. "I'll arrange everything and get back to you."

"Okay," I said, feeling a rare smile tug at my lips. "Please be careful."

He laughed. “Abby, you don’t have to tell me to be careful,” he said. “I should be saying that to you.”

I was about to hang up, but Jack wasn’t finished..

"There’s something else," he said. "You need to reach out to Knuckles next. He’ll know what to do about Nathan. I can take care of Alex."

“Knuckles?” I said. “Wait–did you know about–”

And just like that, he hung up.

I tried to stop the nausea that threaten to overwhelm me–a fun new sensation that kept getting in the way of my plans. Thanks, kid. I walked outside to the living room again, where Justin, Lily and Derek were still sitting on the couch, talking quietly. Derek looked frazzled, like he’d just gotten out of bed.

They stopped talking as soon as they saw me. “Everything okay?”

I nodded. “Jack’s going to look after Alex for now, so you guys don’t have to worry about that.”

“Good,” Lily said. “That’s good.”

I rubbed my temple. “He also told me to call Knuckles, so that’s what I’m going to do. Does anyone have his number?"

Lily’s phone was in her hands in a heartbeat, and my phone chimed a second later.

“Just sent you his contact card,” Lily said. “But I already tried to get in touch with him and he isn’t picking up.”

Justin fished his phone from his pocket, his hand trembling slightly. “I’ll give it a shot,” he murmured. “He is…well, he is my dad, after all.”

Derek placed a comforting hand on Justin’s back, rubbing it slowly as he shook his head. Their cat tiptoed along the back of the couch, like she knew Justin was going through it. “This is…fucking nuts,” Derek said under his breath, meeting my eyes.

I nodded, flashing him a hapless smile. “Welcome to the Zhou family.”

Justin sat with the phone to his ear, ringing and ringing…and he sighed and hung up when it went to voicemail. "Damn it," Justin muttered, wiping a hand over his face. The poor kid looked like he was on the verge of giving up, and guilt gnawed at me for dragging him deeper into this mess.

But I knew what to do next.

The only thing I could do…even if it meant facing the inevitable judgment of the law.

Or, in my case, my father.

"Give me a moment," I said as I picked up the phone again. I walked into the bedroom, this time leaving the door open.

Then I was dialing…the phone was ringing.

And his voice came over the line.

"Dad," I spoke into the receiver, pacing alongside the bed while clutching the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. "I need your help."

"Sprout, thank God,” he said. “I hadn’t heard from you in a few days and I was starting to get worried. What’s going on?”

“You need to promise you won’t get mad,” I said.

He barked out a bitter laugh. “You sound like a teenager, Sprout–but for some reason, I think this is going to be worse than sneaking out to see a boy.”

I bit my lip. “Yeah…Nathan is in jail.”

My dad went silent for a second, processing what I’d just said. “Not sure how I failed to hear about this,” he said. “Fucking Hayes…she’s gone crazy with this case, probably nabbed him on some trumped up charges. I mean, I’m sure your boyfriend–excuse me, fiance–knows how to cover his tracks.”

I swallowed hard. “They got him on something that was my fault.”

“Which was?”

I knew he wasn’t going to like hearing what I had to say next. “The murder of Tyler Matthews.”

“Fucking Christ, Abigail.” Shit–he only called me Abigail when he was really mad. We were out of Sprout territory. Then again…I’d been complicit in killing a federal agent, so I guess he was right to be a little upset. “This is… fuck ! And you want me to get him out after he killed a fed?”

“I just need to talk to him,” I said. “I’m not planning a prison break or anything.”

Not yet .

“Or you could get away from the Triad,” he replied. “You shouldn’t be involved in the first place and you know it.”

“No fucking way.” The words came out before I even had a chance to process or plan them–and I knew that was a mistake. “I can’t just walk away. I love him.”

“You love him…” Dad echoed, and I could picture him shaking his head, squeezing his temples like he did when I was being petulant. “Abigail, he is a psychopath . You understand that, right?”

“Well, when you find someone who matches your crazy…”

My dad didn’t appreciate the joke.

"Please, use this chaos as your exit, Abby. Get out while you can," he urged me, his voice firm. "Leave Nathan Zhou and all this darkness behind. We can go back to Boston and everything will be…I don’t know, the way it was. This is what Nathan would want.”

But nothing could go back to the way it was–and no matter what Nathan wanted, I was going to save him. I was pregnant…and even if I wasn’t, I absolutely wasn’t going to leave Nathan behind.

I stopped pacing, steeling myself against the fear and the protective instincts that had always driven my father. I was his little girl, I knew that–but I had a child of my own to worry about now, and they needed their father just as much as I needed mine. "I can't, Dad. I just…I can't." I swallowed hard, my resolve solidifying with every beat of my heart. "Not now. Not like this."

There was a heavy silence on the other end of the line, and I knew he understood—even if he didn't agree. He always knew when my mind was made up.

"Alright, Sprout," he finally said, back to using the nickname that took me back to scraped knees and bedtime stories. "So what do you need from me?”

I sighed, more grateful for my dad than I could have possibly imagined. “I need you to get a message to him,” I said.

My dad groaned in frustration. “Right…of course you do. You know that could put me in hot water with Hayes, right? I’m not with the FBI–”

“I know, but it’s important,” I said. “I just…I want you to check on him, make sure he’s okay and not…I don’t know, not dead, not being tortured, something like that.”

“Simple enough,” he said. “You haven’t heard from him?”

“No,” I replied. “If I had to guess…he’s protecting me. He doesn’t want me involved.”

“Bless him, neither do I,” Dad grunted. “Well, if that’s all, I can–”

“That’s not all,” I said…and I felt tears prick at my eyes. Shit . Another damn pregnancy symptom. “I also need you to tell him that I’m…that I’m pregnant.”

I tried to keep my composure in the shocked silence that followed, my dad’s breath hitching in surprise. When he spoke again, his voice was soft. “Oh, Sprout…that explains a hell of a lot.”

I choked, unable to hold back the tears anymore–and I was sure my dad heard me sobbing because he immediately started soothing me.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he said. “I’ll go and talk to him. You just…you stay put and stay safe, okay? Jesus…I love you, Abby. And I need you to stay safe, because I intend on spoiling my grandchild just like I spoiled you.”

I laughed, swiping desperately at my tears only for more to fall. “I love you, Dad.”

“Love you too,” he said again. “Now…I’ve got to get started on this. I’ll keep you updated, okay?”

“Sounds good,” I say. “Be safe.”

“You too.”

We hung up and I sat in the silence, trying to stop crying. A moment later, I heard footsteps at the door and looked over to see Lily lingering at the threshold, her brow furrowed. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

I just stared at her–just like I had the day before.

“Right,” she said. “Still a stupid question.”

I laughed through the tears, shaking my head. “I feel like this is our new normal…but do you want to have a good cry with me?”

She laughed, and sniffled slightly–and then she was coming over and slinging her arm around my shoulders, pulling me in for a hug.

“Yeah,” she said. “I think we both need that.”