Page 30 of Protected By the Convicts
“That’s not what I meant. Earlier today, when you thought someone was after us, you stayed outside the gate, willing to sacrifice yourself, as if that would relieve you of some burden.”
Maybe next time I’ll go down deep into the mines without a mask. Bring a pick to release a small amount of zurlite dust. Let the gas strike the lichen. . .
“Vaughn, are you even listening to me?”
“Yes. You think I’m paranoid. I wasn’t. There was someone behind us. I just didn’t know it was Ky’Li at the time.”
“That’s not what I meant. You’re withdrawn, taking risks you don’t normally take, and you’re suddenly confessing feelings and past actions to me, as if you have nothing to lose. It’s as if you want me to turn you away.”
He didn’twantto turn her away. But it was for the best. He didn’t deserve to be in this unit, he didn’t deserve her. She had never planned on picking him, and that’s because her instincts were right. . . He wasn’t worthy.
She stepped closer, so close he could smell that enticing female scent that made his cock harden every time she drew near. That’s what he loved about third meal. She always sat next to him, probably thinking he was the calmest of the bunch, maybe even a source of strength. How wrong she was. The only reason he ate with the unit was because of her, the chance to be near her. It’s not that he didn’t care about the others. In fact, he’d come to like Ky’Li, the way he stood up for what he believed in, and especially the way he drove Ren crazy.
Ren. . . Hell. The engineer had always been someone Vaughn could count on. He’d destroyed that relationship without even having the guts to forewarn Ren about his ship. As for Sersie. . . Vaughn had always looked at him as if he were Vance, never really giving the chemist a fair chance. To Vaughn’s surprise, Sersie had proven himself lately, both personally and with the unit. He was nothing like Vance. If Sersie had been Vaughn’s brother instead of Vance, then Vaughn never would have been lowered to a 4 and sent to Narkos. Hannah had helped him see Sersie for who he was. She’d done a lot to change their lives for the better in such a short period. And now she sought to save Vaughn. He needed to get away from her before he dragged her down.
“I’m no good, Hannah. You deserve better.”
“How can you say that?” Her hands wrapped around his neck and she tipped her head back as she stood on her toes.
Her eyes were a deep, dark green. Ferguson’s eyes had been hazel.
Hannah’s lips met his. Soft, gentle, loving. He didn’t know who moved first or how, but they both ended up on the lower bunk, naked, with her beneath him, those dark green eyes so alive, so trusting.
Ferguson’s throat, lungs, and face had been too burned for him to talk. Tears had escaped the corners of his eyes as Vaughn had leaned over him, promising to take the pain away.
Hannah’s moans drew Vaughn out of his haze. She was beneath him, sliding on the bed as he thrust into her. Hell, he didn’t even remember entering her.
Vaughn stilled.
Her eyes flashed open, bright and alert, so unlike Ferguson’s. Her hand went to Vaughn’s cheek. He’d stopped moving. He hadn’t been with her in weeks and now he couldn’t even remember taking her.
“You stopped,” she said.
“I killed a man.” Why he said that, he didn’t know.
“Vaughn. . .”
“There’s nothing to say. You should stay away from me,” he said, pulling out of her. He sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.
Hannah placed her forehead against his back. “Please, Vaughn. Let me in.”
He turned to face her. “You don’t want to be inside my head, Hannah. Nothing good there.”
“I know I haven’t been here long, but this place. . . it changes people. It’s okay to let others help.”
“You don’t understand—”
“I understand plenty. You take risks over and over again to save the people around you, including those who would stab you in the back if they would gain from it. You have to be the most selfless person I’ve ever known. So, whoever you killed, and whatever the reason is, Vaughn, I know it was because you had no choice.”
“You think I’m not capable of evil?”
“Anyone is capable. But it’s not how you’re wired. It’s why you sabotaged Ren’s ship, why you would risk your friendship and even your life just to stall for time why you figured out how to thwart Dresden’s plans to test the drug on miners. Youcare, Vaughn. You are not a killer, in any sense of the word. I’d bet my life on it.”
“You don’t even know what happened.”
“I know sometimes people are faced with no good choices. Sometimes they do the wrong thing for the right reason,” she said, her voice gaining a hollow quality.
“Why were you sent to Narkos, Hannah?” The question had been bothering him for some time, but he hadn’t wanted to ask. As an outsider in the unit, it hadn’t been his place to ask.
