Page 83 of Protected By the Convicts
“Over here, Sersie!” Hannah called off to his left. Her dark red hair flowed behind her as she bounced on her heels, excited to see him. The rest of their unit stood behind her. Vaughn and Ren were talking to one another and Ky’Li was scanning the crowd, ever-vigilant. The men seemed reserved, but Hannah was upbeat, or maybe that was because Sersie was heading toward her. He liked to think he’d put that radiant smile on her face.
Her green eyes sparkled as he leaned in and captured her mouth for a kiss.
“What happened to our no kissing in public policy?” Ren asked.
“There are over two dozen women due in on tomorrow’s transport,” Hannah said when she broke the kiss. “The men aren’t going to do anything stupid to risk that.”
“Good point,” Ren said, his hand curving over her hip.
Hannah didn’t move from Ren’s grasp, but she leaned back into Sersie for a second kiss.
Heaven. Kissing her, seeing that smile of hers and knowing it was for him touched Sersie in a way he never thought was possible. She was his. “I love you, Hannah. You know that, right?”
She nodded and then graced him with another smile, red coloring her cheeks. She held her own with four men in a unit, and still, she blushed.
“Heads up,” Vaughn said as Manager Foley ascended the dais. The manager wore his usual Company suit with the Argos symbol prominently on display near his left shoulder. As always, he was impeccably groomed and stood at his full height, reminding Sersie of Ky’Li. Sersie suspected Foley had been in the military at one point.
The crowd had filled in, with three times as many guards moving through the crowd, dispersing the densely grouped sections.
“As you know, we have twenty-nine women arriving tomorrow,” Foley began. “They will go through an orientation that includes procedures and initial training for their jobs. Those of you responsible for training them will be closely supervised during those hours. Use the opportunity to get to know them. Anyone found misbehaving will be locked up and barred from having a female in his unit. I’m happy to report we have very few solitaries at this point with most men in units of four. That’s a good sign that this colony is starting to function better.”
A hand raised in the crowd. Foley nodded to the man to speak up. Thessle. “When do we get to pick?”
“There will be no storming the woman’s housing and grabbing women. You’ve all been entered into a lottery system based on your records here on Narkos. If you or your unit has caused trouble in the past, start behaving, prove yourselves. I reward hard workers, not troublemakers.
“Those who cause the least trouble will place higher in the schedule. The schedule of mixers will be sent to your datapads by third meal today. Six units at a time will be allowed to enter the mixer and socialize with the women. You will have a limited amount of time before you’re told to leave and the next groups enter. Get to know one another. Again, these will be heavily supervised. The woman will let us know which groups they’d like to see again in future socials, or they may pick on the spot.
“The goal here, colonists, is to find matches that work for the benefit of all. In addition to ensuring the colonists here maintain a healthy production of zurlite from the mines, The Company has placed a heavy emphasis on conceiving children and returning level 4s to Argus over time. This is no longer Dresden’s colony. I’m here to ensure the smooth operation of the zurlite and the safety of the women and men under my charge.”
Foley nodded to one of the guards in the distance. Guards continued moving through the crowd.
“What’s going on?” Ren whispered.
“I don’t know,” Vaughn said, the worry in his voice clear.
Two guards appeared behind Ky’Li.
“Don’t move,” Vaughn warned. “If you resist, they’ll cut you down where you stand.”
One of the guards withdrew two pairs of metal cuffs. He pulled Ky’Li’s hands behind him and cuffed him.
Ky’Li turned his head to focus on Hannah. “All will be well, sha’vi.”
Click. Another set of cuffs, this time around Ky’Li’s ankles.
Sersie held onto Hannah by her shoulders to keep her from running to Ky’Li. Her entire body trembled. “I love you, Ky.”
“You will always be mine. Remember that.”
Sersie’s hands were wrenched behind him as a guard he hadn’t seen approach cuffed him from behind. “What the—”
“He didn’t do anything!” Hannah cried out as she tried to reach out to Sersie.
“This is temporary,” the guard explained. “To ensure he doesn’t cause trouble while we follow orders.”
Sersie had charged the guards last month and was now considered a risk. Fair enough. Except the move felt extreme.
“I’m fine, Hannah,” Sersie said, flashing one of his usual smiles. Except this one didn’t place her at ease as it normally would. Vaughn put a hand on her shoulder, and then he and Ren were thrown to the ground and cuffed, arms behind their backs.
