Page 104 of Auctioned to the Convicts
“Soon. A few weeks is my guess. I’ve been working on my ship for years. The parts I needed came in yesterday. As soon as I get those retrofitted, I’ll be good to go.”
“You’re leaving,” she repeated, her voice crestfallen.
“You said that already.”
She stood there in silence, unable to speak. His trusting her with his secret was huge, shocking even, but he wasleavingher, them, their unit. It felt almost like. . .
Like Amelia leaving. Running away from the family, proving she never cared about anyone but herself.
That didn’t mean Hannah loved her any less.
Hannah watched as Ren approached his ship. Long legs gained an easy, graceful stride as he ran a hand along the side of his vessel. He loved that ship or what it represented. Freedom.
She felt a pang of jealousy, but for what? Because he loved a hulking piece of metal and barely tolerated her? Or because he was leaving instead of her?
No, she wouldn’t leave now, even if she had a chance, not without Ky’Li and Sersie. And Vaughn. . .dear, sweet Vaughn who didn’t seem to know she existed.
Ren remained a mystery in so many ways, and yet she thought of him often, too often. Plopping herself on his lap at dinner the other night to make a point to the others had backfired. She’d suddenly found herself breathing in his male scent, loving how securely his arms wrapped around her, but mostly how proud he had appeared, even in the face of Ky’Li’s scowl. For the first time since she’d known him, Ren had smiled, but not to aggravate Ky’Li or anyone else. Just because he was happy.
Ren tried to drive people away, but he never turned away someone in need. Never. Deep down, Hannah suspected she was falling for Ren.
“Where will you go?” she asked, trying to hide her panic as she envisioned that craft falling apart from the stress of launching. “The Company controls the sector, Ren. And their reach—”
“The patrols keep ships from entering, not exiting. And their reach is far, but not effective beyond here. Once I leave, I don’t plan to return. I have nothing here, Hannah.”
No wonder he was calling her Hannah. She was simply a housemate to him. Fair enough. But that didn’t change the fact that his plan was foolish. Sooner or later, The Company would find and haul him back to Company territory. They wouldn’t let their best assets wander off. When they finally caught him, they’d make him a 5 for sure and condemn him to a place far worse than Narkos.
“I can’t stay here any longer, Hannah. I’m tired of being alone, of having to fight and scrape for everything I have only for Dresden to come in whenever he wants and up the number of years left. He’ll do it indefinitely, to secure my place here to serve his needs. Miners are the only ones that ever make it off this rock, because they’re expendable, and there are plenty more strong, able-bodied men to take their place. It’s the professionals, the ones with unique skills that he never lets leave. Sersie, Vaughn, me. . . We’re not leaving here, not while Dresden’s in charge.”
She was starting to understand his anger. Ren felt trapped, caged. He needed to leave, more than anything, he needed his freedom.
“How long have you been here, Ren?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving soon.”
“How long?” she repeated as she placed her hand on his arm.
“Twelve years.”
Hell. He’d mentioned a mine collapse at Barlis. That was thirteen or so years ago. She was fifteen and already trying to chase down her wayward sister and dig her out of trouble. She hadn’t paid much attention to the news, but that was a tragedy she remembered because of the hundreds of miners who had died.
“You couldn’t have been very old when the mines collapsed on Barlis.”
“I was nineteen. I graduated from school young and got my first assignment from The Company. I tried to warn them of the danger to the lower levels, what using zurlite that deep in a podite mine would do. They said the methane levels were too low to worry about, but they underestimated the instability of the podite, not to mention the natural fissures that far down. Three hundred and eighteen dead.”
Ren took a moment, staring up to the sky. “I was the youngest, the one without hands-on experience in the mines and the perfect fall guy. It didn’t matter that my father worked the mines, that I grew up in mine country and knew every piece of equipment, could even smell a disaster about to happen. The Company pinned it on me just to save themselves from a public relations nightmare.
Dresden finds every fucking excuse in the book, his book, to keep me here. I can’t take it, Hannah. I need a life, someone to love, maybe a family one day, but mostly I need to get out of here.”
“Running isn’t the answer. You’ll be just as alone and always looking over your shoulder.”
“I don’t have to be alone.” He stroked her hair, which felt amazing, right, and. . . Did he just offer her a chance to leave here, to get away from all the rapists and men she lived in constant fear of?
“I know you don’t feel much for me now, but you can come with me. In time, maybe you’d learn to like me.”
She bit her lip. “I already like you.” She glanced at the ship he’d made, the ship that had kept him sane. This Ren before her was relaxed, excited, eager to have a life. He wasn’t the same angry man who had threatened her their very first night as a unit.
There were other companies, less well-known and more forgiving ones where they could request amnesty in exchange for their fealty. If Dresden recognized how valuable Ren was, with all his training and brilliance, then surely others would as well.
