Page 24 of Jump or Fall

Mara - Ten Years Earlier

M ara’s fingers swiped absently over the inventory screen, scrolling through the lists she already knew by heart—fabrics, threads, connectors, plates. Everything was in its place. She’d checked it all already. Twice.

Her arms and fingers ached from disassembling and cleaning one of the joiners, and the acidic solvent left the inside of her nose feeling raw. She wasn’t allowed to craft armor yet, but Geller said her time was coming soon.

She started a couple of months ago, and the first few weeks had all been lessons: “this fiber does this” and is made of “that”.

At first, she found it fascinating, but the repetition had gotten old.

There were only so many times she could watch someone slash aramid with a knife or see a close-up of hexagonal ceramic plates shattering.

At least now they had moved on to doing the demonstrations themselves. She loved the satisfying crack of hitting a chestplate from twenty-five yards away.

Lukas didn’t get it. He thought it was a weird place for a girl to work. They had grown up together in the children’s home, but he had taken a job at the port when they aged out. Boring. Sure, he got to see the ocean up close, but that was the only real perk.

They’d lost touch for a while, but a few months ago he’d surprised her with her favorite tea and asked her out. It was like they picked up right where they’d left off. Now she got to run her fingers through his soft auburn hair and see his cute dimples almost every day.

If he didn’t ask to move in together soon, she would. She spent most nights at his place anyway. Her current roommate, Poppy, was all right—but they weren’t friends. At least she didn’t leave dishes everywhere.

Mara sighed, swiping through the list again. The system tracked all of this stuff. Stupid busywork.

A deep voice interrupted her thoughts. “Hello there.”

She jumped and turned with wide eyes. “Um. Hello.”

A man strode over with a casual smile. He looked to be late thirties, with short dark hair and piercing gray eyes that traveled down her body.

She shifted uncomfortably, wishing she could somehow cover more of herself. “What can I help you with, sir?”

“Oh, I’m just looking. What’s your name?”

She hesitated before replying quietly, “Mara.”

“Mara. Lovely name for a lovely girl.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“A polite girl, too.” He extended his hand, revealing titanium fingertips. “I’m Dawson Knight. Secretary of State Security.”

Her heart pounded. She took his hand and almost recoiled at the feel of metal against her skin, but knew better than to react. Offending a Silver—even one without the implants—would be a big enough mistake.

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

His hand lingered with hers for a moment before he finally released her. “I’ll be seeing you. Mara.”

***

A week went by and Secretary Knight hadn’t returned. Maybe he’d gotten bored. She was focused on her new tasks anyway. Geller had finally let her use the joiner and start troubleshooting broken suits. Her fingers still tingled from the vibrations, but she didn’t mind. It felt like progress.

She left work, replaying the last suit she’d worked on—a faulty wire in one of the connectors. Maybe she could convince Geller to let her fix it tomorrow.

The street hummed with traffic as she walked. She checked her tablet and found a message from a few hours ago.

Lukas

Meet you at Carmella’s for lunch tomorrow?

Mara grinned. She’d wanted to go there for a while. Everyone said they had great coffee and you got to sit in a maze of flowers.

While typing her response, a strange sensation trickled down her spine. She slowed and glanced back. A car was following too close.

She stuffed the tablet into her pocket and picked up her pace. Any second now there would be a catcall. She was too tired for whatever stupid, gross thing was about to be directed at her.

Mara turned down a side street in an attempt to lose them—and ran straight into a solid figure standing in her path.

“I think you’re going the wrong way, doll.”

She looked up into the amused face of Secretary Knight.

“How do you know where I’m going?”

“That’s not the polite girl I spoke to before.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” Her stomach clenched. “I just thought a car was following me.”

“It was.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re mine now.”

“Wh–”

A hand clamped over her mouth, and an arm wrapped around her body, restraining her. She thrashed against the person, struggling to free herself .

“Come on,” he drawled. “Everything will be a lot easier if you cooperate.”

She tried to bite the hand over her mouth, but the man holding her spat, “Don’t you fucking dare, bitch.”

“Max, be a gentleman.”

Panic surged through her. Even if she broke free, who could she call? The enforcers wouldn’t touch a Silver, much less a government official. He also knew where she worked—where she lived .

It was useless.

She fought every instinct telling her to get away and stopped resisting.

“Good girl. Get in the car.”

Mara obeyed and watched the city pass through the window, trying to map their route in her head. Within minutes, she lost track, unable to focus with his cold gaze moving over every curve of her body.

Would Lukas look for her? She hadn’t been able to reply before she noticed the car. If this creep wasn’t undressing her with his eyes, she’d try to send him a message now.

Would Lukas even still like her after whatever this man was planning? The Secretary said she was his now. Did that mean forever? Was he going to kill her? Scar her face?

Tears stung the corners of her eyes.

I didn’t do anything wrong.

When the car stopped, he took Mara’s hand and led her through a set of massive doors.

This was Division One—the wealthiest part of the city—where people had individual homes.

She hadn’t noticed they went through the security gate.

The house had a grand stairwell inside. It was so clean and open, their footsteps echoed on the sparkling white tile.

“This way, doll.” His voice was almost giddy. Mara glanced back to see the driver following close, like he expected her to bolt.

The Secretary gestured for her to enter a room, and she did. Every footstep sealing her fate as she walked.

“You can leave, Max. ”

The door shut behind her. Secretary Knight strode over to a shiny, dark wooden desk and took a seat in the swivel chair.

“On your knees.”

He’s going to kill me when he’s done.

Slowly, she sank to her knees, eyes glued to the floor. Maybe if she listened, he would kill her quickly.

A pause stretched between them before he stood and paced around her. She balled up her fists, trying to keep the tears at bay.

“Take off your coat,” he ordered.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she obeyed, letting it fall to the floor beside her. His slow steps circled her, like a predator analyzing its prey.

“Now the shirt.”

She couldn’t stop the tears now. “Please, let me go.”

“Don’t make me say it again, sweetheart.”

Her fingers trembled as she tried to release the buttons. Eyes still shut, she clutched it in her hands rather than letting it fall away.

He stopped behind her, the weight of his gaze pressing down. Metal fingertips glided across her shoulders, making her flinch.

“How perfect—not a single stripe. If you do as I say, you can keep your job at Hyperion. Geller says you have promise, and if there’s anything I like more than fucking,” he stroked her hair, “it’s guns and armor.”

I’m not going to die?

“As for the boyfriend, though.” His footsteps left her side. He kicked a long, narrow box on the floor. “That I can’t allow. You belong to me.”

Her breath caught. “Lukas?”

“Come here.”

She couldn’t move.

Listen to him. It’ll be worse if you don’t.

Her legs wouldn’t budge.

He stomped across the room and seized her arm to drag her toward the box.

Please no, I don’t want to look .

“Open your eyes, doll.”

“No.”

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and jerked her head back, making pain erupt across her scalp.

“Stop!” she cried.

“Then open your fucking eyes.”

She did and he forced her head down to look at Lukas’s broken body inside the box. His face was torn to shreds, eyes missing, and his nose was split apart. The only recognizable thing was his clothes. The smell of blood was so overpowering, she had to fight the bile climbing up her throat.

Mara screamed and pounded her fists against her captor’s chest. “You’re a fucking psycho!”

He caught her wrists and spun her around, trapping her in a crushing embrace.

“Let me go!” she shrieked, sobs wracking her body.

“I’ll let that slide this time,” he murmured, his voice laced with venom. “But you won’t hit me again.”

A claw traced her spine and she shuddered. “It’s going to be so fun breaking you, my little doll.”

He hooked a finger into her waistband and with one quick motion, sliced through the fabric.

“No, no, no, no…” She squirmed, but couldn't break free from his grip. She pressed her thighs tightly together, trying to hold her clothes in place.

“I’m going to fuck you while you look at him.” He wrapped a hand around her throat and dragged his tongue along her cheek. “If you’re good, I won’t cover you in his blood.”

Her legs gave out. “Please… let me go…”

He dropped her to the floor. “Back on your knees.”

***

Before her eyes opened, she knew it hadn’t been a nightmare. Every inch of her body ached down to the bone, and the musky scent of his cologne still clung to her like a stain.

She could still feel the way he’d carried her through the hidden door in his office and up into a large bedroom. The bed was soft, but there was no comfort in it.

He’d curled around her possessively, an arm locked around her waist, breath warm against her neck. “ Don’t bother trying to slip away ,” he’d whispered. “ I’ll know .”

She’d kept her eyes open in the dark, muscles tense, waiting for his grip to loosen. But sleep had crept in anyway, claiming her just like the man currently inhabiting the en-suite bathroom.