Page 7 of Jump or Fall

Gordon

M ara grabbed his hand.

He wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but she wasn’t letting go. Gordon held on, heat rising to his face. Obviously, it wasn’t the first hand he’d held—but for some reason, this one had him flustered.

Don’t get all sweaty.

Too late. He could feel it at the nape of his neck.

Thank God for the pitch-black tunnel. His face was probably a ridiculous shade of red. Hopefully, it would be back to normal by the time they made it out.

Your face isn’t fucking normal.

Maybe she meant to grab his coat again and missed. Maybe she didn’t want to make it awkward by pulling away.

Yeah. That had to be it.

There was no way she’d actually want to hold his hand. A woman like her could have any guy she wanted once she was free—someone without a hideous scar.

Still, she hadn’t let go.

He liked the way her eyes had gone wide, her lips parting in awe when she’d seen the ocean. The moment had been more breathtaking than the view itself.

He wanted to show her everything she’d been missing .

They reached the door too soon. Her hand was still lightly wrapped around his as he pushed it open. Only when the light from inside hit them did she let go.

Even without her hand in his, the warmth lingered.

Gordon blinked, adjusting to the light. “Quite something, huh?”

“It was incredible!” she said, beaming. “Why do we have that stupid wall?”

“No idea.” He returned a small smile. Mara kept getting those out of him, even though he tried not to. If he kept his face still, it was less obvious he couldn’t move all of it.

He led her back into the maintenance tunnels, the metal door groaning shut behind them. The walk out here had been long, and he still had courier runs to make—but she was easy to be around. Even with the tension at the start, he’d relaxed more than expected.

Giddiness was still plastered across her face, and it was hard not to stare. The screen he’d watched her through to find her apartment hadn’t done her justice. Of course she was beautiful, but she hadn’t smiled once in that short time—and it couldn’t capture the sharp mind beneath the surface.

He hated that he’d had to watch her like that. Follow her like an animal. Mara didn’t deserve to have another guy tailing her. Her life was difficult enough.

“How often do you come out here just to look at it?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Not too often. Sometimes it’s hard to look. Like a reminder that we’re stuck.”

“Is Naxos as far as you went?”

“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “There are a couple smaller cities outside it, but I only lived in Naxos. Never made it to Cygnus or anywhere else.”

“Do you plan to travel more?”

“Maybe… I wanted to see everything when I was younger. But now it’s all about the mission.” He glanced at her. “What about you? ”

“I’ve always been curious about what’s out there. It’d be nice to see it someday.”

“They have open networks in Naxos. I remember being shocked at how many cities there were in the Western Domain, let alone the world. We only get some names here, and barely any details.”

“Is there a way to access that information from here?”

Again, she got a small grin out of him. “Yeah. I’ll show you sometime.”

“It’s amazing how you seem to be able to crack into anything.”

“Not that amazing when you find out most of the city runs on the same programs. If you learn one, chances are you can get into almost anything.”

She snorted. “That doesn’t sound very secure.”

“It’s not,” he agreed. “But keeping everything uniform makes it easier for them to control.”

“I hope we’re able to make a difference,” she whispered.

“We will.”

The pain in her eyes just then tugged at something deep. Mara needed this rebellion more than he did. For Gordon, it was revenge. He knew nothing could heal what had already festered—but at least he could give them a big fuck you as the system fell apart.

For her, it was about freedom. About being more than a psychopath’s toy.

The memory of their first meeting made his throat burn.

He’d known Knight and the other Silvers were sick—he’d heard their stories—but seeing her like that, so broken down, had rattled him.

She wasn't just a random person on a screen anymore. And the scars he’d glimpsed on her body…

he’d looked away the second he realized she was undressing, but what he’d seen had stoked a fire in him.

He needed to do everything in his power to protect her.

Their steps echoed softly, and the smell of damp concrete mixing with the faint scent of ozone filled the air. The lights above flickered occasionally, painting their path in alternating pulses of white and orange .

If only they could walk up top.

But this was the reality. She was a prisoner. He was an outcast.

At least for now.

“Have you always liked armor?” he asked. “Or… do you actually like what you do?”

“Growing up, I always watched the enforcers closely—fascinated by what they were wearing. They scared me since I couldn’t see their faces, but I couldn’t look away. I wanted to know how it all worked.”

Mara peeked over at him. “I know you’re not ready to tell me about your mysterious past, but were you always hacking everything?”

He let out a small laugh. “I guess so. I used to take things apart and try to put them back together. Drove my mom fucking crazy. I just wanted to see what I could make them do.” He wasn’t quite ready to tell her how far that interest and subsequent skill had taken him.

They rounded a corner, and he realized with a pang of disappointment that the exit was close.

“You know,” she said softly, “I don’t think I’ve felt this… normal in a long time.”

“Wandering through damp tunnels at odd hours is ‘normal’?”

“More normal than being a ghost in my own life.”

Those words struck deeper than he expected.

The exit was just ahead. She looked up at him. Her eyes were such a brilliant shade. For a brief moment, he forgot about his scar—about the rules of their world.

“Thank you again,” she said as they reached the stairs. “For showing me the water.”

“Everyone deserves to see something beautiful once in a while.”

He turned his head before she could mistake the comment for something it wasn’t. Or maybe for exactly what it was.

At the landing, she paused. “I’ll hear from you soon?”

“Yeah. I’ll keep in touch. Put your carrier in the alley behind your apartment. I’ll do the swap tonight.”

She nodded, then slipped through the door and into the night.

Gordon lingered, staring at the spot where she’d been. Then, he turned and made his way back into the tunnels, trying to shove down whatever was gnawing at him.

But as he walked away, he found himself glancing at his hand. It was still warm where she’d touched it. A warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature.