Page 15 of Rescued By the Convicts
“I took a lot of samples.”
“Why?”
“M-Manager Thorne told me to p-perform research.” She couldn’t stop the tremors now. His breath moved down her neck, over her chest.
“Research on what?” he demanded, as a finger glided over her breast.
“On the t-trees and flora. To look for m-medicinal. . . medicinal p-properties.”
“Those are in Section A. You trespassed into Section B. Why?”
She finally placed the voice. Liden, Thorne’s personal guard who’d beaten her after dragging her out of the warehouse.
“I needed s-samples to develop an anti-h-histamine for a patient.”
“Why Section B?”
“The patient w-works there. A plant there caused his r-rash. I only took samples from a few plants, to f-find which one caused his-r-rash, so I can treat him.”
He backhanded her, but didn’t let her sink to the ground or shield herself from another blow. He held her up with one steely grip on her upper arm. Pain flared through her face, making it hard to focus.
“What are you doing with the samples you took?”
Her thoughts jumbled together. He shook her hard and asked again.
“I developed an antihistamine!”
“The samples from the spindle tree!” he shouted, his spittle striking her face.
This time, he grabbed both of her hands in his and thrust them above her as he turned her to face the wall.
“You know what happens to women here, don’t you?” he said as he kicked her legs apart. “Tell me and I won’t hurt you too badly.”
She thrust her head back, hoping to break his nose, but her head only struck his chest.
“Answer me!” he yelled, squeezing her wrists so hard she feared he’d snap her bones. “What did you do with the samples from the spindle tree!”
She knew exactly what he was talking about. The large potted trees with the branches that wove themselves into unique patterns. The tree with the pink spores. The source of the RJIZ that caused prison tatts to fade.
“Nothing! I haven’t touched them yet. Thorne wants me to do research, but I’m behind. I’m still l-learning the equipment and—”
“Enough!”
“I’ll give them back! I promise!” She let the tears flow. The very real tears. She had enough of the samples to return to him, to convince him that she hadn’t done any research yet, but if she let anything slip about those, about what she knew those spores could do, he’d to worse than assault her. He’d kill her.
Chapter Four
REECE
Reece dumped the last of the bags under the middle table per the greenhouse manager’s orders. After hauling forty of the seventy-pound potassium sulfate bags and another ten of the rock phosphate, his back muscles were burning. He could use a soak in that underground pool Jayce had taken Melina to.
Maybe he could convince Melina to go with him. Just the two of them this time. Getting time alone with her in the bunker was difficult. Often, when he went to her door, he’d hear her with Jayce, so he never knocked. Or she’d be across the hall in Ivan’s room. Now he wondered if always walking away was a mistake. If he didn’t assert himself in the bunker, the other men would monopolize her time. And no more of this sharing business. He deserved to have her to himself, at least some of the time.
Hell, what was wrong with him? He thought he’d gotten over his jealousy. He was Bacculan, the same as her. The fact that she’d accepted rings from Ivan and Jayce hadn’t bothered him at the time. He’d been damn proud as the men had proved their worth and their commitment to her. But he felt as if he was being pushed aside now. And trying to write his thoughts on paper to her was so frustrating. He didn’t know how to write most of the words he needed, and that damn paper and pen made him feel helpless. He’d communicated better with Zev around to speak for him.
“You done finally, Callahan?” Manager Powell called out from the middle of Section B.
Powell did this to him all the time, called out for an answer, knowing full well that Reece couldn’t reply with anything more than a meaningless grunt.
