Page 21 of Taken By the Convicts
While Ivan appeared to be sparing Reece, Reece didn’t hold back from driving his fists into Ivan’s face and slamming his head against the metal wall with a definite thud.
Melina’s stomach twisted at the pain registering in Ivan’s face. “Reece, stop!” she yelled. She shouldn’t care about Ivan, but she did. It made no sense.
“Let me go!” Melina demanded as she fought against the man holding her upper arm. She tried kicking him, but he shifted his legs, wrapping them around hers to keep her still. Dark eyes glanced at her, and then the corner of his mouth lifted as if she had amused him.
“They’re killing each other! Let me go!”
“Not until it’s safe,” he said without an ounce of worry in his voice.
Reece slammed his fist into Ivan’s midsection, sending him flying into a chair. Ivan grabbed the chair and raised it above his head, about to bring it down on Reece.
Melina drove her elbow into Mystery Guy’s chest. He lost his hold on her and she ran in front of Reece.
“Please don’t,” she begged as Ivan stood there, panting heavily, the chair raised above him. His blue eyes pierced her, and he hesitated until Reece yanked her back and pushed her behind him.
Ivan swung the chair at Reece, who batted it aside like it was a wad of paper. Her giant grabbed and slammed Ivan against a wall. Ivan’s eyes rolled back into his head as he sank to the floor.
Melina pushed past Reece and ran to Ivan. Carefully, she examined the back of his head. Her hand came away bloody. This shouldn’t be happening. Ivan hadn’t hurt her. He’d rescued her from a group of men who would have savagely raped her. He didn’t deserve this.
Angry, she turned to Reece, ready to yell at him, but Reece’s face twisted in fear. . . for her. Her anger drained away. He’d been trying to protect her, nothing more.
“You need to stay out of their way,” Mystery Guy said as he rested a hand on Reece’s shoulder. “Let Ivan and Reece figure out who’s top dog.”
“What are you talking about and who the hellareyou?” she asked.
“I’m part of the deal.”
Reece’s eyes shot to Ivan and then her. There was uncertainty in Reece’s face, but no anger, not any longer, not with Ivan passed out on the floor.
“What deal?” she asked.
“We helped Ivan and Jayce rescue you from Hawke and his unit. You belong to the four of us now.” The man’s eyes never left her face, never raked down her body as Jayce’s and Ivan’s had, but there was a coldness to him. He turned to Reece. “I hope she’s worth it, big guy, because when Ivan wakes up—ifhe wakes up—he’s going to come after you.”
Melina pulled the blanket off of Ivan’s bed and wrapped it around her as Mystery Guy walked out without another word, leaving her with an unconscious Ivan and a very confused Reece whose hazel eyes darted from her to Ivan. What he was wondering, she had no idea, but it didn’t look good.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” she said as she placed a hand on his chest that rose and fell with heavy breaths.
Reece cupped her cheek. She pressed her cheek into his hand, loving how gentle he was with her.
“He didn’t hurt me, though he wanted to. I could see it in his eyes, Reece. The man hates me. He wanted to hurt me, but couldn’t at the same time. I wish I understood what was going on here, why he’s so mad at me.”
Suddenly, all the fear, all the uncertainly returned. She wasn’t going to survive this planet. Hell, she wasn’t sure she’d survive the next few days. A tear slipped down her cheek. She used to be stronger than this, but too much had happened in the past few months. Namir might have finally worn her down.
“I’mscared.”
Reece pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her, simply holding her as her breathing and heart calmed. Reece’s cheek leaned against hers. The warmth, the softness of feeling him against her felt so incredibly nice. Perfect. She’d stay there forever, in his arms, with his cheek against hers, if she could. One vital question remained.
“Ivan says he owns me, and the man with the dark eyes says all of you own me. Is this something you agreed to, Reece? Did you tell them they could have me if they rescued me from Hawke’s men?”
Please say no. Please say no.She couldn’t be owned again. By anyone, especially such angry men.
His face hardened at that moment, and she knew the truth. He hadn’t wanted to agree to this, to barter her, but he had.
She shivered, coping not only with the feeling of betrayal but with the knowledge that she would never be free again. She could give her body to four men if that’s what it took to have their protection from the animals on the surface. Shared she could handle, but not owned. Never again.
Maybe this had all been some massive misunderstanding, and she was part of this unit, with Ivan and Jayce f take what they thought was their due.
“Is this my unit then too?”
