Page 107 of Jump or Fall
Gordon didn’t say a word.
The sound of Dawson tapping his belt buckle made her jump. “How does my cock taste?” He continued. “I never let Mara go long without a good fuck and she’s always such a perfect little doll. Never lets a drop of cum hit the floor.”
Heat crept up her neck. He was trying to humiliate her—trying to hurt Gordon.
Don’t react.
Gordon remained stiff as a statue next to her, the rage emanating from him palpable.
Dawson chuckled, pleased with how he was making them squirm.
“Let’s just cut the shit,” Millon interjected, his patience wearing thin. “Do you want your pathetic nephew or not?”
“I gave you my terms,” he said quickly. “Meet at the barricade to One at 5:30. If you don’t, Nella may not be in one piece the next time we negotiate.”
The screen went dark.
A sharp, crazed laugh erupted from Jasper. “You people are so fucked.”
Mara started for the door, the others following as Jasper hurled more taunts.
Once outside, she rounded on Kimmie. “Let’s make something clear—I’m not dying foryour sister.”
Kimmie met her with a solemn look. “I don’t expect you to. I’ll pretend to be you and wear that special helmet so he believes it. I’m not that much taller, and the suits add bulk anyway.”
“Regardless of your ruse,” Millon said, “we need to prepare for a full attack. There’s no way he’s letting us walk away. I’ll leave four of my guards posted at Hyperion. The other sixteen will come with us.”
“Are you going to keep them hidden somehow?” Kimmie asked. “If we show up with a small army, he’ll get suspicious.”
“They’ll tail us from a distance. Silva is also working on something that’ll give us an advantage.”
“What happened to Jasper’s suit?” Mara asked. “If we make him wear it, we can control it if something goes wrong.”
“It’s in that safe house,” Gordon said, his voice low. Dawson’s words had gotten to him, even if his face betrayed nothing. “Let’s keep his helmet off in case we need to take him out. I have five remotes, but they’re all back in Eight along with my bike.”
“Using their suits against them is the best chance we have,” Mara said. “We need those remotes.”
Gordon nodded with a troubled expression. “I agree.”
The tunnel air was thick and stale, but much cooler than the street above. As they surfaced, Mara could already feel sweat gathering at the nape of her neck. A glance at the sky revealed thick storm clouds building in the distance. By the time they met Dawson, the storm would be overhead.
“Take one of my bikes,” Millon said. “I have a couple in the garage under Hyperion. I’d offer you the car, but that might attract too much attention.”
As they approached the black monolith of Hyperion, a commotion outside drew their focus. The guards posted at the entrance were locked in a heated argument with someone.
It was Asher.
Millon rushed forward. “Asher! What are you doing here?”
The guards immediately stepped back, falling silent as Asher turned toward them. His eyes were wide, and his face pale beneath a sheen of sweat.
“Everything is falling apart,” he muttered, breathless. “My neighbors thought this guy in our building must be a Silver because he was always complaining and just mean to everyone. They cut off his fucking hand!”
Millon looked around warily. “Come inside.”
He fumbled through his pocket and pulled out a key that he tossed to Gordon. “Take the black one.”
Before anything else could be said, Millon ushered the shaken apprentice into the building with Kimmie.
