Page 118 of Jump or Fall
“He set off something big that was planted near the barricade,” Millon said. “I could feel the interference in my arm. We have to finish this. Tonight.”
He looked down at Kimmie. “You need to sit this out. Go stay with Asher back at Hyperion. We’ll need to figure out where to put Nella.”
That was the wrong thing to say.
Kimmie shuffled her sister off her lap and bolted up.
She got within an inch of his face, their armor clashing. “Get this straight. You do not tell me what to do. I’m not sitting on my ass while you all go kick his. He murdered my sister in the middle of the fucking street!”
“Kim, your head—”
“You can give me a new helmet or you can fuck off,” she growled. “Nella may have been a delicate princess, but I’m not.”
Millon wasn’t used to someone talking back to him. His face twisted in frustration, clearly resisting the urge to yell back at her.
With a final huff, he lit a cigarette and turned to one of his guards standing by the window. “Logan. Go back to Hyperion and bring back a new helmet for my sweet little rogue. Can he take your sister with him?”
Kimmie lightly shoved him away, then bent down to gently lift her sister and hand her over to Logan.
The guard left with a nod.
“What happened to Silva?” Gordon asked. “You said he’d be there.”
“He was parked with a box truck around the corner.” Millon replied absently. “I told him to retreat until we figure out our next move.”
“We need to hit Dawson’s house directly,” Mara said.
Millon thought it over for a moment. “Like Beck, he has a safe room somewhere in the house. Unlike the Archon, though, he was smart enough not to use a plain wooden door. We can’t be sure if he’ll hide out though, or which room it might be.”
She had a feeling. “Are the safe rooms soundproof?”
“Yes.” Millon kept his eyes down.
“It’s his office. If we get close to the wall, maybe we can connect to his suit if he’s in there. Chances are he’ll turn it on this time.”
“If it’s a safe room,” Gordon said, “the signal might not penetrate the walls or even the door.”
“Then we burn him in the hell he created. But I want a chance to try first,” Mara said. She wanted a confrontation—a chance to hurt him back.
“Best plan we have,” Millon said with a sigh.
While they waited for the guard to return, Mara approached Kimmie sitting alone, ignoring everyone. “How’s your head?”
“Better than how I feel.”
“I’m sorry about Nella.”
Kimmie pressed her lips into a hard line and studied her for a moment. “I’m sorry no one came for you.”
That was probably the nicest thing Kimmie had ever said to her.
“In a way, all of you did.”
Kimmie’s brows pinched together and she extended her hand. Mara took it without hesitation and gave it a squeeze.
When Logan returned with Kimmie’s helmet, she slipped it on without so much as a glance at Millon.
His gaze, however, never left her. Several times, he looked ready to speak—only to clamp his mouth shut again. He had always been the quiet, menacing type, but around Kimmie, something in him was shifting. Something caring and gentle.
