Page 53 of Protected By the Convicts
“When?” she asked at last.
“Soon.”
* * *
After what endedup being a very long shift, Hannah walked down the hill from the security gate at the port. There in the distance, her tall, blond doctor awaited her, with arms crossed over a broad chest and crystal blues locked onto her, every bit the protector.
She smiled, barely holding back the urge to run into his arms. . . arms which to her relief unfolded and pulled her into a deep embrace.
“What happened to no public displays of affection?” she asked.
“Sorry, you’re right.” He released her and they boarded the railcar.
None of the port workers bothered her these days. She suspected that Ky’Li and the others had been delivering subtle messages—or maybe not so subtle knowing Ky’Li—when she wasn’t around.
“I missed you,” she said, wishing she could slip her hand in Vaughn’s.
“You mean you worried about me,” he said as they walked to the house.
“I can do both. I’m a good multitasker.”
“You mean sucking on me while Sersie fucks your ass.”
She blushed. “That wasn’t what I meant.”
“But it applies,” he said, his smile more carefree than usual. She loved the easy-going side of Vaughn.
That very morning, while he’d been deep inside of her, she’d told Vaughn that everything would be fine, that he shouldn’t worry. She was a hypocrite. She hadn’t even been able to tell any of her men about Conway. They would tell her to stop pulling data from the system, that there was nothing to be gained from investigating the discrepancies, especially when they already knew Dresden was dirty.
She had the chance to do something for once in her life, to truly help Ren, Vaughn, and Sersie. Once these trials failed—and they would because Vaughn wouldn’t willingly kill the miners—Dresden would go after him, and not merely add more years to his sentence. Dresden could lower Vaughn, and Sersie too if he found out his role in the deception, to Level 5s. For as much as she’d love to have Vaughn and Sersie with her for the rest of her life here, they deserved to go home.
Vaughn and Ren had both been framed and sent here for crimes they hadn’t committed. While Sersie had willingly committed a crime, he’d been set up. Dresden would penalize him like he’d been doing to Ren, keeping him beyond the ten years mandated by The Company. As a miner, Ky’Li would be the only one to leave at the end of his term. . . if he wasn’t forced to take part in some future experiment that would kill him.
“How was your day?” Hannah asked.
“I should be asking you that.”
“You can. After you answer my question.”
“You’re hard to resist.”
She entwined their fingers. Vaughn quickly glanced in all directions even though they were in the thick of the jungle. He relaxed, his fingers tightening around hers.
“The miners are still alive.”
She stiffened at the worry in his voice. Life here was slowly killing her men. Ren had anger issues. Vaughn had been driven to mercy kill someone, and he’d turned on Ren in a desperate attempt to save others, men he needed to kill to satisfy Dresden. Vaughn had been placed in an impossible position over and over and yet he blamed himself. Sersie was on edge as well, fighting with Vaughn over how to handle these trials in a way that would spare the miners and satisfy Dresden. Her Sersie would never stay clean if Dresden pushed him too far.
A solution, if one existed, eluded her men. But not her.
This barbarism needed to end. She had the means to take Dresden down. Dresden was exporting illegal drugs, using Company resources. He’d been shipping out drugs for years, and she could prove it. Hannah felt the bump in her pocket, the datastick where she’d loaded all the evidence to take Dresden down. Now she needed to find a way to get the info off Narkos and into The Company’s hands without Dresden finding out.
“Dresden called an assembly,” Sersie shouted as she and Vaughn entered the gate to their house. “We better get going. I was in the shower when the orders came in over the datapad. If we leave now, we won’t be late.”
Hannah kissed Sersie on the cheek as she rushed past him. “Give me a minute to use the bathroom.”
She dashed into her room and hid the datastick in one of Ren’s books on engineering. In two months living with the men, she’d never seen him open a physical book. All his resources were on his datapad. After another few seconds to wash up, she raced out the door. Sersie held the gate open for her.
“Thanks,” she said as she walked between the two men.
