Page 69 of Fierce Hope
Outside the windows, snow dusted the panes in rhythmic patterns, each flurry reminding her of the quiet emptiness she felt without Deke here. Still, Jade told herself,This is fine—just a few days, a week at most. Everything will be okay.
She mustered a smile and crossed to the kitchenette. “I’ve got plenty of snacks. Let me know if you get hungry.”
DJ arched a brow, eyes still on the screen. “Are we talking good snacks or that healthy junk my dad buys?”
She chuckled.“You can go either route. There are plenty of protein bars and muscle milk. Or?—”
“Please say, ‘real people food,’” DJ begged.
“I’ll do you one better. Real teenager food. Junk stuff is my secret vice,” she confided.
The boy lifted one hand from the controller to make a fist pump. “Yes.”
The banter settled a little of the unease swirling inside her. She quickly checked the phone she’d left charging on the counter—no messages from Deke, not that she expected any. He’d barely had time to board the plane or helicopter, whichever Knight Tactical had scrambled. She sighed, stowing the phone again. No news was usually good news.
Returning to the living room, she sank into the armchair across from him, letting the warmth of the heater ease hernerves. “I’m ready to tackle this if you are.” She nodded at the controller lying nearby.
He paused the game, a playful grin crossing his face. “Totally. It’s hilarious watching you try not to die.”
She gave a mock groan, picking up the spare controller. “What can I say? I live to entertain.” Inwardly, she prayed for exactly that—a bit of laughter, an hour or two of normalcy for them both.
He grinned at that, passing her a second controller with a tangle of cords. “We can do co-op. You just have to press these two buttons to shoot.” He pointed them out, but the swirl of icons on the screen told Jade it was more complicated than he admitted.
“Press two buttons, right.” Jade arched an eyebrow. “I’m so obviously going to break the entire game.”
DJ laughed. “That’s the one thing you can’t do. It’s not possible. Trust me.”
The music piped through the speakers, upbeat and silly. Jade tried to follow DJ’s instructions, but her character did little more than spin in circles, occasionally lobbing a bright projectile nowhere near an enemy. Every time she fumbled, DJ let out a half-laugh, half-groan. The repeated defeat screens made them both cackle—her from embarrassment, him from exasperation.
“I warned you,” DJ said, pressing pause after another comedic flop. “We might be at this all night.”
Jade set down her controller for a minute and rubbed her eyes, exhaustion tugging at her. She’d spent the day juggling work, plus a thousand anxious thoughts about Deke’s mission and her own newly revealed past. But this bonding time with DJ was too precious to give up. She tried to refocus on the screen.
DJ leaned back against a pillow. “You’re better at this than you were an hour ago. You’re at least aiming at the enemies now.”
“That’s generous.” But just then, she died again.
DJ paused the game. “Another round?”
“I give up.” She tucked her feet under her. “Anyway, I’d rather watch you dominate these levels while I consider heating up another slice of pizza.”
He smirked. “Deal.” As the game resumed, his character lunged at an on-screen assailant.
She watched in awe while DJ performed some rapid-fire combo that made the monster stagger dramatically. “How did you pull that off?”
DJ shrugged, a confident grin spreading across his face. “It’s all about misdirection. The game tries to distract you with fancy lights and fake cues, so you’ll look at the wrong thing. If you keep your focus where it really counts, you can see through the flashy stuff and land a sneak attack.”
Jade blinked, impressed. “Misdirection, huh?” she echoed, letting the word settle in her mind. “That sounds ... strategic.”
He snorted. “Sure. Strategic is one word. But it’s basically tricking you into staring at the fireworks, so you miss what’s really going on. Exactly like magic tricks. Once I realized that, it got way easier.”
He grinned, launching another attack on the hapless digital foe. “You just gotta remember: whatever’s super obvious is probably a decoy. Look away from the sparks for a second and pay attention to what’s hiding in the corner.”
She studied his handsome face. The delicate features almost fully morphed into adult proportions. “You’re way smarter than you let on, Mr. Williams.”
His mouth dropped open in surprise. “That’s what my dad says.”
“Well, he’s right.”
