The dingy convenience store smelled faintly of cigarette smoke and dust, its flickering neon lights casting a sickly glow over the aisles. Riley and Luke wandered the narrow aisles, baskets in hand, picking out essentials and junk food alike. After days in the isolated cabin, the sight of normality—a bag of chips, a rack of instant noodles—felt like a strange comfort.

Riley tossed a few packs of ramen into the basket. "I'm not sure how long we'll be stuck there, but I'll die before I eat another can of beans."

Luke smirked. "I'll take ramen over whatever's left in the cabin, any day."

They reached the snack aisle, and Riley spotted a bag of her favorite chips. "Score." She dropped them into the basket. "I've earned this."

Luke chuckled, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. There was an underlying tension in both of them, a quiet, shared fear neither could shake after what had happened the other night. They were supposed to be in hiding, laying low, but Riley couldn't stop thinking about her brothers. Her heart twisted in her chest with every moment of not knowing if they were alive.

Riley hesitated as they passed a rack of prepaid cell phones, her eyes lingering on them. "Luke..."

He turned, saw where she was looking, and frowned. "Riley, we can't."

"I just need to know," she pleaded, her voice quiet but urgent. "It's killing me, not knowing if Mike and Kyle are okay."

Luke sighed, his expression softening. He stepped closer, placing a hand on her arm. "I get it. I do. But it's too risky right now. Sinclair's probably watching for any sign of us. The second we make a call, he'll know exactly where we are."

Her shoulders slumped, the weight of his words hitting her hard. Luke saw it and tugged her in for a quick hug, his hand resting gently on the back of her head.

"We'll find a way," he said softly. "But not like this. It's not safe yet."

Riley swallowed her frustration, nodding. "Yeah, okay." She stepped back, forcing a smile as she grabbed a few more things off the shelf. "I guess I'll just drown my worries in instant noodles for now."

Luke's smirk returned, lighter this time. "That's the spirit. Now, pick something other than spicy chicken. You always pick spicy chicken."

She narrowed her eyes playfully. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you had such refined tastes."

They bantered back and forth as they continued shopping, filling their baskets with snacks, water, and canned food. For a moment, it almost felt normal, like they weren't on the run from a dangerous criminal empire, like Riley wasn't secretly working with the police to take down Sinclair. Like her brothers weren't in danger because of her.

Once they reached the counter, Luke went to the car to fill up on gas while Riley grabbed the bathroom key from the cashier. She headed toward the back of the store, passing by a stray cat lounging near the door. She smiled, crouching down to pet it.

"Hey, buddy," she cooed, rubbing behind its ears as it purred.

But just as she stood up, she froze.

A man walked past her, his face shadowed under a baseball cap, a gun glinting in his hand. He was heading straight for the women's bathroom.

Her pulse kicked into overdrive. Shit.

She didn't know if he was here for her, but it didn't matter. Her gut screamed at her that something was wrong. Without a second thought, she turned and sprinted toward the front of the store, her heart pounding in her chest.

Luke had just finished at the pump when she reached him, breathless.

"Luke, we need to go. Now," she said, eyes wide, fear etched in every word.

He immediately tensed, his hand reaching instinctively for his gun. "What happened?"

"There's a guy inside," she gasped, her voice trembling. "With a gun. I don't know if it's for me, but—"

Luke didn't need to hear the rest. He threw open the car door, starting the engine as Riley jumped into the passenger seat. Tires screeched as they peeled out of the parking lot, the lights of the convenience store quickly fading in the rearview mirror.

Luke's jaw was set in a hard line, his knuckles white on the steering wheel as they sped through the winding roads. They took a winding, convoluted route back to the cabin, driving through side streets, doubling back, and making random turns to ensure they weren't being followed. Riley's chest was tight with anxiety, her gaze flicking constantly to the rearview mirror.

It felt like hours before they finally reached the cabin, but even then, the tension between them didn't fade. The sun had long since set, and the cabin loomed in the darkness, eerily quiet.

Luke killed the engine, but neither of them moved. For a moment, they sat in the silence, both trying to catch their breath, their nerves frayed from the near miss.

"You think we were followed?" Riley asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Luke shook his head slowly, but his eyes remained on the trees outside. "No. I think we're clear."

Still, they didn't move. The weight of everything pressed down on them, thick and heavy in the cold night air. Eventually, Luke let out a long breath and glanced over at her. "We're safe, Riley."

She nodded, but her body still felt coiled tight. Safe. It didn't feel like it. Not really.

After a few more tense minutes, they finally decided to head inside. The cabin was just as they'd left it—quiet, dark, with only the soft crackle of the dying fire from earlier.

They worked in silence, both too on edge to say much. Riley set up the ramen over the fire while Luke fidgeted with the checkerboard they'd found earlier. Slowly, the familiar routine of making food and setting up the game took the edge off their nerves, bit by bit.

Riley sighed as she stirred the ramen, the faint scent of broth filling the small cabin. "Well, it's no five-star meal, but it'll do."

Luke raised an eyebrow as he set up the checker pieces. "I think we've earned worse."

They sat cross-legged by the fire, playing a couple rounds of checkers as the ramen cooked. It was simple, and the quiet moments between them helped ease some of the tension. For the first time that night, Riley actually felt a sliver of peace.

By the time they finished dinner, the fire had dimmed, casting flickering shadows across the cabin walls. Riley sat cross-legged on the worn rug, her eyes fixed on the dancing flames. She wasn't really seeing them, though. Her thoughts were miles away, caught in the relentless loop of everything they'd left behind and the uncertainty of what lay ahead.

Luke watched her for a moment before speaking. "How are you holding up in there?" he asked, his voice low and even as he leaned forward and tapped her lightly on the forehead with his knuckles.

A faint smile tugged at Riley's lips, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Could be worse," she murmured, her gaze still on the fire. She hesitated before continuing, her voice quieter. "I'm just... frustrated. I hate not knowing what happened to my brothers. And I'm so damn tired of running. And it's only been a week." She released a bitter laugh.

Luke nodded, his expression softening. "I get it," he said. "Believe me, I do. Today was... too close." His jaw clenched as he recounted how close they'd been earlier to being seen.

The reminder of their near-miss earlier sent a chill down Riley's spine, one that had nothing to do with the cold seeping into the cabin. She sighed and leaned her head against Luke's shoulder, letting her weight settle against him. His arm slid around her, pulling her closer.

He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, and the unexpected tenderness of it made her chest flutter. It was a quiet, intimate moment, and for a brief second, the world outside seemed to fade away.

She closed her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is my life now," she said, motioning vaguely toward the cabin around them. "Cold, cheap dinners, and always looking over my shoulder."

Luke didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached for the blanket draped over the back of the couch and wrapped it around them both. His hand came to rest gently on her thigh, his touch warm and steady. "I won't let anything happen to you, Riley," he said, his voice firm.

Riley tilted her head to look up at him, and for a moment, the weight she carried seemed lighter. There was something unshakable in his gaze, a promise that reached deeper than words ever could.

When he kissed her, it wasn't like before. This time, it lingered, slow and meaningful, as though the world had shrunk to just the two of them in that quiet, firelit cabin. Riley felt something shift inside her, like a crack mending she hadn't even realized was there.

When they finally broke apart, the exhaustion of the day hit her all at once. She rested her head against his shoulder, her eyes slipping closed as sleep pulled at her.

Luke held her there for a while, his hand brushing softly over her arm as her breathing evened out. Then, as carefully as he could, he scooped her into his arms. She didn't stir, her body pliant and warm against him.

He carried her to the small bed, laying her down gently and tucking the blanket around her. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, letting it linger for just a moment before settling in beside her.

The fire crackled on, the cabin wrapped in a quiet stillness. Luke watched her for a moment longer, her face peaceful in sleep. He vowed silently that no matter what came next, he'd keep that peace for her, no matter the cost.

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Author Note:

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