Chapter 7 7

Victoria led him into the master bedroom.

It was enormous.

A king-sized bed dominated the room, covered in a duvet that probably cost more than Duke's college tuition.

But the room felt like a stage set, not a sanctuary.

Duke walked to the center of the room.

He looked up at the smoke detector on the ceiling, directly above the foot of the bed.

The little red light on it wasn't blinking at the normal interval.

It was pulsing rapidly.

Device Identified: Micro-Camera with Audio. Encrypted Transmission.

"Is that it?" Victoria asked, standing by the door. She looked nervous, hugging herself.

"Yeah," Duke said. "Do you have a step ladder?"

She fetched one from the closet.

Duke climbed up.

He twisted the cover of the detector.

It came off easily.

Too easily.

Inside, nestled among the wires, was a small black cube with a lens.

It was wired directly into the house's power supply.

Duke froze. If he disconnected it, Simon would know. The feed would cut, and Simon would get an alert in London.

The System seemed to anticipate this.

_Alert: Tampering will trigger remote notification._

_Countermeasure Available: Digital Loop (Cost: 100 System Points)._

Duke mentally accepted the cost. A shimmer of code ran through his fingers.

_looping_sequence_initiated..._

The red light on the camera blinked once, slowly, then returned to its rapid pulse. The camera was still there, but it was now broadcasting an empty room on loop to Simon's phone.

Duke climbed down.

"Victoria," he said. His voice was grave.

He held out his hand to guide her closer, pointing up.

"Look inside the casing."

Victoria stepped forward.

She looked up at the black cube.

She frowned. "What is that? A sensor?"

"It's a camera," Duke said.

The blood drained from her face so fast Duke thought she might faint.

"A... a camera?"

"A high-definition, wide-angle camera," Duke clarified. "With a microphone."

He pointed to the ceiling.

"Pointed directly at your bed."

Victoria stared at the device.

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Her eyes darted to the bed, then back to the camera.

"But... Simon said he updated the fire safety system last month. He had guys come in..."

"He didn't update the fire safety," Duke said. "He updated his surveillance."

Victoria grabbed the bedpost for support.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why would he..."

Tears welled up in her eyes instantly.

"He watches me?" she choked out. "When I sleep? When I change?"

"It looks like it," Duke said.

He stepped closer.

"Victoria, does he... does he trust you?"

She let out a sob.

"He's possessive," she said, tears spilling over. "He's always asking where I am. Who I'm with. He checks my phone."

She looked at Duke, her eyes filled with horror.

"He's watching us right now?"

"No," Duke lied, though technically true thanks to the loop. "I disabled the feed without cutting the power. He won't know."

Victoria started to shake.

It was a violent, full-body tremor.

"I can't... I can't be here," she gasped. "I feel sick."

She stumbled.

Duke caught her.

His hands gripped her arms, steadying her.

She collapsed against his chest.

She buried her face in his hoodie.

She wept.

It was a raw, ugly sound. The sound of a woman realizing her marriage was a prison.

Duke held her.

He felt the heat of her body, the shaking of her shoulders.

He stroked her hair awkwardly.

"It's okay," he murmured. "You're safe."

Over her shoulder, he looked at the camera.

He felt a surge of triumph.

This was the smoking gun.

But he also felt a twinge of guilt.

She was broken. And he was using the pieces to build his ladder.

He pushed the guilt away.

Simon did this. Not him.

"Victoria," Duke said softly, pulling back slightly so he could look at her.

Her mascara was running. Her face was blotchy.

She looked beautiful in her devastation.

"We need to check the rest of the house," he said.

Fear flashed in her eyes.

"There's more?"

"We have to be sure," Duke said.

For the next hour, they moved through the apartment.

Duke "found" the audio bug in the living room.

He "found" the camera in the guest bathroom.

He applied the loop to every single one.

With each discovery, Victoria grew quieter. Colder.

The shock was turning into numbness.

And then, into anger.

They ended up back in the kitchen.

Victoria stared at the counter, her knuckles white as she gripped the marble edge.

"What do I do?" she asked. Her voice was hollow.

"If you confront him now," Duke said, "He'll lie. He'll say it was for security. For your protection against intruders."

Victoria laughed bitterly. "Intruders? In the bathroom?"

"He's a manipulator, Victoria. You know that."

She looked at Duke.

"Who are you?" she asked. "Really?"

Duke held her gaze.

"Just a guy who hates bullies," he said.

He didn't touch the devices. He couldn't.

"Leave them," Duke said.

"What?" Victoria recoiled. "I can't live with them watching me!"

"They aren't watching you anymore. I blinded them. But if you tear them out, he'll know. He'll get violent."

He gestured to her eye.

"Like he did before."

Victoria touched her face, flinching.

"You need to pretend," Duke said, his voice hard. "You need to be the perfect wife. Let him think he has control. But now you know where the blind spots are. You live in the shadows until you're ready to strike."

He took a pen from the counter and wrote his number on a napkin.

"If you need anything. Anything at all. You call me."

Victoria took the napkin.

She looked at him with a mixture of awe and dependency.

"Thank you, Duke," she whispered.

Duke walked to the door.

"Lock the deadbolt," he said.

He left the apartment.

As the elevator doors closed, the App vibrated.

Mission Complete: The Trojan Horse.

_Reward: Access to 'Shadow Account' Interface (Physical Card Delivery)._

Duke leaned his head against the cool metal of the elevator wall.

He felt drained.

But he also felt powerful.

He had just turned Simon's wife into a double agent.