Page 61 of Protected By the Convicts
Vaughn was right, but Sersie couldn’t see that it was the only option.
“Dresden would hunt us, Sersie,” Vaughn said softly, trying to ease the younger man into the idea that none of them really wanted to accept. “You, me, Ren. Dresden can’t afford to lose any of us. But Ky’Li’s nothing more than another miner to him. Hannah never meant anything to Dresden, except as a means to make money and ultimately to control us. He won’t send guards to drag her back. After all, he never expected she’d survive long with Griggs.”
“I don’t want to lose her,” Sersie began.
“It’s not about what we want. It’s about what she needs,” Ren finally spoke up. Sersie would have to accept the reality. They all would.
“Don’t leave,” Hannah said, her voice so soft they could barely hear her, but they did. They were too attuned to her not to. Dark green eyes stayed open for only a minute, then closed again, a tear sliding down her cheek. “Please don’t leave me.”
“All will be fine, sha’vi. We are not leaving you alone.” Ky’Li said as he glared at the three men. Then he bent down and kissed her head. “Sleep. All will be well.”
“That’s not what she meant,” Ren said.
“Perhaps not, but now is not the time to worry her either,” Ky’Li said as he picked up his pack and strode to the cave’s entrance.
“Agreed,” Vaughn said, cutting him off. “Now is also not the time to separate until we have this figured out. Dresdenwillsend guards to retrieve us. Sersie, Ren, and I shouldn’t stay here long.”
“Then let me go, so I may return as quickly as possible.”
“Where are you going?”
“A brief hunt.” Ky’Li headed out without another word.
“Wait.” Ren chased after him.
Ky’Li halted a few hundred feet from the cave. “You will not stop me. This has to be done.”
“Agreed.”
Ky’Li raised a brow. Ren had surprised him. Hell, Ren had surprised himself.
“But not by you,” Ren said. “We’re counting on you to keep her safe. I’ll get Winters. I know his haunts, his friends.”
“Have you ever killed a man before, Ren?”
“No, but I won’t fail.”
“I know you won’t. Which is a problem. You will not forget what you do, even to a man like Winters who deserves it. This may change you.”
He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Ky’Li talk so much at once, to him at least, let alone show concern for him. “I’ll handle it.”
“But will she? You saw her in there, she’s fragile, and I mean more than her body. She needs to heal, she needs to know that you, Sersie, and Vaughn are safe and well. And I will not lie to her when she asks what happened to Griggs’s unit.”
“I’m not expecting you to lie to her. I’m just. . .” Ren exhaled. “I don’t know. I’m confused right now. And worried. And like Sersie, I don’t want to lose her or even you.”
“Then go, be with her now while I hunt. I will return soon.”
Ren’s gut told him this plan of sneaking water and other supplies to Ky’Li and Hannah wasn’t going to work. Even with three of them involved, there was so much that could go wrong.
He returned to the cave and listened as Sersie and Vaughn debated where and how to have message and supply drops. Hannah slept beside the fire. Many of her bruises were already gone, thanks to the nanites Vaughn had given her. With so many broken bones, the nanites would need several days to finish mending the bones.
Ren laid down behind Hannah and draped his arm over her side, careful not to put any pressure against her broken ribs. He hadn’t touched her since Ky’Li rescued her, but he needed to hold her one last time. He drew small circles on her stomach.
“That tickles.”
He stilled. He didn’t think she’d be awake so soon.
“Don’t stop. It makes me feel normal.”
