Page 31 of Taken By the Convicts
“I know more than you think about men. And about Ivan.”
“Do you know he’s been here for two years without forming a unit, which is rare for a soldier? I hear he used to lead a large squad.”
Twenty-four men. She couldn’t remember their faces though, probably because she hadn’t wanted to. Watching them suffer had been too hard. She still had nightmares. She’d never forget their pain. Pain that Ivan still endured. Only he and three others had survived her drug.
“Did you hear me, Mel?” Zev asked, his voice a bit higher than before, as if he was concerned. It warmed her heart to know he might care. Perhaps being with these men wouldn’t be so bad if she and Ivan could come to an understanding. And if he could keep Jayce away from her.
“My mind wandered for a minute. Please, repeat what you said, Zev.”
“I like how you say my name. It sounds sexy.”
She laughed. “Are you flirting with me through a metal door?”
“It’s the safest type of flirting. No chance of anything happening.”
Oh, the way he said that sent a lovely jolt through her body. The man was smooth.
“Do you have a wife back home, Zev?”
“Hardly. You might say I was married to my job.”
“What job was that?”
“Information Mining. Yeah, I know. Boring.”
“Does that mean you’re a tech nerd? Could you help me in the med-center with retrieving and organizing archived materials? Computers confound me.”
“My work was more big-picture. Making sure information flowed smoothly and securely between corporations. My guess is Jayce could help you with anything computer related.”
She shivered at the very idea. “No, thanks.”
“Want to hear the rest of the story, precious, or shall I leave you? I’ve talked enough, a bad habit I’ve formed by being with Reece all these months.”
Precious? No one had ever called herprecious. Or anything nice like that. “Why did you call me that?”
“What did I call you?” he asked, sounding mystified.
“Never mind.” Clearly, it had been some slip of the tongue, not something that held any meaning to him. “The rest of the story, Zev. I’m listening.”
“Good, I thought I was boring you. And there’s not much else to do down here until Jayce gets back with the supplies. Anyway, Jayce pulled Reece out of the med-center, and then Reece yanked me out of the mine to negotiate for him. And when I say ‘yanked’ I mean he hauled me out without giving me a chance to ask him what the hell was happening. Then it was a flurry of signs so fast I had trouble understanding what he was saying. But I followed him to Jayce who explained, though apparently, even Jayce left out a lot of details, which is understandable given the time crunch. Every man on this planet wants you, Melina. You’re the sole woman on Veenith. Do you know how valuable that makes you?”
She knew all too well. It was only a matter of time before she’d get caught. Her eyes traveled the room. She had been caught. Now she had to figure out how she’d survive.
Reece wouldn’t be around to protect her all the time. Hell, even he would expect her to sleep with him. But Reece was sweet. She wouldn’t mind sleeping with him. She might even enjoy it; at least he wouldn’t hurt her.
“Reece is a sharp-shooter,” Zev continued. “He’s part of the hunting division. They’re issued sonic rifles before each hunt. I’m not sure how he got hold of the rifle off-shift, but he did. On second thought, that was probably Jayce’s doing. That weasel mentioned a five-way trade. Anyway, Reece was determined to get to you, and Ivan had a plan. Unfortunately, Hawke pulled you out of the hole before Reece was in position. Ivan attacked Hawke and his men to get to you, stalling until Reece could pick them off. Eight men, Melina. He should have been killed.”
She didn’t remember that. Only the hands tearing off her clothes and fingers digging into her arms, wrists, and hips as they held her down and pulled her legs apart. Then the guy with the long beard freed himself and got on top of her. His cock had pressed against her thigh one second and then the next he was gone. The rest remained a blur until she found herself slung over Ivan’s shoulder, with Jayce at his side, taking every chance to feel her up.
“And where were you during all of this?”
“Watching Reece’s back on the hillside while he took out Hawke’s men.”
Oh. For some reason, she’d thought Zev was only here to speak for Reece. He’d earned the right to sleep with her too, apparently. That was it then. She was nothing more than a fuck toy to him. To all of them.
“Mel?”
She didn’t speak. She’d walk away if she could, but that wasn’t an option. She had to come to an understanding with these men, all of them, or they’d never see her as anything but their plaything.
