Page 32 of Rescued By the Convicts
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“How is Melina tied to Section B?”
“She got hold of the spores and figured out how to make a drug to subdue our tatts.”
Thorne would kill her if he knew that. The interrogation. . . Thorne must have been fishing. Zev was getting close to finding out who was accepting delivery of the prisoners once they left Veenith.
“Of course, that doesn’t surprise you,” Ivan said. “Because Thorne has been using those spores to nullifying the serilium on the prisoners escaping Veenith.”
Zev pulled up his sleeve and turned his arm so Ivan would see his tattoo. The yellow glow of the serilium had faded significantly. “I’m going to be on that next transport off Veenith, and I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Ivan scrubbed his face. “If you’ll be back, you mean. Which you won’t. We both know it.”
Zev nodded. He hadn’t wanted to say it, to admit it fully. To Ivan or himself. He was leaving Melina behind. Fuck, that didn’t sit well with him. She wouldn’t survive long on this planet, even with Ivan, Reece, and Jayce protecting her. Sooner or later, the men would be outsmarted or outnumbered. And Melina would be taken.
“How long have you been undercover?” Ivan asked.
“This assignment? Two years. I wouldn’t ask for your help if I had any other choice.”
“Telling me any details about your mission is just fucking stupid. This planet has too many eyes and ears everywhere.” Ivan scanned the area. “Even here.” Ivan picked up the shovel again and resumed shoveling slag.
“I’ll take it that your answer isno,” Zev said. “You won’t help me.”
“I’m thinking. Even good plans have risks. And I have a responsibility to them, to all of them.”
“I miss her,” Zev confessed to Ivan. It was unprofessional talking about Melina when he had a job to do. Thinking of her would only distract him, but she’d been in his thoughts constantly, especially since he’d last seen her in the med-center.
“I can see to it you leave Veenith,” Zev offered. “I could get you on Thorne’s list of criminals chosen to leave. Once off the planet, you could take the first chance you get to escape whoever’s providing the transport.” Zev hated lying to Ivan, but it’s what he did, what he always did to get what he needed. His spot on that transport was far from secure, which is why he needed Ivan.
For once, Ivan didn’t hide his reaction. Every emotion showed on his face from shock and relief to outright need and distrust.
“But you’re not going to like what I propose,” Zev added.
Ivan moved closer. He’d taken the bait.
“When you said you can get us off Veenith, how many precisely?”
“One, maybe two.”
“Jayce. You’ll take him. He’s been here too long. This place is breaking him.”
That’s when Zev saw the chink in Ivan’s armor. Jayce, not even Melina. Ivan and Jayce were close, like brothers. This could work better than he’d planned.
“What are you willing to sacrifice?” Zev asked.
“Anything,” Ivan said.
* * *
MELINA
Jayce,Ivan, and Reece wouldn’t tell Melina where they were taking her, only that it was a surprise. They’d been climbing a steep path up a mountainside for the past hour. The late hour had her curious, as did the path itself. Instead of blazing a crude trail along the edge of the mountain, someone had taken the time to forge a path between the rocks, creating an almost tunnel-like effect with the high sides, though no ceiling to block out the sky. The stars above shone brightly and Veenith’s two moons provided enough light that the group didn’t need zurlite-powered flashlights.
With the uneven footing and rubble littering the path from rockslides, Reece slipped his arm around Melina’s waist. She thought he wanted to ensure she didn’t fall, but he seemed extra anxious tonight. She suspected the presence of Jayce and Ivan had something to do with it. Oh, Reece trusted and would defend them in a heartbeat, but he felt threatened by their relationship with her. She didn’t know how to help Reece feel secure, other than to give him extra attention whenever possible.
She had never realized men could become jealous of one another when sharing a woman. Her dads hadn’t had this problem, had they? Namir certainly hadn’t shown any jealousy when he’d given her to his friends. Just the opposite. He reveled in her fear, in her submission.
The farther the group walked, the warmer the area grew, which was a pleasant change from the snow and cold of the rest of Veenith. Melina had thought only the underground caverns were warm, thanks to the thermal fissures. She only felt a slight chill in the air when the wind wound its way up the path. Otherwise, the air was warm, like summer on Argus.
