Page 57 of Jump or Fall
Damn it.
Propping his forehead against the doorframe, he sighed. “Kimmie. You’re a good friend, and I’m happy to see you, but that’s all we can be.”
“Is it just my age?”
Why does she want to have this conversation now?
“If you’re about to call yourself ugly, just shut the fuck up now. You could get any guy.”
“Except the one I want, apparently,” she whispered.
He lightly smacked his head against the frame. “Goodnight, Kim.”
If she said anything after that, he couldn’t remember. His thoughts blurred together in a mess of weariness and self-doubt.
Could he actually do this? Was he prepared to die if he failed? Nella only made the burden heavier.
By the time he collapsed onto the squeaky bed, sleep had swallowed him whole.
Chapter 20
Mara
It took three days for Max to finally stop watching her apartment. Either Dawson had been convinced she was up to nothing, or he had found something more useful for him to do.
The meeting with Silva had been uneventful. They went through the motions of testing the weapon sync, and everything had worked perfectly.
Before parting, Silva had quietly told her to meet again at Crux on Friday night. The mech would be the focus.
The blast from their last mission had seriously wounded two enforcers and killed one. The suits were beyond salvageability due to the acid and subsequent flames. However, whether the ones hit were Silvers remained unknown until the meeting.
No civilians had been harmed. The fire and enforcer presence had cleared everyone from the area—no one wanted to be questioned or blamed.
Now all there was left to do was wait.
***
Thursday evening, a message from Gordon came through saying the meeting had been moved to that night. He said to bring her suit, so she figured there was going to be more action.
As she packed it in the carrier, her heart pounded with anticipation and doubt. Would she even be helpful? Mara wasn’t a fighter, she just made armor.
Dawson had visited in the morning, so she wasn’t worried about an unexpected drop-in. A few years ago, she would’ve been too scared of the possibility of a second visit to sneak away. But he wasn’t young anymore.
She left earlier than necessary, wanting a few minutes alone with her helmet stashed in the wall. Wearing it for whatever they were doing wasn’t an option, but holding it brought a sense of comfort.
Sitting on one of the squeaky beds, she ran her hand along the exterior, enjoying the textures. A click sounded as the rusty door unlocked and someone pushed it open.
Her heart leapt at the sight of Gordon, and a broad smile spread across her face.
He returned a crooked grin and sat on the opposite bed.
“You really like that helmet.”
“No one really buys it since it’s expensive,” she said. “Without the synth-mind installed, it’s not that much better than cheaper options. It’s something I’m really proud of, though.”
“It’s worth being proud of.”
The door opened again, revealing Kimmie and Silva. Kimmie shot her a look before yanking out a chair and taking a seat at the table. Silva sighed loudly before joining her.
