Page 19 of Jump or Fall

Gordon - One Year Earlier

K im would be at the bar in a few minutes.

He’d been back for a couple of days now, crashing at the same hostel he’d landed in when he was first dumped on Scarlet Row.

Finding something permanent was nearly impossible without Kim's help.

Even if Division Eight was a lawless dump, necessity had made it tight-knit and wary of newcomers.

The stool beneath him was even more wobbly than before, and the floor stuck to his shoes with the stink of stale beer. Across the room, a woman laughed as she leaned into a man’s shoulder. He was pretty sure she was the same one who’d been loudly fucking his neighbor three years ago.

He took a swig of whiskey, just as a hand clapped him on the back. He turned to see Kim smiling at him, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She’d aged since he’d last seen her, obviously, but she still looked so young.

He reached out for a friendly embrace. Her shoulders loosened, just slightly, as she accepted it.

“How’ve you been, Kim?”

Her brows came together. “A lot has happened since you left.”

Gordon had a suspicion. “Your mom?”

“Yeah… Last year,” she said quietly.

“I’m so sorry. ”

Blinking back tears, she shook her head. “I tried to tell myself I shouldn’t feel so sad. She did it to herself… but it still hurts so much.”

“Loss can be complicated like that.”

She waved the barman over for a drink. Other Divisions had screens and bots to handle orders, but Eight tried to keep as many human workers as possible.

With restrictions on movement and work, it was the only way for enough people to earn a living.

For the ones who couldn’t find a job, it was common to see them selling whatever odds and ends they found in the alleys.

“What was Naxos like?” she asked.

He took another drink and snorted. “Fucked. You thought the bird was crazy? I caught a spy mouse one day.” He wasn’t going to tell her about Deirdre.

Her mouth dropped open. “A mouse? Why do they need that?”

He shook his head. “No idea. Oh—” He reached into his bag and pulled out a small statue of Deyela. “I brought this for you.”

Kim’s eyes widened. “Where did you find this?”

“There’s a whole neighborhood of you in Naxos. I almost called a random woman ‘Kim’, but once I got closer, it was obviously not you.” He laughed, the whiskey was slowly creeping up on him.

A small smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “Thank you, Gordon.”

He nodded. “Your sister finish school yet?”

Kim pressed her lips into a hard line. “Yeah. I wanted to ask you something.”

Not liking the sound of where this was going, he ordered another drink. Please don’t ask me to track someone down again.

She looked away. “What do you know about the Secretary of State Security?”

“I know Naxos wants him gone, and that’s why I’m back. Silver psychopath who leads the rest of the Silver psychopaths. Why?”

“He has Nella.”

His stomach dropped. “Kim… ”

“Can you get her back?” Sea-green eyes met his, pleading.

“Kim… Division One is gated, and that’s most likely where she is. I can’t even get very far in the rest of the city with my helmet on.”

“I know. I’ve been driving around the edge, trying to get a glimpse of her, but I think his house is along the wall.

Records are so locked down—I can’t find anything, even with being promoted to Squad Leader.

” She moved closer, desperation in her voice.

“Did you ever do work for him? Do you know where he goes? Where he might take her?”

“No.” He rubbed his scar. “I never did anything directly for him, and thank fuck I’ve only been in the same room a handful of times.” A wave of menace followed Secretary Knight everywhere he went. His voice alone was enough to fill him with dread.

Kim slouched like she was about to collapse in on herself. “I need to get her back.”

Sadness twisted inside him. First her mom had been poisoned, and now her sister was in the clawed hands of a monster.

“I have two birds now,” he said gently. “I’m still learning to use them, but I’ll fly them into Division One when I can. The range from Eight is too far, so I’ll have to go into at least Division Three. If he lets her have a tablet, it might be hard to trace, but I’ll see what I can find.”

He needed to be careful. Getting caught with the birds was sure to have a harsher punishment than another stripe on his face.

A tear fell down her cheek. “Thank you.”

His next drink arrived. He took a big gulp and tilted his head to the left so it wouldn’t spill from his mouth. Keeping his lips clamped shut was easier if he stuck to small sips, but everything was making him tense: the scarred faces, Eight, and the reality of fighting back.

“So, how do you know Silva Lasko?” he asked.

“I went to school with his son, Theo. At least, before we moved to Eight. We kept in touch.”

“And how does that translate to telling him I was heading to Naxos?”

“He coordinates with the tunnel workers to help people leave. I was sending you through, so I had to talk to him about it. How’d you hear about him?”

“He’s who I’m supposed to work with. I’m surprised someone that high in the food chain is trying to take it all apart.”

“Most people don’t want their families constantly threatened,” she said pointedly.

“Fair. Know any place I can rent?” The whiskey was going to his head. He needed to crash soon. Being back was making it impossible to sleep without the help of alcohol. All the smells and sounds had brought his lowest point screaming back into his consciousness.

“There’s an old lady renting out a place near the top I could show you. Need work?”

“Yeah,” he grumbled. “This mission will probably take a long time, so need to fill the rest of the hours in the day, I guess.”

Why couldn’t everything just work out with Naxos?

He never wanted to see this fucking place again, but here he was—a scar-faced loser trapped in a slum indefinitely.

Kim pulled out her tablet and swiped through it. “Looks like there’s a courier spot. Some of the paths have changed since you were gone, but the map you made should still help.”

He grunted in acknowledgment. “I can do that. Congrats on the promotion.”

“Thanks.” She bit her lip. “It’s hard managing a bunch of morons, but not all of them suck. The Silver is a dick of course.”

“He’s probably a nobody in the hierarchy if he’s assigned to Eight. They get bitter.”

The room spun, sending a wave of nausea rolling through his system. That last drink was hitting him hard.

“I’m gonna head up,” he slurred. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Kim stood as he wavered on his feet. “How much did you drink, man? ”

He waved her off. “Don’t worry about it.”

Rolling her eyes, she took his arm. “Come on.”

She led him up the stairs to his room. Once they reached his door, she blurted out, “Is there still no chance?”

Damn it.

Propping his forehead against the doorframe, he sighed. “Kimmie. You’re a good friend, and I’m happy to see you, but that’s all we can be.”

“Is it just my age?”

Why does she want to have this conversation now?

“If you’re about to call yourself ugly, just shut the fuck up now. You could get any guy.”

“Except the one I want, apparently,” she whispered.

He lightly smacked his head against the frame. “Goodnight, Kim.”

If she said anything after that, he couldn’t remember. His thoughts blurred together in a mess of weariness and self-doubt.

Could he actually do this? Was he prepared to die if he failed? Nella only made the burden heavier.

By the time he collapsed onto the squeaky bed, sleep had swallowed him whole.