Page 88 of Protected By the Convicts
Chapter Twenty-One
KY’LI
Two weeks ago, Foley had taken Hannah from him. Immediately, Ky’Li threw himself into his work in the mines, intending to work himself to exhaustion. Better to sleep than to think about her, about what had happened. He’d return after most shifts and collapse onto his bed. Not the one he’d shared with Hannah, the one in the middle bedroom. None of them could bear to go into her room, where her scent clung to the sheets. The pain within pulsed—unrelenting, raw—as Ky’Li suspected it would be for some time to come.
Most nights he slept, finding temporary relief when his brain shut down and he didn’t think about having lost her, having failed to protect her. Other times, he dreamed of her only to wake to the reality, to the failure that would haunt him the rest of his days. Each morning he worked, and the cycle began again. He couldn’t give up. It wasn’t who he was, and he’d made an oath to these men, as solid as the one he’d made to Hannah. It was that oath that troubled him now. How to choose between two brothers.
Ky’Li wasn’t sure what to make of Vaughn’s behavior, as the doctor barreled through the jungle, then West Side to the Admin and Security offices. Vaughn hadn’t been the same since Hannah had been shipped to Veenith. None of them had. Even so, turning Ren in for ignoring his duties could earn the man a Level 5 designation. Then again, maybe that wasn’t a bad idea. He could be sent to Veenith, to be with Hannah. Or another colony. There were many prison planets, and no guarantees or where he’d be sent, or Ky’Li would gladly murder someone in plain view, so there’d be no question he should be a 5.
“What is your plan, Vaughn?” Ky’Li asked as he held onto Ren’s arm and thigh. The engineer was too drunk to walk, so Ky’Li had slung him over his shoulders.
“No plan. Just facts.”
Vaughn wasn’t making any sense. Nothing made much sense lately. Hannah had tried to save her sister’s life and for that, she’d been sent to Veenith, a Level 5 prison world. Ky’Li didn’t even know if she was still alive. They’d never know.
Ren started mumbling about Brody again. Ky’Li considered setting the engineer down. “I need to know what you’re planning, Vaughn. I won’t condemn Ren.”
“I never thought I’d see the day you’d protect Ren from anyone,” Sersie said. He’d been walking alongside them, silent until now.
“We swore an oath to one another,” Ky’Li reminded them. “All of us.”
“Hannah’s no longer here,” Sersie said.
“Doesn’t matter. We’re still bonded.”
“Do you think we care about that bonding crap now, Ky’Li?” Sersie said.
“Shut the fuck up, Sersie,” Vaughn said as he pushed open the door to Foley’s outer office.
Two guards stood at Foley’s door. A third approached.
“My unit would like to speak with Manager Foley,” Vaughn said, barely keeping his tone civil.
“What’s wrong with him?” the soldier asked, pointing to Ren over Ky’Li’s shoulders.
“Ill,” Vaughn answered.
The guard lifted Ren’s head. “Get your fucking hands off me,” Ren shouted as he started flailing. Ky’Li set him down on his feet but held him by the back of his shirt to keep him from sinking to the ground.
“He’s drunk,” the guard said.
Vaughn swung Ren’s arm over his shoulder and took him from Ky’Li. “He’s the reason I want to see Foley. We haven’t declared our intention yet as a unit.”
“Vaughn,” Sersie whispered. “Breaking up our unit will be permanent. We should talk about this first.”
One of the guards by Foley’s door popped into the office and then opened the door, waving the group in.
Foley sat behind a large desk in an oversized chair. Dresden’s furnishings, but it didn’t mean Foley didn’t enjoy them. The man sat back in that plush leather chair and drummed his fingers against the arm.
“This isn’t your assigned day to appear, Dr. Caster. We’re to meet next week.”
“This can’t wait,” Vaughn said.
Foley tapped a single finger now. “Very well. Continue.”
Vaughn dumped Ren where he stood. “Here’s your one and only engineer on this entire fucking planet who knows how to keep the mines running.”
Foley didn’t even rise from his chair. “He’s drunk.”
