Page 91 of Jump or Fall
“This time, give me a little fight.”
The screaming was her. Dawson was cutting her. She was going to die. Her face was on fire.
“Mara! It’s okay! Please! You’re safe!”
That voice. Gordon.
The burning wouldn’t stop, her whole body broke out into a sweat. Something blocked her vision on one side and she couldn’t stop shaking. Every muscle seized in agony.
It was fading. The pain was easing up.
The grip on her arms lessened, turning into gentle strokes.
“It’s just me, Mara. You’re okay.” His deep voice was so tender. It was the best sound she’d ever heard.
A sob escaped her lips as the fire in her skin subsided. The movement tugged at whatever was on her face, and she hissed.
She turned her head to see him. His hair was wild and his wonderful face looked so tired. The faint lines around his dark eyes were deeper, every feature etched with worry.
She took in the room, trying to figure out where they were. A heavy smell of antiseptic hung in the air.
A clinic.
“We’re at the clinic in Eight,” Gordon said. “The doctor gave you a SynThera infusion, so your bandage will be ready to come off soon.”
Mara reached up and lightly felt around. There were stitches in her chin, and the bandage covered most of the left side of her face.
“How did I get here?”
“Wells. He shot Max and incapacitated Knight long enough to get you out.”
“When I heard his name… I was worried he was one of them.”
Gordon stroked her hand. “I should have introduced you two, or at least told you his role. I’m sorry.”
“Was he hurt?”
“No.” After a pause he added, “He says he’s sorry.”
She frowned, but the pull on the bandage sent a sharp sting through her face, making her wince.
“If it hadn’t been him in that room, I wouldn’t be here.”
Gordon nodded silently and pressed a kiss to her hand.
She flexed her fingers and rotated her wrist. The deep bruising had begun to fade into mottled shades of yellow and brown, and the small cuts had fused into thin lines.
“He was waiting for me in my apartment,” she said faintly. “He knew what the key was because he broke it immediately.”
A sharp breath escaped her, the memory cutting deep. “He accused me of sleeping with someone else, but I denied it. I would never tell him about you.”
“Mara…”
She continued, “Then he took me to some Surveillance office and Wells was there. Dawson ordered him to give me a stripe, then to…” Her voice wavered.
Gordon rubbed her hand tenderly with his thumb. “He told me that’s when he attacked them. If he did anything, I’ll hunt him down so you can kill him.”
“No,” she replied forcefully. “He saved my life.”
