Page 13 of Auctioned to the Convicts
She stared at Renzel, waiting until his eyes met hers again. The man didn’t stare back, heglared. There was a hardness there, an anger. Perhaps Sersie was right, the man should remain a solitary. Then again, there was something about his eyes she couldn’t dismiss.
“Good choice,” Ky’Li whispered in her ear.
“He doesn’t want this,” she said, her heart sinking even though her instincts said to choose Renzel.
“Exactly,” Ky’Li said.
She tore her eyes from Renzel, which wasn’t easy. “Are you jealous, Ky’Li?”
“Nothing to be jealous about.”
Oh. That was disappointing. She had thought Ky’Li liked her. Maybe it was the soldier in him that had prompted him to take the challenge in her place. She knew so little about him, except he’d fought for her and gave her the power to choose the men for their unit. This decision affected him too. The men she chose would have to get along to survive The Company’s and Dresden’s rules on Narkos. There was no dismantling of units. Ever.
“He’ll hate it,” Sersie warned. “But there are only a few engineers on Narkos, and he’s the best.”
“I’ll take him.” She winced at how that sounded. “If he agrees,” she added.
“I don’t care if he agrees,” Dresden said. “He’s yours now. Choose your last man, so I can dismiss the colonists to get back to work.”
Sersie hissed in her ear. “You might want to have muscles here guard you when Renzel is given the news. He’s not going to react well. Not at all.”
Chapter Five
VAUGHN
“Sit still for two minutes,” Vaughn ordered Griggs as he examined the man’s face. The miner had a broken nose, an orbital rim fracture, a fractured left cheek, and a broken wrist, but no internal injuries, unlike Ky’Li who needed to get to the med-center sooner rather than later.
Vaughn hoped Hannah and her new unit would be able to gather the credits to pay for her protector’s treatment. Even if Vaughn waved his portion of the fee, which he would as he often did, there was nothing he could do about The Company’s fee. They charged for every nylon thread, unit of blood, and nanite used. Their medical auditor on site was very, very good about keeping track of supplies. Fortunately, Vaughn was equally good at adjusting the records, inflating numbers of supplies used on work-related injuries to obscure those he used off-hours. As for the nanites, Vaughn had squirreled away a stash over time, without Osta catching on. Wasting Resources. . . They’d already accused him of the crime.Vance’scrime.
“I’m going to kill him,” Griggs said, shoving Vaughn’s hand away.
“I can give you triage here if you like,” Vaughn said, grabbing hold of Griggs’ arm once more. “while Dresden isn’t paying attention, or you can pay extra later in the med-center.”
Griggs growled. That was a yes. Vaughn glanced over his shoulder, to make sure no one was watching as he pulled out a vial of nanites from his pocket. He kept five nanites on him at all times, for emergencies, which he was authorized to do. He’d have to replace the nanites from his own stash later before Osta did a random audit. Vaughn was already down to two nanites. He’d slipped two into Ky-Li’s bloodstream through the gash in his head when no one was looking. The man needed more, probably ten, maybe even surgery depending on what a full exam would reveal. Two nanites would hold him for a bit. He couldn’t risk giving Ky’Li enough to fully heal him. If the man recovered quickly without obvious intervention, Dresden would figure it out. Dresden was a ruthless hard ass, but not an idiot.
“The challenge isn’t personal.” Without Griggs knowing, Vaughn slipped a nanite into the man’s nasal passage as Vaughn examined him.
“The hell it isn’t. He took my female. I’m getting her back.”
While he never thought he’d commiserate with Griggs, he understood the man. Vaughn wanted the woman too. Most of the men out there did. Hopefully, Griggs would calm down in time, once his injuries healed.
“Your nose will heal, though breathing will be difficult. I’ll have to correct the septum, or if you don’t mind the expense, two nanites will speed up healing of your nose, eye, wrist, and cheekbone. Come see me when you decide. I’m on shift in an hour. Or go see Dr. Linzer if you prefer.”
“Renzel Satterley,” Dresden’s voice carried over the crowd. “You’ve been chosen for Unit 475.”
Vaughn lifted his head in time to see the crowd part to let Ren through. The engineer wasn’t moving. Not unexpected. Being forced into a unit, any unit, would destroy Ren’s plans.
“Get moving, Satterley,” Dresden ordered.
Ren unfolded his arms from across his chest. “I respectfully decline the offer, Manager.”
“You’ve been selected.”
“I have rights.”
“Not in my colony. Get moving, or I’ll take your greatest asset, Satterley.”
Hell, Dresden knew. Somehow the bastard knew what Ren had been doing in his off-hours. Not that Vaughn cared about Ren per se. The man was rude, selfish, and couldn’t care less about anyone except himself. Even so, Vaughn had no desire to see Dresden destroy Ren. The engineer, despite his faults, didn’t deserve Dresden’s wrath. Anything and anyone who fucked with Dresden’s plans took a risk, and Ren had done everything he could to stay on Dresden’s good side. Vaughn would love to see that bastard of a manager taken down.
