Page 51 of Rescued By the Convicts
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The stares,even the occasional lewd comment regarding her state of dress, or undress rather, didn’t bother Melina as they moved through the public areas. Zev’s shirt reached her thighs. She wore no pants or shoes, which definitely drew too much attention, but at least she wasn’t naked still.
At most, she looked like someone returning to her room after a late-night tryst. If the people here knew she was running from Namir, they’d gladly turn her over to him. The man held too much power, power people were drawn to, power which convinced normal, rational people to forgive and forget atrocities. Had that happened to Zev? Had he been corrupted by Namir’s power? She didn’t think so, which was why she decided to trust him for now. Frankly, she didn’t have any other choices at the moment.
At the moment, she just wanted to get away from all the people and the intense feeling that any second someone would turn her in. Namir practically owned the loyalty of the people in charge of Little Horse. His private guards wouldn’t be the only people looking for her.
Noise from both casual talking and music grabbed her unexpectedly as they entered the shopping and dining hub. The presence of hundreds of people with all their stares and talking overwhelmed her, adding to her growing sense of claustrophobia. Zev’s hand slipped around her waist, providing comfort and support as she grew lightheaded. She needed space away from the people. For all the treachery and danger on Veenith, the open spaces had always calmed her.
“Look up,” Zev said.
Up. . . the dome. The unending vastness of space. He knew what she needed.
Melina’s eyes followed the metal ribs that climbed the walls of the promenade’s high-domed structure, leading to the soft yellow glow from the serilium-reinforced polymer of the transparent dome. Instant relief washed through her, and she could breathe again.
“The view is beautiful, like you, Mel. But we have to keep moving,” Zev whispered as his hand wrapped around hers and gently tugged.
She hadn’t realized she’d stopped moving. “I’m tired of running, Zev.”
“Just a bit farther.”
“No. I mean from Namir, from men who want to harm me. I just want to have a little place somewhere, maybe near a fishing hole. I need to disappear somewhere where Namir can’t find me.”
“Melina, we have to keep moving.” Another tug, but she could see it in his eyes. He was worried. She followed him through the crush of people enjoying the station’s shops and restaurants. Normally, the promenade was a good place to blend in.
Three successive pings gained everyone’s attention as the public announcement screens lit up red. Pictures of Ivan, Jayce, Zev, and Melina filled the screen. Recent pictures. Zev wore Namir’s uniform and she, well, she was naked. One more chance for Namir to humiliate her and he’d taken it.
Zev’s hand tightened on hers and his pace increased. As discretely as she could, she pulled the tie from her ponytail and let her hair fall to cover her face.
“Zev,” she whispered.
“Keep walking.” His voice was clipped. He’d seen the screens.
“Hey, that’s her!” someone yelled.
“You two, stop!” station security ordered.
Zev turned and threw a knife into the crowd. A man in a gold and red uniform, station security, fell to the ground. Blood ran from his shoulder as he rolled on the floor. She was relieved Zev hadn’t killed the man.
Something struck her back and her hand slid from Zev’s grip.
“Mel!” he yelled, searching for her.
Even above the screams around her, she could hear the panic in Zev’s voice. She’d answer if she could, but the wind had been knocked out of her as she struck the floor near a table in a café. She curled her body away from the stampede of people fleeing and fought to breathe. Finally, air filled her lungs.
A pair of military-style boots stopped in front of the table. Black pants, with a red stripe down the left pant-leg. Given the size of those boots, it wasn’t Zev. The man bent down, a sonic blaster in his hand rested against his leg.
Beautiful hazel eyes greeted her. “Een.”
Tears streamed down her face. Her hands shook as she stroked his cheek. “You’re alive. I was afraid they’d killed you.”
He pulled her up from her hiding spot and hugged her tight to his chest. The embrace ended too soon as he shoved her behind him and fired his blaster while shielding her.
Station security, four of them, took up positions on the other side of the promenade, now empty of civilians. Their only escape was down the hall behind them, but that led to a park. There’d be kids playing there.
She tapped Reece’s shoulder and pointed twenty feet away to another corridor. “There are five maintenance shafts in that direction. If we can get there, the security team will have to split up.”
Reece shook his head and signed, ‘Z’. Zev. They had a plan, apparently. She didn’t even see where Zev had gone.
