Page 30 of Taken By the Convicts
She shouldn’t have assumed Zev hadn’t tried. After all, he had taken the time to communicate with Reece. Something she hadn’t seen anyone else do.
“That makes no sense. Why wouldn’t he want to learn?”
“You’ll have to ask him. He hasn’t explained it to me. I think he’s given up on people for the most part. Doesn’t see the need to communicate.”
Except with Zev. And her. Reece hadn’t given up, not by a longshot.
“The greenhouse, you said. Why did they want access to the greenhouse?” That had to be where Reece got that rash that mimicked succula poisoning. Succula didn’t grow in harsh conditions, and it wasn’t native to Veenith. If Ivan ever released her, she’d have to see what flora they had over there that could have caused Reece’s allergic reaction.
“In addition to all the vegetables grown there, Manager Powell grows a few plants in Section B that aren’t quite legal. A side business, from what I understand.”
She had access to Section A only for medicinal research. “Why does Reece have access to Section B?”
“Not for me to say.”
“But hecan’tsay.”
“Quite a quandary you have then, don’t you?”
“Are you trying to be an ass, Zev, or does it come naturally to you?”
He laughed, such a deep, genuine laugh that she smiled and relaxed a bit. She shouldn’t have spoken to him so surly.
Zev didn’t fit here. He was cheerier than the others, but perhaps that was because he hadn’t been here as long.
Accepting the reality here took time for everyone. She still hadn’t accepted her fate. Every time Thorne approached her in the med-center, she hoped he was coming to tell her The Company had reversed their decision, that she hadn’t been lowered to Level 5 status and would be raised to a 4 and sent to a prison planet where she could work her way back to a Level 3 and return home.
No, not home. She wouldn’t return to Baccula. Somewhere else in the system. A smaller planet such as Yarkon or Daraan maybe, but not home or Argus. Somewhere Namir couldn’t find her.
“Why are you here, Zev?”
“Reece went to the med-center yesterday morning, with some type of rash on his back. He’d been stuck there most of the day, going crazy trying to get out when Jayce entered and released him late afternoon. That bastard med-tech had kept Reece longer than necessary.”
“Akins, probably. He likes to aggravate people. How did Jayce release Reece?”
“Jayce has access. That man has a real talent for getting things he shouldn’t be able to get. Ivan has a real asset in him.”
There was that word again. Asset. She hated it, hated how they all viewed people—her especially—as assets. All except Reece. And maybe Zev. They saw her as more.
“Finish your story, please. It keeps my mind off this room.”
“Try to relax, Mel. I think Ivan will come around soon enough.”
“He’s full of rage. At me, Zev. He won’t come around, as you say.”
“You’re not considering the big picture. Ivan’s been living as a solitary. He needs a unit. It’s in his nature to lead, to be part of a unit. All he has is Jayce. And now us.
“You sayusas if I’m included. I’m not.”
“Sure you are. Ivan just doesn’t realize it yet. Give him time.”
“Time for what? To decide he doesn’t want to kill me? I’ll be dead by then.”
“Time to realize he needs you.”
“He may need my skills as a doctor, but that’s not the same as needing me. As soon as I heal him, he’ll have no use for me. Beyond what you all want, what you all expect from me.”
“You don’t know me, Mel. You don’t know any of us. And we don’t know you.”
