Page 116 of Auctioned to the Convicts
“I don’t feel well.”
Vaughn’s stomach knotted. Being helpless never suited him, not with Vance and certainly not with her. He wouldn’t let her end up like Vance.
“Step through, precious I’ll take you to the med-center.”
She slipped behind the wall of pipes entirely, disappearing into the pitch-black recesses. The sound of her breathing remained, keeping him from losing his shit altogether.
“Hannah? Please come with me. I don’t want to lose you. You’re too important to me.”
Silence greeted him. She was gone.
Vaughn raced down the long corridor and took the first left. He prayed Ren and Ky’Li had made it through the maze of maintenance tunnels to reach her before she walked those narrow catwalks over the tanks.
Two turns later, Vaughn was lost. “Ren? Where are you? Do you have her?”
“Here!” Ren yelled from nearby. “Hurry, Vaughn! She’s crashing.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
SERSIE
Sersie stood in the doorway to the larger bedroom as Vaughn checked the monitors on Hannah’s wrist and forehead. Ky’Li and Ren were in the living room, still arguing, and Vaughn had finally finished pumping the last round of XT340 into Hannah.
Sersie’s head throbbed from his wound. The nanites had taken care of the damage to bone and flesh alike, but the rebound effect left him with a nasty headache. He’d crash on his bed later when he knew Hannah was going to be okay.
“Talk to me, Sersie,” Vaughn said as he checked her vitals. “You’re too quiet over there.”
Sersie didn’t want to ask the obvious. He didn’t need to ask it. He’d been in her place too many times. Hannah had reached some low in her life and had felt drugs were the answer. She hadn’t come to any of them for support, she hadn’t come tohim. He had thought he meant more to her or had at least gained her trust.
“We failed her,” Sersie said.
“I won’t assume anything until I hear it from her. I made that mistake with you, and I won’t do that to her too.”
Sersie opened his mouth to speak but then shut it. Nothing he’d say or do would help her. He was useless to her, had been from the start.
Vaughn gave him a long glance. “Get your shit together. I can’t handle both of you falling apart at once.”
“I wasn’t going to—”
“I know that look on your face.”
“I’m worried about her. Did we push her to use somehow? Did. . . did I?”
“What are you talking about?”
“She was content with Ky’Li. And you. Then I, well I pursued her.”
“Did you force her?”
“No.”
“If it was her decision to sleep with you, then I don’t think that’s an issue.”
“Then why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s this fucking planet. Or. . . hell, someone at the port. We never did find the asshole who assaulted her.”
They heard a crash in the living room. Vaughn pushed by him, grabbed Ky’Li by the back of his shirt, and threw him into the sofa, away from Ren, who slumped to the floor. Vaughn was pissed, at the situation, at Ky’Li and Ren. . . at everything.
