Page 75 of Rescued By the Convicts
Zev peered at Jayce, who remained motionless, sprawled out across five seats. “Is he. . .”
Shaky on her feet, Melina stumbled toward Jayce as Reece steadied her, helping her sink into a chair by Jayce’s head. “His pulse is shallow and thready, and his breathing is. . .” She swallowed back the whimper. “He’s hanging in there, aren’t you Jayce?” she said to him, stroking his cheek. He felt so cold.
“Why are we on a prison planet, Zev? Tell me this is temporary so we can get Jayce help. That those guards aren’t out there to arrest us.”
Zev’s facial muscles tightened. “My superiors ordered me to bring you here.”
“You sold us out!” Ivan said as he moved toward Zev. Reece took up a position behind Ivan.
“Stop it!” Melina said, jumping up. The dizziness returned and Reece reached for her, but she shoved his hands away. “Ivan, you know Zev wouldn’t betray us.”
“I’m sorry, Mel,” Zev said, his voice shaking. At that moment, she knew that this wasn’t something he wanted. “We’re on Narkos. I have to turn the four of you over to the warden here.”
“Bastard,” Ivan said as he walked away from them and stared down at Jayce.
“My superiors didn’t give me much choice. It was either here or Veenith.”
“We’re just trading one hell-hole for another.”
“Narkos is a Level 4 planet with women. You have a chance for a life here, one where Melina won’t be in constant danger. The Level 4s serve ten years, and then they qualify to return home. There’s considerably less violence here as a result. The prisoners don’t want to risk their chance to leave.”
“We’re Level 5. They’ll send us back to Veenith. There’s no way they’ll let us stay,” Ivan said.
“Your place is secure here. It was part of the deal I made with my superiors. I give them the rest of the information about Namir’s organization that I have, and they don’t send you back to Veenith.”
“We should be free,” Ivan said.
“I can make a case for you and Melina. Neither of you should have been sent to Veenith, but Jayce and Reece both murdered men.”
“We’re not separating,” Ivan said. “We’re a unit.”
“What about you, Zev?” Melina asked, worried about what Zevwasn’tsaying.
Zev wiped the emotion from his face. Her stomach twisted, and she felt sick. He was leaving them, for good.
“I couldn’t give you the house or the fence or even the kids I know you want, Mel, but I know the others will. They’ll love you the way you deserve to be loved.”
Zev’s kiss pulled her into another world. One where he would hold her every day as he whispered in her ear all the secrets of the universe, or at least those about him. After one last swipe of his lips over hers, he stroked her cheek.
“You don’t have to leave us,” Ivan said, his voice stern. He was still holding on to the anger, but he didn’t want to lose Zev any more than she did. “We can lift off, the five of us, right now.”
Zev’s eyes shifted to Jayce.
“Jayce needs a med-center,” Melina voiced what Zev had already assessed.
“It’s your call, Ivan,” Zev said. “We can lift off. The warden can’t prevent that, but there’s an escort waiting for us in orbit. The Company will take you into custody wherever we go unless we can evade them. I’m a good pilot, but this ship isn’t built for stealth or speed. And even if we escape them, it will be two days to the next med-center. I don’t think Jayce has that long.”
“Fuck.”
“It’s a Level 4 planet,” Zev repeated. “It will be better here. I promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Ivan looked at Reece and Melina. “I won’t make this decision alone.”
“I can’t save Jayce on the ship. We need a fully-equipped med-center.”
Reece moved over to Jayce and lifted him. After he opened the hatch, he gave a final nod to Zev and exited the ship.
Guards swarmed around Reece, who set Jayce on the ground and then locked his hands behind his head.
