Page 28 of Taken By the Convicts
“Think about what you’re about to do, Crusher,” Ivan warned. “This is a one-time offer. Screw it up and all three of you are out of this bunker. And if you even think about forcing me and Jayce out to keep the place for yourself, Jayce has access to the computers. He’ll wipe your IDs from getting access to the bunker and every other building on the planet.”
Ivan didn’t wait for Crusher to yield. He turned to the woman. “I’ll handle Jayce. What happens between him and me is my business, not yours. Last chance, doctor. Decide your fate. For all three of you.”
She looked at Crusher, who nodded. “Agreed,” she said, trusting Crusher on the matter.
That’s when the pang of jealousy set in. She trusted Crusher. Ivan wanted that from her, her trust. What’s more, he wanted to be able to trust her. Because despite all he knew about her, something deep down inside said there was more to Dr. Melina Archer than the killer he’d sworn revenge against two years ago.
But if he was wrong, hell, there’d be no way around it. He’d kill her. After all, he’d promised his men, and Ivan never broke his promises.
Chapter Seven
MELINA
It had to be past third shift. Maybe even close to midnight. There were no windows in the bunker or clocks. Melina had lost all sense of time, her body was sore, and she desperately needed to sleep. After treating Ivan’s head the best she could without proper medical equipment, the bastard shoved her into the empty room and locked her in without anything to eat or drink. She heard arguing in the hall, grunts and growls mostly, as the door handle rattled. Reece couldn’t get in.
“The lock is keyed to me and Jayce,” Ivan said outside her door. “You want to see her, Crusher? Earn that right.”
“Easy, big guy,” Zev’s steady voice pierced the tension.
She still hadn’t figured him out. The man seemed to hang back and not try to get too involved. He acted more like an interpreter for Reece than a prisoner thinking about how to survive on this world.
Melina sank to the floor in the barren room. No, not so barren. Someone had left clothing in here. She pulled the rough denim shirt over her head. The itchy shirt swam on her, but it was better than being naked. Melina shoved her legs into the pants. Someone tapped on the door.
“Is that you, Reece? Once for yes, twice for no.”
One tap.
“She’s in there for a reason, Crusher. No communication,” Ivan scolded.
She heard a thump against the door.
“I told you I won’t touch her. There’s no need to guard her door,” Ivan added with a tired sigh. “You agreed to this. You want to watch out for her, then listen to orders. Get some sleep in a real bed. We’ve all missed shifts today, and tomorrow’s going to be long. We need intel, food, supplies. We’re in a bunker no one knows exists, but that won’t last. Hawke will have men out looking for us. We can’t afford to lead them back here, or worse, get caught.
“We need to find out what Hawke’s planning, not to mention catch up on shifts or we’ll be cut off from food distribution. I need everyone alert.”
Melina leaned against her side of the door. “It’s okay, Reece. I’ll be fine. You don’t have to sleep by my door. Maybe Ivan will let me out tomorrow and I’ll see you then.”
Two taps this time. He refused to leave.
“Go, Reece. That’s an order.” Ivan’s impatience leeched into his tone.
Melina held her palm against the door and whispered, “Good night, Reece.”
No more taps. Reece had left. Suddenly, she felt so alone.
The light in her room flicked off when she finally laid down on the cold floor by the door and stopped moving. She hated the dark, but a small amount of light peeked under the door, enough to anchor her to the present and keep Namir out of her head, at least until she fell asleep.
If Jayce or Ivan tried to enter, the door opening would wake her. It might not save her from whatever they planned, but even a few seconds could lessen the shock, like when Namir yanked her from her bed or thrust into her without warning.
Melina closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the men moving around, settling in for the night. Oddly enough, she felt safer here than she had felt back on Baccula. Only two men had access to her room, and Reece was nearby. That was better than what she’d had in the med-center, and a hell of a lot better than sleeping in a dog cage.
* * *
Melina woketo the sound of men arguing in the hallway. Every part of her body felt like she’d been beaten up. The light flicked on as she rose. She rolled up her sleeves to see the bruises on her arms where Hawke’s men had held her down. She was lucky that’s all they’d done.
“He doesn’t want to leave her,” Zev said.
“That’s an order, Crusher,” Ivan said. “And the last warning I’m going to give you. Get moving before you’re late for first shift.”
