Page 30 of Jump or Fall

Gordon

G ordon stared at the cracked ceiling, flipping the brass key between his fingers. He was going to be exhausted tomorrow. He had a few deliveries, but he needed to get his apartment in better shape. If Mara was moving in, he couldn’t subject her to his pathetic rebel lair.

I don’t even have a table.

He sighed. There wasn’t much he could do from Crux, but he wanted to stay here since it was closer to her. The rod jamming into his back was seriously making him consider putting the mattress on the floor, though.

His eyes ached and his muscles were tense yet fatigued. He’d stopped drinking as much, just in case she needed him. It was even harder to sleep now, but he had to change. Maybe it would get easier with her wrapped up in his arms. Then he wouldn’t have to think about that sick fuck touching her.

Gordon still couldn’t believe she wanted him. Every touch that he’d convinced himself was nothing had actually meant something.

“I thought I lost you . ”

Those words repeated in his head on an endless loop. He hadn’t known what to do with them, only that he had to make a move—had to know.

He hadn’t expected to end up in bed with her that night—or anytime soon. If she never wanted to sleep with him, he would’ve accepted it. Being near her was enough. Seeing those haunting eyes light up over something that sparked her interest—it was more than he thought he’d ever get.

But she did want him. Somehow, Gordon was the luckiest bastard alive.

Still, he hadn’t been that nervous since his first time. Every movement was careful, the weight of everything hanging heavy in the space between them. The last thing he wanted was to remind her of him .

The way her eyes had gone vacant and her whole body rigid had scared the shit out of him. How could someone do that to her? And how the fuck was she so strong?

He closed his eyes and listened to the hum of the safehouse, trying to clear his head enough to drift off.

It was pointless. He wasn’t going to sleep.

His ear chimed. “What?”

“Get your ass to the clinic in Eight! Now!” Wells yelled, voice frantic.

Gordon bolted upright. “What happened?”

“He took Mara to the office in Six. I shot Max and knocked out Knight.” Traffic noise crackled in the background. “I’ll call Kaur and sign her in as ‘M’.”

“What happened to her!”

Silence stretched over the line. “I can’t, Gordon… Just get there fast.”

Gordon sprinted through the tunnels to the exit where he kept his bike, mind racing. What the hell happened? The thought of that sick fuck even being in the same room as her made his blood boil.

His heart pounded and his muscles screamed, but he kept pushing.

Finally, the exit symbol was ahead. Bursting through the door, he didn’t care who saw him as he hurtled toward his bike.

Good thing he’d stayed sober.

He pulled on his helmet and sped off toward Eight, cutting through alleys and slipping between cars. Someone opening their car door nearly clipped him, and he wavered before getting the balance right again .

Fuck the Naxos Free Society. He shouldn’t have listened to their shit about a trial to begin with. Knight didn’t deserve it. The urge to hunt him down now and put a bullet in his skull was overwhelming, but Mara came first. He needed to know she was safe.

Ditching his bike at the edge of Eight, he tossed his helmet aside and rushed to the clinic. Crossing Scarlet Row filled him with terror. Memories of holding his torn face together surfaced and he had to swallow the urge to scream.

Get to Mara. Get to Mara.

The receptionist was talking to someone on her earpiece, but looked up. She jerked her head toward the hall and held up four fingers.

He bolted down the corridor and threw the door open. If it was the wrong room, apologies could come later.

Mara lay motionless on the bed, her entire face covered in blood.

His heart shattered.

No. No. No .

He cut her face.

That fucking scum cut her face.

His vision blurred as he stepped closer. Three jagged cuts ran from her forehead to her cheek on the left side along with a deep cut to the right side of her chin.

Her left eye was gone.

Dr. Kaur appeared at his side. “She’ll be okay. I’m gonna need you to move over there.” She gestured toward the chairs, where Wells sat, head in his hands, arms and shirt stained red.

The doctor affixed the surgical tool and worked in tandem with it, repairing Mara’s face. Gordon never imagined the gift he’d brought to the people of Eight would one day be used on someone he loved.

He hadn’t told Mara he loved her yet. All of his self-doubt had kept him from admitting it, and now he’d almost lost her forever.

He wouldn’t make a mistake like that again .

“What the fuck happened?” Gordon demanded. “Why’d he take her there?”

Wells lowered his hands. “I didn’t know who he was bringing over. Knight just said there was someone we needed to question and to clear the office. He came in with her handcuffed and Max tailing behind. Said some shit about her having it good and all he wanted was for her to do what he said.”

“Then what?”

Wells met his eyes. “He asked me by name if I’d ever given a stripe… She looked at me.” His voice wavered as he continued, “I had to cut her.”

Rage burned through his veins. He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to punch him.

“How’d it end up like this?”

Wells shook his head, staring at the floor.

“Tell me what happened,” Gordon said, his tone deadly.

“He knew about Danya.”

Realization hit him like a truck and he swayed on his feet.

“Did you—”

“No! I could never rape anyone! I barely kept it up with Danya, and that was fake.” Wells shook his head.

“I managed to pull Mara down to the floor, which bought enough time to shoot Max.” He let out a sharp exhale.

“My gun jammed when I tried to shoot Knight, so I hit him over the head. But he’d already cut her, and she was out. ”

Guilt crushed Gordon’s chest, pressing so hard he could hardly breathe. He should have done more to keep her safe.

Sinking into a chair, he pulled out his tablet to check the status of her key.

No connection.

“He must have caught her using the key tonight.”

Wells stood. “I need to disappear, Gordon. I’m gonna find Danya and see if she wants to leave the city with me. They know I’m a traitor now… th ey’ll tear her apart.” He glanced over at Mara. “Tell her I’m sorry. I should’ve done more.”

Gordon jerked his head, watching Wells exit the room in silence.

He took Mara’s soft hand in his. Dark bruises and cuts circled her wrists. The rest of her was just as bad. The doctor had draped a white cloth over her chest, but he could still see the nicks and bruises covering her body.

Dr. Kaur spoke gently, “I don’t believe he assaulted her, but we’ll know for sure when she wakes up.”

“He didn’t,” Gordon said firmly. “My cousin isn’t that kind of guy.”

“I didn’t know you two were related.”

“We were never very close. My aunt thought I was a bad influence. She wasn’t wrong.”

“Yet even after all your time in Surveillance, you never joined the Silvers.”

He frowned. “Wells didn’t join for the fun of it. Just like I didn’t come back to be a courier in a slum.”

“Then we all need to keep the momentum of change going.”

She finished the last stitch and removed the device.

“I’m going to hook up the SynThera now,” Dr. Kaur said.

“This batch is only a few months expired, so it should work well.” She took a deep breath.

“There was nothing I could do about her eye, unfortunately. Once she’s awake, we should move her out quickly to let her recover somewhere safe.

The Silvers don’t come knocking around here, but considering her connection to Secretary Knight… I don’t want to risk it.”

“Thank you. Can I get a rag and some water?” Her face may have been repaired, but she was still covered in dried splotches of blood.

The doctor nodded and left the room.

Gordon pressed his lips to Mara’s bruised hand and whispered, “I thought I lost you. ”

The initial terror of losing her had faded, but his muscles were still primed to go.

She was safe now. He could keep her close.

But guilt still gripped him.

If he’d thought about her door lock from the start, would this have happened? If he had insisted she not go back, would she have listened?

No, he couldn’t let himself drown in the what-ifs. Mara had made her choice to fight, and he couldn’t fault her for it.

She needed this—needed to take him down.

And Knight would begin to pay now.

Gordon grabbed his tablet to make a call.

Two chimes.

“Yeah?” Kim’s voice came through.

“Kim. I think Jasper needs some mandatory leave.”

He could almost hear the giddiness in her silence.