Page 16 of Auctioned to the Convicts
Ren and Vaughn hoisted Ky’Li.
“God, he’s heavy,” Ren complained.
Vaughn said nothing. It was like he wasn’t even there.
“I’ve never been in a unit before, even back on Argus,” Sersie said as he caught up to Hannah, who trailed behind Vaughn and Renzel. She couldn’t match the excitement in his voice, but she couldn’t ignore it either.
“Me neither. Just my family unit,” Hannah said.
“I never had one of those either.”
“Really?”
He shrugged. “Me and my dad ‘til I was sixteen. My mom died in childbirth. She’d had another husband, but he left when she died. Just saying I’m surprised you picked me. Honored, but surprised.”
That was remarkably sweet, considering he had no real say in who else she pulled into the unit. He had warned her about Renzel, and she’d ignored him. He didn’t seem too bent out of shape about it, though.
“I think you’ll do fine, Sersie. You stepped forward to help Ky’Li when no one else did. That’s what family does for one another.”
“We’re not family. We’re a unit.”
There had never been a distinction on Argus. But this was Narkos.
“Not much difference, at least as I see it. If Dresden operates like the rest of The Company, we’ll have to learn to rely on each other.”
Sersie rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t rely on anyone except myself. Not anymore. Just a rule I have.”
How was she going to unite any of these men? They were too diverse, too stuck in their ways, tooangryin the case of Ren.
Sersie leaned in for a kiss. Instinctively, she drew away.
Then she met his eyes in time to see a flicker of pain cross his hazel eyes before he turned away. She didn’t know him, but she needed to and this man who said he had no experience with units was taking that first step, albeit a rather bold one.
Hesitantly, Hannah slipped her hand in his.
He stood taller at that moment, as a slight smile crept onto his rugged face. Oh, he was devilishly handsome, alright. Younger than Ky’Li, Renzel, and Vaughn, but the man was handsome, in excellent shape and had a certain charm that couldn’t be learned. The temptation to run her fingers and tame the hair that continuously pushed into his eyes grew each time she faced him. Odd how quickly she felt comfortable around him, like she had Ky’Li, though the men were so different from one another.
“I’ve been here seven years,” Sersie said. “Got a while to go. It gets lonely, you know?”
“Three more years then. Not so bad. Soon you’ll get upgraded to a three, assuming you’re a four.”
“I’m a four. So are Ren and Vaughn, and most of the men on Narkos. Except I have more than three years left. I had a few setbacks along the way. Dresden reset the clock on me. Not uncommon. The same thing happened to Ren. Not sure about Vaughn. He’s rather private about his personal affairs. He would much rather talk about others than himself.”
She had noticed that about Vaughn. Ren, on the other hand, was quite vocal and more than willing to speak his mind, despite the risks.
“I’m sorry to hear that, but. . . wait, you said Dresden reset the clock? He can’t do that, can he?”
“Dresden’s themanager, Hannah. The only one in contact with The Company. He can do whatever he damn well pleases. As long as our zurlite production doesn’t decline, they leave him and Narkos alone.”
That was disconcerting, though she shouldn’t be surprised considering how she’d been auctioned off. HR had said nothing about that. They probably didn’t know about half the shit that happened on Narkos, and they didn’t want to know. Sersie was right. As long as profits weren’t affected, The Company didn’t care about life on Narkos.
“Perhaps being in a unit will make life easier until you get upgraded,” she suggested, hoping to return that smile to Sersie’s face.
He waved a casual hand. “I don’t let it get to me too much. This planet has enough to keep me busy for several decades at least. I was bored on Argus. I don’t mean I wanted to be here, just saying I have a purpose here. At least for The Company. The fucking Company.”
Yeah, she wasn’t a fan of them either.
Sersie’s smile dissolved. She liked his smile, and given the curses she heard from Renzel up ahead, she rather needed it.
