Dominance Evolution System: Sweat, Sex, and Streetball-Chapter 222: The Game Behind the Game

At night, the arena where the Dust Dogs were playing against the Raptors wasn’t anything fancy. The kind with floors made of cracked concrete and lights that flicker like they might die any second.

But the crowd was loud, real loud. Some people were there because they bet all their money on this game. Others just wanted to see something crazy happen.

The Dust Dogs wore old gray jerseys that looked like they’d been washed too many times. The Raptors had these bright blue uniforms, all clean and new. On paper, the Raptors should have destroyed them. But tonight? Things didn’t go how anyone expected.

The game started slow. Roam won the tip-off, grabbing the ball like he had something to prove. He passed it to Saya, who sprinted down the court. She threw it to Tylo, who shot a three-pointer, swish, right through the net.

The crowd went wild. But the Raptors? They played like they were half asleep. Jax missed a layup so bad it didn’t even touch the rim. Their tallest guy tripped over his own feet trying to grab a rebound. By the end of the first quarter, the Dust Dogs were winning by eight points.

At halftime, they were up by twelve.

The Dogs were exhausted, sweating buckets, but somehow, they were winning. In their huddle, Tylo wiped his face with the bottom of his jersey.

"Man, that was rough," he said, breathing hard. "They were supposed to let us win easy. What’s going on?"

Kej bent over, hands on his knees, panting.

"Yeah, no kidding. I thought this was supposed to be a setup. Feels like I just ran ten miles."

The twins, Kiel and Kael, looked at each other at the same time like always.

"Seriously," Kiel said. "If they’re throwing the game, why make us work so hard?"

Roam just stood there, arms crossed, face like stone. Days ago, he would also be complaining, but now... he knew better. He knew what Saya and Rin had gone through in that warehouse, how they’d been treated like objects, like bargaining chips.

The scene still haunted him. He glanced at Saya, who was gulping down water like she hadn’t drunk in days. Rin was on the bench, her red twintails messy, looking bored like usual.

Everyone knew about the bribes, it wasn’t a secret in the underground. But knowing and seeing were two different things. Roam had seen it all, and it messed him up so badly.

He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then shut it again. Annoyed, hurt, silent.

Vargas clapped his hands once.

"Keep pushing," he said. "We got this."

The second half was the same story. The Raptors missed easy shots, threw dumb passes that went nowhere. The Dust Dogs kept scraping by, tired as hell but still winning. When the final buzzer went off, the score was Dust Dogs 98, Raptors 85.

The crowd exploded. A few people screamed like they’d just won the championship, but it was rather lucky betters. For the rest, who knew how it should have gone, it was bullshit.

They were pissed, whispering about how the Raptors played like they didn’t care.

"What the hell was that?" someone shouted from the bleachers. "The Raptors threw the game!"

On the court, the Dust Dogs huddled together, breathing heavy. Tylo gave a few half-hearted high-fives but kept complaining.

"Man, that was bullshit," he muttered. "They were supposed to roll over. I feel like I just got dragged through mud."

Kej wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yeah, my legs are killing me. If that’s them letting us win, we’re screwed next time."

Rin stretched her arms over her head and yawned.

"At least we won," she said. "Could’ve been worse."

Saya didn’t say much. She just nodded, wiping sweat from her face with the edge of her shirt, lifting it just enough to show her stomach for a second. But her mind wasn’t here. She was still thinking about the previous day’s events, how they’d proved Nash right, treated her like she was nothing, just something to be used and tossed aside.

Meanwhile, the Raptors walked off like nothing happened, talking loud enough for the Dust Dogs to hear but acting like they weren’t even there.

Jax laughed, tossing a towel over his shoulder.

"Dude, that was harder than I thought," he said, grinning. "Trying to play bad without looking obvious? Almost made that three-pointer by accident."

The skinny guard next to him nodded.

"For real," he said. "They’re so bad, it’s hard to lose on purpose. I had to trip myself twice."

Their center just grunted.

"Yeah, but worth it," he said. "Blondie’s got skills off the court."

They all laughed, while the Dust Dogs froze in anger. Tylo’s face turned red. Kej clenched his fists.

"Assholes."

Roam stayed quiet, but his jaw was tight, like he was holding back something big. He knew what they meant by "skills." It was Saya and Rin paying the price. The thought ate at him, like something rotting inside his chest.

Jax walked past Saya on his way out, bumping her shoulder just enough to make it clear he did it on purpose. He leaned in, his grin full of teeth.

"Congrats on the win, blondie," he said, "You earned it. Can’t wait for our next game... I’m so impatient for your next performance."

Saya’s eyes went wide, first shock, then pure rage. She gritted her teeth so hard you could hear the pop, her hands shaking at her sides.

"Fuck you," she spat under her breath.

Jax just laughed and kept walking.

Roam watched the whole thing from a distance, his fists clenched. His anger was burning in his chest like acid. He remembered the warehouse, Saya manhandled, helpless, the Raptors laughing while he stood there, useless.

He couldn’t do anything. Not then, not now. It made him feel small, broken, like he wasn’t even a man anymore. Just a joke. The pain in his chest was sharp, deep, like a knife twisting slowly.

He looked down, shoulders slumped like he was carrying something too heavy.

Vargas clapped him on the back.

"Good win, Roam," he said. "Let’s get out of here."

Roam didn’t answer.

The Dust Dogs walked out, whispering angrily under their breaths. They’d won.

But it didn’t feel like a win at all.

The following morning, Nash left his apartment and stepped out into the chilly air. He walked toward the Black Rose Brew on Level 12.

Inside, the café was small, just three tables with chairs that didn’t even match, and a guy behind the counter wiping glasses like he’d rather be anywhere else. But Rei was already there, sitting in the back corner with her long legs crossed under the table.

She was one of those people who just looked cool without trying. She had on this black lace-up corset thing that fit her perfectly, a dark skirt with slits up the sides so you could see her boots, which, by the way, looked expensive, and thin wire-frame glasses resting low on her nose.

She spotted Nash, gave him a small nod, and smiled just a little.

Nash walked over and flopped into the chair across from her, leaning back.

"Hey," he said, casual as anything.

"Yo," Rei answered.

"You came quickly," she pointed out, tilting her head slightly.

Nash shrugged.

"So did you. Figured you’d want to get this over with fast."

Rei’s lips curved again, not quite a full smile, but close.

"I don’t waste time. But I also don’t mind waiting for someone who actually shows up."

Nash raised an eyebrow.

"Was that a compliment?"

"Don’t get used to it," she said, but there was something warm in her voice. She took a sip of her black coffee, no sugar, no cream, because of course she liked it bitter. "Thanks for coming. I know it’s not easy to drop everything just because I asked."

There was a pause then. The guy behind the counter clinked a glass. Outside, a bike engine roared and then faded into the distance.

Finally, Rei spoke again.

"So," she said, tapping her finger lightly against the rim of her cup. "You said in your message you had progress."

Nash nodded once.

"Yeah. I tried talking to Victoria first." He rubbed the back of his neck like he was thinking hard. "Thought maybe she could pull some strings, get Monique to back off, maybe even buy out part of your debt. She’s got connections, but she got weird about it fast."

He paused. For the future, it would be better to paint a "positive face" for Victoria, instead of openly saying she let them rot.

"She didn’t exactly shut me down," he went on. "She just... froze. Kept saying Baby-Boom was ’too delicate.’ Too many loose ends, too much heat from whoever’s really behind you girls. She wouldn’t even say names, just kept repeating that whoever’s pulling the strings is way bigger than anything she wants to touch. Basically told me to drop it."

Rei’s finger tapped the cup again. Slower this time. Her eyes, icy-blue and sharp, narrowed slightly. But it wasn’t anger. It was worry. Real, honest worry. You could see it in the way her shoulders tensed just a little.

"So she’s scared," Rei murmured, almost to herself.

Nash leaned forward.

"Yeah. And Victoria doesn’t scare easy. That means whoever’s behind Apex, or Monique, is big enough to make even her hesitate."

Rei stared at her coffee for a long moment. The steam had stopped rising by now; the surface was still. But her finger kept tapping, soft, uneven, like she couldn’t find the right rhythm.

Nash watched her, then spoke again.

"But I’ve got a plan B."

Rei looked up.

"I dug around online," Nash said. "Found a name that keeps showing up on old Apex paperwork, Harlan Reiss. Big guy, dark suit, always half-turned in photos like he doesn’t want his face caught. There are rumors, embezzlement from years back, a missing business partner, debts that never got explained. He’s a ghost now, last seen near Pier 9, some old ship called Erebus. If he’s the middleman for Apex’s dirty work down here, he might be the key. Someone who can erase the debt... or at least force Monique to back off."

Rei frowned slightly, shaking her head.

"Harlan Reiss," she repeated slowly. "Never heard the name. Monique never mentioned him. Not once."

She studied Nash’s face, searching for something.

"You’re sure he’s connected?"

Nash shrugged.

"His signature’s on enough old Apex papers that it’s not coincidence. If he’s still breathing, he knows things. And if he’s hiding on that ship... someone wants him out of sight but still reachable."

Rei let out a slow breath. Her shoulders relaxed just a fraction, like knowing there was a name, a lead, made things feel a little less hopeless.

"Okay," she said. "If you think he’s the way in... I trust your read. But be careful. If Apex is protecting him, or using him, they won’t let anyone get close without consequences."

Nash nodded.

"I will. I’m not rushing in blind. Just gathering pieces first."

Rei’s lips curved, just a tiny bit. Not quite a smile, but almost.

"You’re stubborn," she said. "I like that."

Before Nash could answer, the café door jingled.

Both of them turned.

Aiko walked in.