Page 37 of Rescued By the Convicts
Melina’s knees nearly buckled when she recognized the man with the scraggly beard and mud-brown eyes. Hawke.
This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. Jayce was holding her still, preventing her from running while a dozen men surrounded them.
Hawke approached, running his eyes down her length before looking at Jayce. “Where is it?”
“In her coat pocket,” Jayce said.
“Jayce—”
“Quiet,” he ordered, loud enough like he didn’t care who heard him.
Hawke reached into her coat pocket, fished around, and withdrew the bottle of RJIZ.
“This squares us, Hawke. Matthews too?”
Matthews. She’d heard the name before. He’d been trying to kill Jayce but could never trap him because Jayce was like a rat who knew every nook and cranny on this prison world and had access to places even the guards didn’t know about. Except the port where visual ID and not serilium tatts enabled access.
“Now, the woman,” Hawke demanded.
“No!” she protested even as Jayce thrust her at Hawke without hesitating. Hawke shoved her at two men who locked their hands around her upper arms. “Jayce!” she pleaded. “Why are you doing this?”
Hard green eyes stared at her. “Remember what I told you the first day we met? That you are an asset, and that I’d sell you someday? That day has arrived, Melina.”
“You can’t—”
“Quiet, female,” Hawke ordered. “You’re mine now, and I don’t tolerate disobedience.”
She ignored Hawke’s warning and kept her eyes on Jayce. “Jayce, please don’t do this. This isn’t who you are—”
Jayce surged forward, his face right in front of hers. She could feel the anger pouring off of him. “You don’t know shit about me, Melina. You never did. I’ve been on this fucking planet for over six years and I won’t stay here another minute.”
“Everyone has a price,” Hawke said, laughter in his voice. “And I finally found Jayce’s. A ride off Veenith.”
Despite all the evidence, she’d been holding onto the hope that there was some other deal going down, one that didn’t involve her, but Jayce had never been more serious. She saw it in his eyes. Desperation. Hawke had a way to get him off Veenith, and Jayce had taken the bait.
“You’re no better than Hawke, than any of these animals. You’re just like Danning!”
He winced at that, but it changed nothing. He made no move to free her. He’d handed her over to Hawke like any other asset in one of his deals. She was nothing to Jayce, just an asset to be used and then traded, and it hurt like hell. Worse than anything Namir had ever done to her because she’d never loved Namir.
“Ivan willneverforgive you for this,” she yelled.
“I authorized it,” Ivan said as he pushed his way through Hawke’s men.
Melina was too shocked to speak. She’d been betrayed by both men. Her heart not only sank; it folded in on itself.
Ivan stood there, as hard-faced as Jayce, but ever-more the bastard. Jayce was seriously screwed up, and he’d always been easily controlled by Ivan. But this betrayal, knowing Ivan was behind Jayce’s selling her to Hawke, was too much to handle. Her stomach twisted. She wanted to throw up.
Ivan’s hand reached for her cheek. She pulled away from him, which wasn’t far given how two of Hawke’s men held her still. Against her will, Ivan’s fingers stroked her face. Instead of warmth, she felt a coldness slither down her body.
“Get away from me!” she snapped, struggling to breathe. Nothing made sense. All that she’d known about Jayce and Ivan, and they’d been through together. . . To be betrayed like this.
“I had no choice,” he said. “I need to get Jayce off of Veenith.”
“You ringed me,” she said with desperation, unable to accept what was happening. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Both of you.”
“Anything for sex,” Jayce piped in. “A stupid ring is easy enough.”
She looked down at the three rings she wore, the promises the men had made to her “Ivan?” she called his name, hoping he’d wake her and tell her this was a nightmare, that she was sleeping back in the bunker, safe, with all of her men there.
