Page 52 of Rescued By the Convicts
Shots rang out from overhead. One, two, three guards fell around her and Reece. Zev clung to a metal beam high above the promenade. He’d climbed one of the spines supporting the dome. Station security wouldn’t shoot at him up there and risk the dome, would they?
Reece grabbed her hand and again they ran. The sound of blasters firing trailed behind her as she and Reece made their way to a transport tube. The guards hadn’t caught up with them; they had stayed behind to take care of Zev.
“No, we have to wait for Zev,” she protested when Reece motioned for her to get on.
Reece didn’t waste time debating. He threw her over his shoulder, stepped onto the tube, and waited for the doors to shut before setting her on her feet.
She felt too numb to be mad. “He’ll be okay, right?”
Reece’s smile lit his face. The man had every confidence in Zev. That helped, but she couldn’t get rid of the knot in her stomach. She wanted her men, all of them, together, safe. With each minute that passed, Namir could capture any of them. And he would gladly punish them to get to her.
Chapter Thirteen
ZEV
Zev took a moment to watch Melina as she slept. He’d feared for her, from the moment he’d laid eyes on her on Veenith before he’d spoken his first words to her. His instructions from Namir had been clear. But knowing he wouldn’t follow them, that he wouldn’t hurt her, didn’t mean she’d be safe. Not on Veenith, and certainly not back in Namir’s grasp. He had hoped to leave her with Ivan, Jayce, and Reece, safely tucked away in the bunker, but Hawke and Namir would have captured her in time. His plan hadn’t been foolproof, but he’d had no choice. It was better to control the situation and put the right pieces on the board, his unit namely, than let Namir and Hawke control the entire game. She was safe now, but how long could he keep her hidden from Namir? He had to get her off Little Horse, and for that, he needed Ivan, Jayce, and Reece.
The moment he planted a soft kiss along her neck, Melina stirred. Beautiful green eyes opened and blinked twice before focusing.
“You made it!” Melina shrieked as she threw her arms around his neck. Never had he felt anything so right as her squeezing him tight. Had she forgiven him? He hoped so. More likely she was glad to have an ally at the moment. He’d risked her, and she’d been humiliated and terrorized because of him, but he’d hidden her from Namir.
Zev buried his nose in her hair along and inhaled her scent. “You don’t know how good you smell. How perfect you feel in my arms.”
“I must smell rather ripe. I haven’t showered.”
She could be covered in dirt and he wouldn’t care. But she should have taken the chance to shower. “You’re free to use anything here, including the shower.” He motioned to the bathroom.
“I didn’t know when we’d have to move again. And I didn’t want Reece seeing the cuts.”
Zev tried to contain his rage. He’d seen the fresh cuts on her back when Namir had led her around on a leash, naked. He had never thought Namir would harm her on board his ship with all his guards around. He should have known better. He’d heard about the man’s parties, about how he abused his wife and loaned her to his friends. Namir had no conscience. Hurting Melina wouldn’t even register as something he should hide from his guards or anyone on the station.
“Reece will see the cuts, eventually.”
“Not if I let them heal first. You can’t let him know either.”
Her keeping that a secret from Reece made as little sense as her not being mad at Zev. Reece loved her. Perhaps she feared what Reece would do once he discovered how Namir had tortured her.
Reece would blame Zev. Rightfully so. After all, this had been Zev’s plan, and he’d failed to protect Melina.
She twisted her torso as she searched the room, panic coming over her features. “Where’s Reece?”
“He’s fine. I sent him to look for Ivan and Jayce. Namir doesn’t know about Reece, so he can move about without any problems.”
She relaxed a bit. “You think they’re okay? Ivan and Jayce?”
“Reece ran into Ivan earlier, before he came across us in the promenade. They split up looking for you, but he did tell him about this room. Ivan will come here eventually if Reece doesn’t find him first.”
“And Jayce?”
“It appears he made it to the station control room or a live terminal and has been wreaking havoc with several of the station’s systems, causing distractions for us.”
“Really?” she said, more hopeful than before.
“Really.”
“Good. That means he isn’t fully lost.”
Zev wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but he let it slide. “Whose place is this and how did we get in here?” she asked as she rose from the bed.
