Page 94 of Jump or Fall
She leaned into him, breathing in every note.
“Breakfast is on the desk when you’re ready,” he said. “Sorry, I don’t have a proper table. I haven’t lived with a woman since I was fifteen, and she was my mom.”
She saw a small spread of sliced bread, butter, and mangoes.
“As long as we’re together, we can eat off the floor for all I care.”
Chuckling, he took a sip of a coffee. “My friend got your shampoo and other things, so you won’t have to use man soap.”
“Thank you to your mysterious friend.”
“Her name is Gera. She works down in the maintenance tunnels. Originally, she was my mom’s friend.” His brows came together. “While on the topic of people you should know, Wells is my cousin through my dad’s side.”
That explained the resemblance.
“Is he still in the city?” she asked. “I can’t imagine it’s safe for him to stay.”
He sighed. “No, he sent me a message last night that he got out.”
“Did he keep the girl?”
Gordon looked taken aback for a second. “Danya. She agreed to go with him.”
“Geller, who used to be the Master Tailor when I started, explained everything since he was a Silver. Dawson said that Wells faked his initiation. Geller claimed he did the same.”
“I tried telling him we didn’t need an actual double agent.” He grimaced. “I told him about the fucked-up initiation, but he somehow found an old hookup that was into the idea.”
She couldn’t imagine wanting to be hunted down and have sex while someone watched.
“Must be a very different life when you choose it. I think Karena chose it somehow, or at least in the beginning she had.” Mara rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand, the feel of sweat making her cringe. “I think I’m going to shower now.”
“I’ll change the sheets while you’re in there.” He hesitated. “I disconnected the mirror when I moved in last year. So, you won’t have to worry about ad bullshit.”
“Good… I was a little worried about that.” She got up and stretched, eying the stained bedding. The SynThera had taken care of the soreness, but the fatigue was unreal.
Getting to the bathroom was a challenge. She ran her hand along the wall and swept her left foot along the floor. Gordon was about to offer help, but she stopped him. This was something she would need to learn.
Once in the bathroom, she faced the mirror.
You’re hideous.
The place her eye used to be was sunken in, the skin still shiny and pink. The new scar on her chin was beginning to whiten since it wasn’t as deep. The jagged marks from her forehead to her cheek looked horrible. They had been stitched together well, but she would never look normal.
Dawson had chosen her for her looks and profession as an armorer. She had spent a decade as his plaything and mastering her craft.
And in under a minute, he had taken it all away.
Discarded like nothing.
She knew he’d never felt anything genuine for her. Only as good as she was useful to him. His words of praise had been hollow; the rewards, shallow. She knew it was all lies.
But still…
Pain crept into her chest, burying itself in her like a dull blade. The suffocating grip forced a choked sob from her throat.
She braced herself on the sink and tried to shove it all back down. But it was all-consuming. The strain on her fresh scars deepened the hurt, but she tried to channel it. The physical agony was preferable to this pain that ran so deep it penetrated her bones.
There was a knock on the door, but she couldn’t speak. The only sound that managed to escape was a pitiful whimper.
