Page 76 of Jump or Fall
“How the hell is this legal?” She knew the Silvers killed enemies of the state. But this was new and terrifying. Growing up they were told to always behave well since a Silver could be watching. If you followed the laws, they’d leave you alone.
Mara’s only crime was existing.
“Deep pockets and even deeper connections. They are very methodical in how they operate. Secretary Knight is their head, and he oversees all state security, including the enforcers and Surveillance.”
Somehow, she felt even more trapped than before. There was no way to leave the city unless you had special permission, and it would be hard to hide from the people literally watching everyone.
She took a drink and fought the urge to cough as it burned her throat.
“How do you know all this?”
He reached into a drawer and withdrew a black wooden box. He placed it in front of her and pried it open. Inside was a pair of ornate black gloves with inch-long metal claws at the fingertips.
“This is what we had before the innovative implants. Like those, the gloves were reserved for the higher ranks.”
A chill went up her spine and she backed away. The liquor was working its way back up, and she almost gagged.
“There’s no reason to be afraid. I haven’t given a stripe in decades, and my woman-stealing was farcical. Not to mention that you have been claimed.”
“You fake kidnapped women?”
“Only two. The first was my initiation. I managed to convince a girl to let me kidnap her with a senior Silver. The senior member is only there to ensure the deed is done.”
The thought of someone watching made it even worse. “And the second?”
“She asked me to take her. I was a better option than the Silver who had his sights on her.”
“Why would you even join them?”
He rubbed his chin. “Connections, connections, connections. If you want to have any kind of status in this city you have to appease them somehow.”
“Did you keep either of them?”
“Both.”
“Do you keep them forever?”
“Some do. There are no rules on it. I’m afraid Secretary Knight isn’t likely to renounce you without severe repercussions. I offered mine renunciation of my claim if they wanted it. The first took the offer and is happily married with three children. The second is still with me.”
She took another drink.
“You have a choice, Mara. Obey him and make your life bearable by continuing on your endeavor as an armor maker… or succumb to despair. I hope you choose the former.”
***
She traced the lines of a soft armor pattern with one finger, trying to stay focused as Dawson’s thumbs pressed into the tense muscles of her shoulders.
It didn’t make sense.
This was the man who’d taken her off the street and murdered her boyfriend. So far, he’d kept his promise to be gentle. That first night had been the worst, and he hadn’t cut her again.
The second night, she’d tried to hide by wedging herself into a corner of the closet. She couldn’t escape the house—the housekeepers watched everything. When he’d found her huddled against the wall, she expected to be yelled at and dragged out by the hair. Instead, he lifted her carefully and carried her to the bed—like they were fucking newlyweds.
Days like this, with him casually brushing her hair aside, she questioned herself. Did it really happen that way? The screams, the blood. The pain.
Then she’d feel the tug of the scars, and it would all come back.
Her life had taken on a new, fucked-up normal and she needed to figure out how to break free. But it never felt possible. Not with every eye watching and still being escorted around by Max.
