Page 21 of Hidden By the Convicts
She wanted to turn back, to tell him she was ready for him, except she wasn’t sure. What if she freaked out or had a flashback and lashed out at him? The nightmares hadn’t returned last night as she slept in his arms, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t surface during sex.
As she entered the bathroom, she glanced back at Bowen as he stripped his shirt off. Her heart jumped, hoping he planned to join her, and then he simply changed into a clean shirt.
His eyes caught her when his head popped through the neck of the shirt. His entire face no longer seemed so hard.
All she had to do was tell him she’d obey his every command, but she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t sure she ever could. Teagen shut the bathroom door and started the shower.
Chapter Six
GAVIN
Harlis set a large, heavy black bag down in the middle of the greenhouse.
“What are you up to this time?” Gavin asked.
“I have a surprise for you.”
“Better not be another bomb. What did you do with those last ones, anyway?”
“Dismantled them. I can rebuild them again if needed.”
“You’re going to get us all killed.”
“Maybe, but not today.” Harlis bent down and opened the bag. Golden curls spilled out as Harlis pulled the fabric down over Teagen.
Gavin immediately ran to the greenhouse entrance, opened the door a crack, and scanned outside for guards. He dragged a table in front of the door. It would only buy them seconds, but it was better than nothing.
“Are you crazy?” Gavin whisper-shouted at both Harlis and Teagen, who now stood by the seed-sorting table. Her smile, brighter than the sun, dimmed.
“I needed to get out for a bit.”
“Out, in the jungle, away from the compound and the guards, not toward them. That’s what we agreed to. And at night.”
“When the kuvaks are hunting and it’s too dark to see anything?” Harlis asked incredulously. “Come on, Gavin, she needs something to do, and the greenhouse is the perfect place. She can help you and get some sunlight through the skylights.”
“Do you think the guards never come in here? Fuck, Harlis, they’ve been by five times in the past three weeks searching for her.”
“They found her dress yesterday. Elkin asked me to test the blood to see if it was human or from an animal. He even waited while I ran the lab tests. I showed him the results, but I left out the gender. They’re convinced she’s dead.”
“And if they come in here for any other reason? She can’t be here. They’ll spot her!”
Gavin stomped over to Teagen, planning to lay into her next, except she seemed to be shrinking against the table the more he yelled at Harlis. He likely reminded her of the guards.
“Fuck!” Gavin said, spinning and walking away from both of them.
“I installed a chemical spray at the front and rear entrances to the greenhouse. If someone enters without the proper code, they’ll get hit with a pepper spray.”
“We don’t grow peppers here,” Gavin pointed out.
“The Narkos equivalent. Trust me, Gavin. It’s strong enough that they’ll be temporarily blinded and clawing at their eyes for a good two minutes. Time enough for her to get into her hiding spot.”
“What hiding spot?”
Harlis moved one of the potted plants aside and revealed a trap door similar to the one in the house. When the hell had he done that?
“It has all the essentials, in case she has to stay there for a while. I took all of Bowen’s ideas. Blankets, water, food.”
The pit was impressive, as good as the one in the house. The kid was smart, learning from Bowen at every turn. “Bowen doesn’t know about this, does he?”
