Page 22 of Jump or Fall
He shrugged. “Or she won’t.”
With a bark of laughter, he turned and left the room, leaving Mara alone on the floor, staring at her knees.
Chapter 9
Mara
Dawson’s footsteps faded to a slight thump, then to nothing.
She hurried back to her office, trying to appear normal as she passed others in the hallway.
The carrier was still under her desk, and her bag looked untouched—but she couldn’t be sure. Just because Dawson had been in the meeting didn’t mean Max hadn’t been sent in to pry through her things.
She pulled the secret tablet from her bag and messaged Gordon.
M
Not safe at my place. I may be followed.
Every second that ticked by while she waited for his reply was agonizing. Her vision started to blur from not blinking, fear gripping her chest.
Then a map appeared in the message box.
It showed a route to a coffee shop nearby called Carmella’s. She had been there a few times, drawn to the carefully arranged greenery and flowering hedges that created secluded seating areas.
A second map followed—this one a top-down view of the outdoor seating, with an X markedon a hedge.
G
Order coffee then swap at the x. Log erased in 10 seconds.
Sure enough, the entire conversation vanished, along with any way to contact him.
She had done enough work. If anyone asked, she could say she wasn’t feeling well. No one would question it since Dawson had stopped by.
On the walk to the coffee shop, she found herself checking over her shoulder more than once. The sensation of being watched was impossible to brush off, but she forced herself to focus on the task at hand.
The message had seemed like Gordon. Dawson wouldn’t bother with something so elaborate, so it probably wasn’t a trap.
Mara entered her order at the kiosk then seated herself in the designated spot between two large hedges bursting with bright pink and purple flowers. The heavy floral scent that filled the space was almost overpowering.
She subtly tested the hedge to her left with her foot and found something solid.
Leaning forward, she pretended to adjust her shoe while sliding out her carrier and replacing it with Gordon’s. Then, using her foot, she brushed the leaves back into place.
A service bot rolled up, and she grabbed her drink from its tray.
It wasn’t leaving though. A small display on its front lit up with a message:Plug key from inv mod into main tab.Tap to acknowledge.
Mara tapped the screen, and the bot rolled away to deliver its other orders.
Taking a slow sip of her coffee, she pulled the key she had used to modify the inventory from her pocket.
She inserted it into her main tablet. The screen went black and another message appeared in white text:Auto-activity software installed. Leave at home and meet at tunnel entrance at 8. Key will let you in.
The screen flickered back to normal, and she pocketed the key. She recalled what he’d said about the city using most of the same programs. If he could hijack a bot in Division Two, what else was he capable of?
Her mind wandered back to his face. She wanted to see him smile again—really smile. She had a feeling he kept that stony mask in place to hide the partial paralysis. The few moments she’d cracked through that shell had left a strange flutter in her chest.
