Page 75 of Jump or Fall
He checked his watch and sighed. “Let’s go.”
She glared at him.
The memory of Karena’s screams clawed at her mind. Mara didn’t want to end up like her, so she dug her nails into her palms and followed him to the car.
Chapter 24
Mara - Ten Years Earlier
Mara could feel everyone’s eyes on her when she arrived with Max. Any conversations that had been taking place turned to hushed whispers. Her face flushed, and she wondered if she could slip by the driver and run into traffic.
She risked a glance. The driver stared straight ahead, unfazed by the low chatter around them.
The clenching in her stomach loosened a little once they made it into the Armory. The familiar smell of the joiner at work and the room full of armor was comforting.
Bile rose in the back of her throat, and she bit the inside of her cheek. How could she dare to think that when Lukas was rotting in a box?
She shoved the thoughts of him away. Crying here was out of the question. It was already unusual that a woman was training to be an armorer. She couldn’t afford to look weak.
“You’re late, Mara,” Geller said, tapping on his tablet, glasses perched on the end of his nose. Then, he looked up and his posture stiffened. He cleared his throat. “Is there something I can help you with, Max?”
“Nope.” Max turned and started to walk away. “Just keep her away from the knives.”
“What?” Geller stammered. “Her job requires working with blades.”
“Then babysit. I’m not getting fucking stabbed and Knight will have something to say with his hands if anything happens to her.”
Mara could see a vein throbbing in the side of Geller’s head as he snapped his attention to her. “In my office.”
Eyes on the floor, she followed. Thankfully, everyone in the Armory was preoccupied with their tasks and had barely registered Max’s presence.
Geller’s desk, as always, was impeccably organized. Every pen and document was in its precise place. How he kept it that way was a mystery.
With a long exhale, he set his glasses down and folded his hands on the desk. “Why is Max dropping you off at work and laying threats?”
“I’m not talking about this.”
“Mara, I need to know. Are you involved with Secretary Knight?”
“No,” she spat. “He fucking kidnapped me and murdered my boyfriend.” She was too embarrassed to admit to everything he’d done.
Geller didn’t even flinch. The stillness in his face made her want to scream.
“He’s still allowing you to work, though?”
“Obviously,” she scoffed. “Why are you so unsurprised by this? I just told you I was kidnapped! And Lukas…” Tears were forming again in the corners of her eyes. Her face was so damn sore.
Geller pulled a glass and bottle of brown liquor from under his desk. He poured a generous amount and handed it to her. “This is the way things are, Mara. The Silvers have a custom of taking women as part of their initiation, and many continue once they are members.”
“He said he’s keeping me… I don’t know what to do.” It was awkward talking about this with Geller. If she had a grandpa, she figured it would feel similar.
“A Silver has the option to either keep the woman or let her go. The caveat to keeping a woman is that he’s responsible for her care and behavior. It’s an old tradition that started with some mountain people. Most choose to let their first go since they’re usually young and not established enough to take care of her. If he keeps her, then she can’t be touched by anyone else.”
“So any woman walking around is just up for grabs by one of these psychos?”
He shook his head. “Married women and women with children are untouchable. This is discovered in the tracking phase.”
She was stunned. He had been stalking her like an animal. If she had known, maybe she could’ve convinced Lukas to marry her.
