Page 30 of Hidden By the Convicts
“Mozely’s decision. Not mine.”
After some shuffling of feet, the bed above her creaked.
“Look at the shape he’s in!” Gavin yelled.
Teagen hugged herself. She’d never heard Gavin so mad before.
“You want a few days in the cage too, Gavin?”
“Fuck. How did you expect me to react?”
“Why the alarm system outside? What are you hiding?”
“Nothing,” Harlis snapped too quickly, enough that made the guard stomp across the floor. A moment later, she heard a thump and heavy breathing.
“Shall we try again, jackass?” Thompson said. “What are you hiding?”
“Harlis,” Gavin’s voice warned.
“Check the kitchen,” Thompson ordered another guard.
“I didn’t say anything!” Harlis yelled at Gavin.
“You didn’t have to, you idiot. He followed your eyes!”
Drawers and dishes crashed to the floor. “Look at this, Elkin. A bag of pills. What have you been cooking, Harlis?”
“Just some pain meds. It’s not like we have doctors here in East Side.”
“Pain from what? I can show you pain to make your head ache so bad no pain med will fix it.”
“Wait!” Gavin yelled. “It’s Flight. Low strength. Just enough to take the edge off.”
“I’m confiscating this. And take down that alarm.”
“We need it for—”
“Shut up, kid,” Harlis scolded.
“You’ve got a business going, huh, Gavin? Who you afraid is gonna take your stash?”
“It’s not a business. Just trying to earn a few extra credits for building materials. This place is getting cramped with three. One of the prisoners already stole from us. We have a right to protect what is ours. We need the alarm.”
“Hmm. Perhaps we can manage to leave it in place, for a price.”
“I just told you we don’t have any credits. It’s the reason we’re selling Flight.”
“You give me Flight, and I’ll leave you alone. There’s a market for this stuff off Narkos. It’s not like we draw a lot of pay for having to deal with you assholes. Get Bowen cleaned up and ready for second shift tomorrow. He has a lot of work to do if he’s going to make his quota this week. He’s already lost three days to the cage.”
“You’re making it impossible for him to reach his quota without functioning harvesters,” Gavin protested.
“That’s his problem. Not ours.”
The moment the door to the house slammed shut, Gavin let loose a string of curses. “Harlis, help me get him in the shower.” The bed creaked again.
A tap on the floor startled Teagen. “Stay put,” Gavin said.
The house fell silent, except for the sound of running water in the distance. The cold, along with the feeling of being trapped, seemed so trivial compared to Teagen’s need to see Bowen to assure herself that he was okay. But Gavin had told her to stay hidden, which meant he didn’t trust the guards not to return.
