Page 40 of Rescued By the Convicts
MELINA
Two men stoodguard over Melina in a large bedroom that had more comforts than she imagined existed on Veenith. Hawke had connections, better connections than Jayce, the bastard.
She’d never forgive him. Or Ivan. Or Zev.
Goddess, how could she have been so wrong about these men? They had been so loving, so protective of her, the complete opposite of Namir, Tristen, and Patel. Were the Goddesses laughing at her now, or was this some test?
Reece. Thoughts of her gentle giant returned. He hadn’t been a part of the betrayal. That offered her immense comfort right now, but she worried about where he was and what would happen to him when he found out. He’d attempt to rescue her, and he’d be cut down. Hawke had over two dozen men that she could see. Reece wouldn’t survive, even if he enlisted Glasner and Kimber’s help. Except they were Ivan’s former squad mates. They might not help Reece without Ivan there.
With a curt nod, Hawke sent his guards from the room. Hawke pulled the bottle labeled RJIZ out of his pocket, opened it, and smeared a drop on his tattoo. The yellow glow of the serilium faded. They waited as he timed the fade.
“Impressive,” he said, pocketing the drug. “My boss will be pleased.”
“It’s no good to you without the formula. Let me go and I’ll give it to you.”
“Strip,” he ordered, no longer interested in the serilium.
“You won’t be able to reverse engineer it.”
“Last warning, female. Strip!”
Resisting Hawke would only bring her pain, maybe death. Reece was out there somewhere, and if she could make it back to him one day, then she had to be smart and survive. Sex meant nothing, ultimately. She’d let her mind slip back to her childhood as Hawke and whoever else took her, as she’d done with Namir over and over again.
When Hawke took an angry step toward her, she began stripping. She kept her eyes on him the entire time. She refused to cower before the man. Men like him got off more from the power of controlling others more than they did the sex.
The cold air struck her like a hard slap to her face when he opened the door. “Move.”
“It’s snowing out there.”
“Then move fast.”
She wasn’t even wearing boots. Melina hesitated too long. Hawke surged forward and backhanded her. “You’re keeping my boss waiting. Move!”
As Hawke raised his hand to strike her again, Melina stepped into the snow. The cold bit at her limbs, and pain shot through her bare feet. Hawke shoved her forward. She broke into a run, but not in the direction of the men in front of her.
Seconds later, Hawke threw her over his shoulder and barreled through the crowd of men. Hands touched, grabbed, and violated her even as Hawke walked. Melina closed her eyes and sent her mind to that fishing hole her brothers so loved, even though the fish there were too small to eat. The sport of catching the fish had always intrigued Evan and Alexander, and she’d always enjoyed watching their latest inventions to catch the fish. The sonic net had been the most interesting, though too many fish had died. That had saddened Evan. She’d spent two months trying to convince him to try another invention, to keep pushing himself, and to run his ideas by others for their input to ensure another tragedy never occurred.
Hawke dumped her on a hard floor, jarring her from her memories. A door swooshed closed behind them. A ship? No, it couldn’t be. She rose, crossing her arms over her chest to hide her nudity from the two men guarding the door.
Each guard wore loose black pants and a long-sleeve shirt with a red stripe on the left side from their shoulders down to their boots. She didn’t need to see the tattoos on the backs of their necks or the blasters on their holsters to know who they were. Her stomach turned at the sight of the colors alone. She’d run from those colors every day, glad to reach the temporary sanctuary of her research lab.
The day The Company had lowered her to Level 5 and condemned her to Veenith, she’d found herself able to breathe knowing she’d be far from Baccula. . . inaccessible on Veenith. She’d no longer have the constant terror pressing down on her chest, her soul.
“Thorne is becoming a problem,” Hawke said at the end of the corridor where he stood in an opened door.
“I pay you to take care of problems here. The very fact it took you this long to find her speaks to your incompetence. I should replace you with another,” answered the harsh voice.
Melina closed her eyes and focused on breathing. She didn’t care that rough hands dragged her in the other direction, to the belly of the ship. Namir had found her. She’d returned to her own personal hell.
Chapter Ten
IVAN
Ivan leaned his head back against the metal wall of the ship, his mind battling indecision. Should he jump off the ship or trust that Zev was watching over Melina? Times like this, he questioned if he could truly trust Zev. Melina trusted the man, and Ivan trusted her instincts. He hoped he was right.
“It’s been so long,” Jayce said, inhaling deeply. “Smell that, Ivan? The sterile, stagnant smell of space.”
“We’re still on the ground. Veenith.” Ivan’s eyes focused on the two guards by the door. While being led onto a ship had surprised Ivan, it had set off too many alarms in his head. Especially when O’Keefe and Gant were led to the back hold while he and Jayce were chained to the seats in the passenger compartment.
