Page 84 of Rescued By the Convicts
“We’re together. We’ll make it work. Come on, let’s go meet their unit. Allies.”
Reece signed to Ivan as they caught up with Melina.
“What did he sign?” Jayce asked.
Ivan smirked. “Not just allies. Friends.”
“They remind me of you two,” Melina said, hooking her arms through Jayce’s and Ivan’s arms. “Much more than allies, or even friends. Brothers.” She leaned her head back to accept a kiss from Reece. “And now family.”
While Hannah started introducing her men to Ivan and Jayce, Reece reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather cord with a red stone at the end.
“The essence stone. . . How? Namir took if from me.”
‘Z found. Wants you keep.’ Reece slipped it over her neck.
“I won’t forget him,” Melina said, leaning into Reece. “He’s still a part of our unit. One day, we’ll be together again.”
For the first time in a long time, Melina smiled. She felt safe, free. . . loved. She’d never leave Narkos, but that was fine with her. As long as she had her men with her, she was home.
Epilogue
IVAN
“Problem?” Ky’Li asked Ivan when Ivan stopped pulling the rope to raise the last wall of the house.
Ivan kept his weight on the rope while he watched Melina braiding Hannah’s hair to get it off her neck in the high humidity. The two women had become fast friends and Hannah had been having a tough pregnancy these past two months. She’d stopped working most of her shifts at the port, and her mates had taken on extra shifts to cover for her quota. And still, the men made the time to help Ivan’s unit build their home. The security fence had gone up first. The four of them had been sleeping in tents inside the perimeter while the house was being built. Safety was a luxury Ivan would never be complacent about.
Ren, Hannah’s mate who was the planet’s chief engineer, designed the fence and perimeter to mimic his own, with a few adjustments to house four adults and a room for kids one day too. Ivan looked at Hannah’s rounded belly and envisioned Melina pregnant. He’d like that, but he knew she took drugs to prevent pregnancy. She didn’t want kids.
Seeing that beautiful smile filling her face, knowing she was happy here, was more than enough. And yet there was a constant sadness in her. Her smile never quite reached her eyes. She missed Zev, and Ivan worried she’d never get over him. Reece too, for that matter. He’d lost his best friend, and while he never spoke about it, Ivan caught him staring at the essence stone Melina wore around her neck. That stone was all she had left of Zev.
“No problem,” Ivan said as he and Ky’Li resumed pulling the wall into place. He held it while Ky’Li tied off the ropes. Sersie took over next, applying some residue that he guaranteed was stronger than any nails. Ivan didn’t question these men’s judgment when it came to their expertise; they proved themselves over and over again, especially when it came to understanding the nuances of Narkos. They’d been as Melina expected. More than allies. Friends.
Reece strolled through the perimeter fence, which locked behind him. His clothing was spotless. The man must have showered at the men’s bathhouse in West Side. His hunts never lasted more than two days here, due to the limitation of how much treated water he could carry, and Reece always returned exceedingly dirty and bloody. He had orders to burn any kuvak he killed, to keep the other kuvak from eating the infected meat.
Foley no longer sent guards with him. Just one other hunter, as backup. Reece earned respect among the guards and the few hunters. He always returned tired, but looking content.
Reece’s face lit up the moment he spotted Melina.
She abandoned Hannah’s braid and ran into Reece’s arms. He picked her up, that look of utter peace on his face as he held her. Ivan knew the feeling. He enjoyed it himself every day he returned from the mine. He hated mining, and in many ways mining zurlite was more dangerous than minding serilium, but the men here were less volatile and the guards and mine managers were fair.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to living on a prison planet, but here at least his unit had a chance at happiness. A real shot at a fulfilling life, not a mere day-to-day existence where his only goal was not being stabbed in his sleep.
As Reece headed for the food locker, Melina snuck up behind Ivan and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Are you on a water break?” she asked as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
He stroked her arm. “Just thinking. About you. Hannah. Her babies.”
“Do you want kids, Ivan?”
“I want you safe and happy. I want our unit protected.” He pointed toward the fence and the almost completed house. The roof was next. The house had a water hookup to the nearest water treatment line, and as soon as they got the solar panels installed, they’d have power for more than the fence. “This is almost as good as the bunker.”
“Better,” she said, inhaling a deep breath. He could practically hear her smiling. “Fresh air, sunshine.”
“Bugs, humidity.”
“No Hawke,” she countered.
“Indeed. No Hawke,” Ivan agreed as he watched Ky’Li kneel in front of Hannah. “How is she?”
