Page 6 of Protected By the Convicts
“I’ve done nothing to him.”
“He was trying to tell me something. I. . . I guess we give him time.”
One by one, she was losing her men. She could no longer sit by and watch her unit collapse. It didn’t matter how sick she’d been or how nervous she was at the prospect of confronting Ren, she needed to seize control, or their unit would dissolve into anarchy as her family had when she was young.
Hannah hurried to the bathroom, shimmied into her dress and then tied her boots on.
“You said to give Vaughn time,” Ky’Li said.
“I’m not following Vaughn.”
“Then where are we going?” Ky’Li said as he raced to his room and grabbed his shirt and boots.
“I need to talk to Ren.”
Ky’Li stopped snapping his boot rings in place. “Stay away from him. He’s no good.”
“I was high.”
“But he wasn’t.”
“You still think he took advantage of me?”
“Yes.”
She blinked, stared, and tried to hold back the tears that seemed to surface all too easily since this nightmare began. Ren hadn’t taken advantage of her. She was sure of it, except she wasn’t in the position to state that with 100% certainty, or even 50%. She’d been there, but not. It’s why she needed to rely on Ky’Li, Vaughn, Sersie, and even Ren, on their accounts of that day.
“Despite what you think happened, I know Ren. He wouldn’t have done that to me, Ky. He. . . he couldn’t have.” She had to hold tight to that truth, that Ren hadn’t known she was high, or everything she’d been fighting for would fall apart.
It already had. Ren. . . Vaughn. . . even Sersie who probably blamed himself because it was a drug he’d developed.
Ky’Li looked toward the ceiling and released a deep breath. “I could be wrong. He seemed shocked to discover you were high.”
Ky’Li admitting he could be wrong about Ren. . . Wow. Just. . . wow. “Thank you, Ky,” Hannah said. As she headed toward the door, Ky’Li blocked her path. “I love you for trying to protect me, for worrying about me so much.”
“You’re my heart, my sha’vi.”
She bit her lip, so wanting to run into his embrace right now, but if she did that, she’d be admitting she feared the engineer. Her entire body brimmed with nervousness and need; she had to go to Ren, to discover the truth once and for all.
“I’m going to find him,” she said.
“You don’t know where he is. He hasn’t been back in days.” Ky was stalling.
“Then I’ll keep looking until I find him.”
“You’re not going out there alone.”
“Meaning what? You’re refusing to escort me, so I’m stuck here? If you think you can keep me from speaking to Ren, well. . . Just stay out of this, Ky. It’s none of your business.”
God, she’d ranted and raved at Ky’Li. He’d never raised his voice to her before, not once. Hannah buried her head in her hands and started to cry.
“I’m sorry, Ky. . . I didn’t mean any of that. I’m such a mess right now and I don’t know why.”
“The drug,” he said as he pulled her in tight and kissed the top of her head. “Vaughn said there might be lingering effects besides memory loss. But you’re wrong, sha-vi. Everything that concerns you is my business. I would never manipulate you like that.”
She wiped the tears with the back of her hand. She hated crying in front of him especially. He was always so strong, so calm. He couldn’t understand how much she needed to hear him call her sha’vi at that moment, a reaffirmation of what he’d said earlier.
Two fingers lightly traced a path down her cheek and lifted her chin. “You did nothing wrong.” Thick brows, pursed with concern, finally relaxed as Ky’Li sighed. “Ren did nothing wrong either.”
