Duke looked on in surprise and Ryker used the opportunity to defeat Duke's character. But Duke didn't care about the game at that moment. It was Nadia's fear-stricken expression that propelled him. Her eyes were wide, and her face was pale.
Just then, her burner phone began to ring. Nadia jumped at the ringtone, looking tense. She dropped the phone on the ground and squashed it with her foot repeatedly.
When she was done, she yelled out in exasperation, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
"If it's our location you're afraid of getting traced, I told you I got it," Tyler said calmly when Nadia stopped shouting.
"That's not it. I just-" Nadia stuttered, still visibly frightened.
"Are we in trouble?" Tyler cut her off with a question.
That question seemed to propel everyone to their feet.
"No, we are not. But making a video with Halia and Duke in it might get us in one. Remember, Halia was used as a lab rat? So if they find out she's with me, they might come for us by any means necessary," Nadia explained, doing her best to make light of the situation.
"Was that why your phone rang earlier? Are they going to take me away?" Halia raised a question.
"Nobody is taking you away. I just acted paranoid," Nadia reassured her.
There was a tense silence for a while as everyone settled back into their seats. Duke wasn't settled, though. He didn't like the thought of the house getting raided when he'd only just got to stay. But since Tyler assured them their location couldn't be tracked, he felt somewhat better.
Duke shifted his gaze back to the game and noticed Ryker had won the round. "I wasn't even looking," he pointed out, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"Come on now, don't be a sore loser," Ryker teased.
Duke turned to Tyler, who seemed deep in thought. "That shouldn't be counted as a win, right?" he asked.
Tyler cut out of his trance and looked at the screen. "A win is a win," he responded with a shrug.
"Uhm, Duke," Nadia called out, and he turned to her. "I want to restock groceries. Halia used the remnants, so let's go together."
"Why can't Ryker or Tyler go with you?" Duke questioned, his brow furrowed in curiosity.
"Well, you're the one with cash," Nadia explained. "And due to the stunt Tyler pulled, I'd appreciate your being around just in case. I didn't pick them because they aren't skilled in combat like you."
Duke turned to Ryker, a hint of a smile on his face. "I guess that's something we can all agree on," he said before standing up.
Ryker simply rolled his eyes, unimpressed.
"Be careful," Tyler mumbled, his eyes fixed on the screen, as Nadia and Duke exited the house.
_____
Nadia drove them to a small mart far from where they stayed. All through the drive, Duke reminisced on the little things he did with the others at Nadia's house that made his day. He hadn't felt that way in a while - so carefree and able to communicate without a worry. "Maybe, just maybe, there's still good in the world," he mused to himself.
He found himself counting down the minutes until they returned, so he could game with Tyler and check out his gadgets. When Duke was younger, he had aspired to be an innovator, but life had taken a different turn after his parents' demise. He also couldn't wait to get back and have Halia prepare more delicious dishes.
As they approached the mart, Nadia tossed Duke a face cap, and they both wore one before getting out. They grabbed a cart and proceeded to the grocery section, trying to be as fast and normal as possible. They picked up milk, bread, eggs, and some snacks, more groceries, chatting quietly as they went along.
At the checkout line, Nadia started unloading the groceries onto the conveyor belt while Duke waited patiently. The cashier, a friendly woman with a warm smile, scanned the items and asked how their day was going. Nadia exchanged pleasantries with her, acting as though Duke and her were couples and Duke nodded along.
After paying, they bagged the groceries and headed out of the store. As they walked to the car, Duke started to feel uneasy like he was being watched.
"Let's go," Duke told Nadia, quickening his steps to the car without sharing his worries. Nadia opted to drop the items in the boot first, and Duke nodded, surveying the area with his eyes while she did so. But after waiting for a moment, and she was still not done, Duke turned to see what was taking her so long. That's when he found Nadia armed by two men.
Before he could even register what was happening, Duke got palmed on the head with an iron, sending him crashing to the ground instantly. He had expected to heal instantly, ready to fight back, but he had forgotten that his system had used up all his health points last time, when Halia almost sent him to his grave.
As his eyes threatened to close, Duke spotted a blurry image of a figure before him. He tried to keep his eyes open, desperate to find out who it was, but it was no use. Just as darkness was about to envelop him, he heard a familiar voice say, "My man."
Duke forced his eyes open one more time, and the only thing his sight caught was the figure's hair - it was red. Dominique.
With that, everything went black.