Page 67 of Taken By the Convicts
“Melina?” he called again. “If you want to go to the med-center, we need to get going. First shift has already started, so there won’t be too many men hanging out in the cold.”
“I’m ready,” she called from the stairwell.
She sat on the landing beneath the access panel, her entire body covered in layers with her hair tucked in her coat and a thick scarf around her head and face. From a distance, no one would be able to tell she was female. Only her hand remained ungloved. He frowned when he realized she’d been trying her tattoo again, hoping to escape. Why? He’d promised to take her.
Because she didn’t trust him to keep his word.
“I may not be Ivan, but I don’t go back on my promises.” Jayce grabbed his coat and headed up the steps.
“You expect me to trust you, and yet none of you trust me,” she countered, once again the biting female from a month ago. What had happened to the soft female that had fucked him so beautifully last night?
“If I’m a part of this unit, I should have the same access as everyone else.”
He could hack the computer back at Thorne’s office to give her access, but he wouldn’t go against Ivan’s orders on that issue. Taking her to the med-center was bad enough, but giving her the ability to leave the bunker at will was out of the question.
“We trust you,” he said, wondering why Ivan had refused to give her access because he feared she’d run off, but she was smart, she knew what waited for her on the surface if she left unescorted. Hell, even escorted she was at risk.
Her scarf dipped beneath her mouth. That beautiful mouth that had kissed and sucked him dry last night wore a deep scowl that made the fine hairs on the back of his neck lift.
“You’re mad at me,” Jayce said as he placed his wrist against the panel. The door clicked open.
She darted out without a word. He could read people—their expressions, their body language, even the words they chose, and the cadence they used—it’s what made him so good at trading. Know your customer, their wants, needs, and fears, and you can control them. She wanted to go to the med-center. He’d wanted sex. It was one of the easier deals he’d made in a while. And yet she was pissed.
“Yes, I’m mad. You used me.”
“I didn’t force you. You had every opportunity to send me away.”
“I know you didn’t force me,” she said with a hard swallow, as if she were biting back some memory and not a good one either.
He hadn’t forced her. He was sure of it.
“Let’s forget about it. All of it,” she said, keeping her voice low.
They were exposed out here. Not all men reported for first shift. Anyone could walk by at any moment. This wasn’t the place for raised voices. He had his knives on him and could handle a solitary, maybe two men even, but not more.
“Why are you mad?” he asked, again not sure why it mattered. He’d gotten what he’d wanted from her, hadn’t he? He scanned all directions for movement. Seven years traipsing through here at all hours and he’d never felt so fucking exposed as walking with the only woman on the planet. Even covered up as she was, they all knew Ivan had her, and that Jayce worked for Ivan. Not that he had long to live at this rate. Even if no one killed Jayce to get to her, Ivan was going to kill him when he found out Jayce had taken her to the med-center.
She stopped walking. He faced her, unable to look into those beautiful dark eyes, knowing how mad she was. He’d done something wrong, he was sure of it, but talking out here like this was dangerous.
“Keep moving,” he warned. Picking her up and forcing her anywhere was the worst course of action, but standing here fighting was just as bad. “We need to keep moving, Melina.”
She nodded slightly, then continued walking.
Two men appeared a hundred yards off to their right. One glanced their way, then spoke to his friend.
“We’re being watched,” Jayce whispered as they neared the bend. They were less than two minutes from the med-center. “No more talking. If I tell you to run, you run and don’t look back.”
His heart was racing more than any other time he stood up against men who could easily kill him, including those times he had been attacked in an alley on Turul or here when he’d been cornered by Matthews’ men. The reason was clear. Melina. He was responsible for her, and it had nothing to do with what Ivan would do to him if something happened to her.
They reached the med-center entrance without incident. The two men stopped watching and headed toward the commissary. Jayce had been lucky this time, and he’d been a fool to escort her here alone. As usual, Ivan had been right.
Melina waved her tattoo by the access plate and the door clicked open. She stared at the door but didn’t enter. Full lashes fluttered as she unwrapped the scarf around her head, so he could see her.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” her soft voice said. The anger had washed over her and left relief in its place.
“You sound surprised that I kept my end of the deal.”
She winced.
