Lib Novel Page 95
But Abby’s face flashed in my mind, her eyes wide with fear and trust as she had clung to me, after I pulled Lou out of the fire at the Red Lantern. She had begged me not to put myself at risk again…and it was only fair that we do that for each other.
She was my anchor, the reason I couldn’t let myself be swallowed by the darkness that threatened to engulf me now.
For her, I would walk through hell and back.
“Does it come with a sheath?” My voice was calm, belying the storm wreaking havoc inside me. “I can’t exactly carry it out in the open.”
Ba’s lips curled into a smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. He turned, moving to the cabinet again, and rummaged through it for a moment before producing a sleek, black sheath. As he handed it over, our fingers brushed, and I felt the bile rise in my throat at the casualness of it all.
“Thank you,” I murmured, sliding the blade into its new home. It was an odd comfort, knowing the weapon was secured, hidden from view, just as I kept my true feelings shrouded from the man who called himself my father.
The sheathed knife went into my pocket, a weighty reminder of the task ahead—a task that was monstrous, but necessary. Necessary to keep Abby safe, to protect the life we were trying to build amidst the chaos my father seemed determined to sow.
Ba leaned back against the edge of his desk, arms folded across his chest in a way that suggested ease, but I knew better. His eyes were sharp, calculating, as he watched me, waiting for my response.
“Once you’ve dealt with Alex,” he continued, “we’ll sit down and discuss our next move. These arsonists think they can burn us out, but we’ll smoke them out first.”
My hand instinctively clenched around the knife in my pocket.
“And Abby?” I asked, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside. It was always about Abby. Always her safety that hung in the balance, a delicate thread I clung to.
“Keep your end of the deal, and she’ll be fine.” Ba’s gaze hardened like the steel of the blade he had just given me. “But if you fail, or if you betray me…well, let’s just say I’ll have to take more drastic measures.”
The implicit threat hung between us, a noose tightening around my neck. I couldn’t fail, not when Abby’s safety was on the line.
But how far was I willing to go?
How much of myself was I willing to sacrifice?
“Understood,” I said, my voice void of emotion. I needed him to believe in my compliance, in the facade I had carefully constructed.
“Good.” Ba nodded once, a sign of dismissal. “Don’t disappoint me, Nathan.”
I didn’t trust myself to speak further, so I simply turned and walked out of the office, past the silent guards who might as well have been statues for all the life they showed. Each step felt heavier than the last, each breath a little shallower, as I made my way through the winding tunnels back to the world above—a world where Abby awaited, where my heart lay.
The den behind me felt like a tomb, cold and unyielding. And as I emerged into the night, the sheathed knife pressing against my side was a constant reminder of the choice I faced.
Loyalty to blood or loyalty to love.
Chapter Forty-Four: Abby
My heart was pounding like a jackhammer, each beat echoing the shock of Evelyn’s confession. I gripped the edge of the lacquered table in the Eight Treasures Tea Room, my knuckles whitening. The scent of jasmine tea lingered heavy in the air, but the usual comfort it offered was lost on me now.
Evelyn sat across from me, her expression as calm as the surface of the tea in our cups. “I’m sure you’re surprised, Abby,” she said, her voice steady and betraying none of the chaos that had become my reality.
Jesus, I knew the Triad was messy, but this…this was insane.
“Surprised?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, an attempt to mask my own turmoil. “Yeah, of course I am. But why? Why all this destruction?”
She cocked her head. “Strange. You didn’t strike me as naive.”
“I’m not,” I replied. “I just…why destroy somewhere Nathan cared so much about too? Why make his life more complicated? I know you love your kids, Evelyn.”
She studied me for a moment, and I could almost hear the calculations happening behind those measured brown eyes. “Why destroy Grant Avenue Floral, you mean? The place so special to Nathan?”
“Exactly,” I replied, the words tasting bitter. That shop, with its array of orchids and Nathan’s unexpected tenderness towards them, didn’t fit into the image of a ruthless Triad heir. It was his sanctuary, and she knew it.
Evelyn reached for her cup, her movements slow and deliberate. “Sometimes,” she began, setting the porcelain back down without taking a sip, “to cleanse, one must first burn away the old.” Her gaze locked onto mine, filled with a resolve that sent a chill through me.