Page 46 of Hidden By the Convicts
“I’m okay,” she said as she opened her eyes. Except she wasn’t. Her hands were shaking. “I need to get dressed. Get in the pit.”
He pulled her in against him. “He doesn’t know you’re here. He was only fishing for information. He’s probably shaking everyone down until someone slips.”
She hated that worried look on Harlis’s face. None of this was his fault. She ran the pad of her thumb over his lower lip. “Did he hurt you?” she asked.
“I can’t believe you’re worried about me.”
“Well, I am. Mozely’s ruthless. If he thinks you’re hiding me, he’ll hurt you.”
“I bargained with him, to make it sound like I wasn’t hiding anything. Told him that if I found anything out, I wanted to be transferred back to West Side, where I could deal Flight.”
“They’ll have you up on drug charges next.”
He bowed his head. “I’m not leaving Narkos anytime soon, princess. Bowen’s been telling me for a while, but I’ve been trying not to think about it. Gavin and I are stuck on Narkos for the long term no matter what we do. When I think about it, that’s when I start to lash out.
“If I’m stuck here for life, or until I’m so old I don’t give a fuck, I might as well get a reputation that makes me appear fierce, right? I’m fair in a fight, certainly not as good as Bowen, but he’ll be out of here in five years. His skill level is considered easy/replaceable. The miners and field hands are the ones that leave at the end of their term, if they don’t cause any trouble.”
“Why do you do that, Harlis? Make it sound as if you’re not worth anything? As if you could easily be thrown away and no one would miss you?”
“Weren’t you listening? I’m worth a lot to The Company. They’re not going to let me leave.”
“Fuck them,” she said, causing him to raise a brow. He’d never heard her swear before, and it wasn’t something she did often. “You make it sound like even if you were back on Argus and disappeared, no one would care what happened to you.”
“I don’t have friends or family. My mother abandoned me when I was eight. Never knew my dad. I never had a family unit. Despite how much I fight with them, Bowen and Gavin are the closest I have to a family, but this is survival, nothing more. I doubt they’d miss me.”
“I’d miss you,” she said, sliding her arms around his neck while looking up at him. “And I’m not leaving you.”
Chapter Eleven
GAVIN
Gavin woke to the sound of Bowen lecturing Teagen. He’d come home past midnight, no doubt running the harvesters well beyond third shift just to make up for lost time.
Bowen didn’t even give Teagen a chance to get dressed. She was still in bed with Harlis, naked. Her clothes, what few pieces she’d been wearing yesterday, were on the kitchen floor. Gavin prayed Bowen was yelling at her for heading to the compound, and not because she’d slept with Harlis.
“Will you make quota?” Gavin asked as he headed to the bathroom. He hoped to distract Bowen and diffuse the man’s anger.
“Yes,” Bowen snapped.
“Just a question, Bowen. Get some sleep while you can.” Gavin shut the bathroom door, which didn’t cut out the noise entirely.
When he returned to the main living area, both Harlis and Teagen stood there, dressed. She leaned against Harlis, who looked ready to slug Bowen.
“It was stupid,” Bowen shouted, not caring how loud he got, or even how much Teagen shrank further and further into Harlis’s side.
The younger man put his arms around her, supporting her, protecting her.
Gavin pushed his jealousy down. She felt safe with Harlis, which she needed right now. She hadn’t had a lot of that in her life.
“Anyone could have seen you, taken you. And I don’t just mean the guards,” Bowen continued lashing out.
“Enough, Bowen,” Gavin said, stepping in front of his friend.
“I’m not done.”
“Yes, you are. Look at her. You’ve shamed her, for helping you no less.”
Bowen looked past Gavin, and his eyes widened as if he was seeing her for the first time. “Fuck.” The man surged past Gavin and barreled out of the house.
