Page 85 of Taken By the Convicts
Her eyes widened with excitement. “How did you get this?”
This was one of those moments he wished he could explain. The patient who’d stolen it had meant to trick Reece and the others into abandoning her. That would never happen.
“I’m sorry I modified it. I was sitting in the chem lab, wondering what to do about Akins, a lab-tech who threatened me.”
Reece tried to speak, to show his rage, but nothing more than a few grunts came out. She smiled, though.
“I was scared, Reece. I regretted going to the med-center and hated myself for my fear. I looked at the ring and thought of you. I remembered what you’d done to Collins. That’s when I got an idea to lace needles with an anesthetic and insert them into the ring. You were always with me, protecting me.”
He turned her hand over and tied the leather strap on again. She had protected herself, and he was damn proud of her. But that ring had already been off of her thumb for too long. He knotted the ties.
Tears pooled in her eyes. “I love you,” she said.
He tapped his heart again, slowly, with meaning, not out of anger or fear this time. And then he tapped her heart.I love you, my sweet Melina.
Her smile nearly brought him to his knees, which was perhaps a very good idea, considering how she began undressing. Reece glanced at the door, then shoved the desk up against it. Then the dresser. There was no way he was sharing her, at least not tonight. Tomorrow, if she wanted, but tonight she belonged to him alone.
Chapter Twenty-Three
JAYCE
Three fucking days. Hawke’s men had been searching the area around the bunker for three days, looking for a way in before they finally left the area. It had taken the stupid fucks six weeks to find the bunker, and Jayce knew better than to assume Hawke had given up. He’d find a way in, sooner or later.
One thing was certain; Jayce was losing his touch. It took him two days to come up with a plan to clear a path to the bunker. He started a rumor among the new prisoners—ones who didn’t know him yet—of having seen Melina by Mine #12. Jayce had even left some food scraps and clothing in one of the caves near the mine.
After only four hours, Hawke shifted the focus of his search to the mine. But he left a few men near the bunker, just in case. A day later, Jayce wove his way around Hawke’s men and entered the bunker.
“You’re quiet,” Melina said as they left the bunker two days later. Ivan and Reece had opened the bunker slowly and then scouted the area to make sure no trace of Hawke or his men remained.
Jayce was sure Hawke hadn’t given up. The man was determined to have Melina. He’d gone as far as to offer Jayce a way off Veenith if he turned her over to him. Jayce hadn’t answered him.
“You look lost, Jayce,” she said.
“I’m just thinking,” he said as he walked behind her, where he could keep an eye on her.
Handing Melina over in exchange for a way off Veenith would be worth it. Maybe. If he could trust Hawke. Which he couldn’t.
When he caught up to Melina, she looped her arm through his, even though Reece stood on her other side. Fuck, why did she have to do that? It made him feel guilty for not turning Hawke down. One little word,no, and he couldn’t say it. Instead, he’d told Hawke he’d think about it.
“We haven’t spoken since I returned from the med-center.”
“And now you’re going back there. Seems like you prefer the med-center to the bunker,” Jayce said, well aware of how bitter he sounded. The very fact that Ivan agreed to let her return was shocking. Since when did she have such influence with Ivan? Even Jayce didn’t have that type of influence.
Fuck, he was jealous of her relationship with Ivan and mad at himself for even considering turning her over to Hawke. But Jayce had been on Veenith for seven fucking years and he’d never have another chance to leave.
“I have work at the med-center,” Melina said, her voice casual.
“Liar,” he said outright, without filtering his thoughts. That offer from Hawke weighed on him. Why hadn’t he saidno?
Because he needed to get off this fucking planet.
“I treat patients there and I’m working on the cure for Ivan.” She leaned her head against Jayce, then looked up at him, all bright-eyed and excited.
He couldn’t turn her over to Hawke. Ivan would kill him, for real this time.
Fuck, he was more concerned with Ivan’s reaction than what would happen to Melina.
She jumped in front of him suddenly and forced him to stop. Her cold fingers glided through his hair, which felt so good. He could have that from dozens of other women once he escaped Veenith. There was nothing special about Melina, after all. Just another woman. There were millions more like her out there.
