Trapped: A SciFi Convict Romance (The Condemned Book 1) Read online

  TRAPPED

  Book One in the Condemned Series

  Alison Aimes

  TRAPPED:

  Book One in the Condemned Series

  Cadet Bella West has one simple objective when she joins the scientific mission to Dragath25, the notorious penal planet housing Earth’s condemned. She will accept any risk to enable her siblings to share in the disappearing resources reserved for Earth’s elite. But when her shuttle crashes, her simple mission becomes complicated fast. Now, to stay alive she’ll have to depend on one of Dragath25’s own. But such protection doesn’t come free.

  Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, ex-soldier Caine Anders has become more beast than man after eight grueling years on an unforgiving planet of dirt and rock—and even more treacherous inhabitants. He doesn’t look out for anyone but himself and he certainly never grows attached. So when the bold female offers him pleasure in return for protection, he takes the deal without hesitation. He never expects how her touch will alter him. Or the growing realization that saving her may be the key to his own salvation.

  But caring for someone on Dragath25 may be the greatest hazard of all.

  Warning: This full-length HEA novel is a sizzling romance with a hot alpha male and a strong, determined woman, but it begins with a transactional deal for sex in return for protection. In the beginning, the hero holds more of the power and control. Reading how that changes—how a prisoner who’s become more animal than man rediscovers his humanity—is part of the fun. But the sex is explicit, the story intense, and the uneven power dynamics at the start will not be for everyone.

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to Patricia Schmitt for her gorgeous cover. Kim Killion for mad, beautiful website skills. Jennifer Jakes for her superb formatting abilities. And last, but not least, Danica Sorber for her exceptional, tireless, and brilliant PR work. Without her, I’d still be trying to figure out Facebook and using smoke signals to spread the word of the book’s release.

  Equally profound thanks to Briana St. James, Naomi Hughes, Jacy Mackin, and Arianne Cruz for their amazing editing help. You are all brilliant and insightful and I appreciate all the ways you made this story stronger.

  Thank you, too, my beautiful, supportive kids whose tolerance and humor about my writing process makes me smile, my wonderful dad whose unshakable support aids me in ways you can’t even imagine, and all my extraordinary friends and family who never looked anything but convinced when I said month after month that the book “was coming soon.”

  I’m pretty sure there are not enough thank yous in the world for my mom Barbara. Your incredible support is only surpassed by your superb and thoughtful editing. You’ve been there with me through every step and there’s as much of you in this story as there is me. Thank you for every long phone call, every murmur of support when I was doubtful, every unbelievably quick turnaround, and every brilliant idea and suggestion. You rock.

  Finally, thank you Kurosh, my real life hero. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your help. Thank you for your strength and your courage and for showing me what being in love is all about. Thank you for being the kind of man who inspires and encourages and for taking my dream seriously and demanding I believe in it, too. You can’t know how much that gift means to me. Love you always and forever.

  Happy reading, everyone!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from TAKEN

  About the Author

  Other Books By Alison Aimes

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  9015

  The shrill blare of a warning alarm snapped Cadet Annabella West to attention. With a hasty shove, she secured the last of the test tubes in the storage bay.

  “Nothing to be concerned about.” The pilot’s calm voice crackled through her military-issued helmet.

  She gave it a smack to smooth out the sound. Like so much of her other mission gear, the darn thing had been rebuilt so many times it was barely functional.

  She refused to consider what that meant for the worn shuttle parts themselves. What was the point? Technological know-how might be better than ever, but resources had been practically non-existent even before she was born. She awarded the helmet another not-so-gentle tap.

  “Just some stronger than expected atmospheric change.” The rest of the pilot’s statement came through loud and clear. “Best to find a seat for the duration of the flight. Entry into a planet’s atmosphere is always a bumpy ride.”

  “You can sit next to me, Cadet West.” Junior Officer Pogue, lead military soldier for the Winthrop-Humanity research mission, patted the space next to him on the narrow steel bench used for landings. A leer played on his face. “I’ll strap you in good and tight. I love a good-looking woman crisscrossed in leather and metal.”

  A rumble of laughter sounded from the line of brawny soldiers settling beside Pogue.

  Assholes.

  Bella moved past with her spine ramrod straight, her heart beating faster than she would have liked.

  She’d always had tremendous respect for the soldiers who kept her and the rest of the scientists safe, but Pogue and his crew were proving harder to like than most. Still what could you do? Four thousand light years from Earth, the Council’s strict rules, and fifteen weeks from the space station she and the others currently called home, there wasn’t much recourse. Especially without risking Command Council’s attention.

  “Don’t let them get to you.” Senior Council Officer Dr. Jim Winthrop was head of the scientific team of the expedition and the highest ranking officer aboard. He offered a reassuring smile as she settled beside him, his head jostling up and down as the ship swayed. The movement made the intricate Council designation of linking Cs behind his right ear look like little more than a blurred smudge. Ironic, really, given its import. “You excited?”

  “Excited. Terrified.” She rechecked the closures on her grey uniform before tightening her straps—and noticed her hands were shaking. Damn. She laced them together on her lap and pasted on a cool smile. Until now, she’d been able to keep her dislike of closed, tight spaces out of her file. “I hope we find something useful.”

  “While I hope we don’t run into any inmates.” Cadet Davies’ mumbled comment came from across the aisle, the flare of warning lights painting her helmet and the visible portions of her face in shades of green and yellow. Still, the colors couldn’t camouflage the worry staining her dark eyes. The same worry Bella was trying her best to hide.

  Like Bella, Ava Davies was a junior research trainee who’d only recently graduated from the Council Academy Science Department. But that was pretty much where the similarities between them began and ended. By the end of their first year, Cadet Davies would be well on her way to earning a high level Command Council Officer ranking, a position Bella could never hold.

  Her future sup
erior seemed competent enough, but they’d had little interaction. During training, Davies had lived with her kind in Council housing rather than the crowded barracks, only bothering to show up for classes when she felt like it.

  Must be nice. But then again, Davies hadn’t come to the Academy on a scholarship. If she got kicked out, she had a wealthy, connected family to fall back on. If Bella screwed up, she and her siblings would starve.

  “The penal colony is three hundred metrals from the planet center,” soothed Dr. Winthrop, his voice vibrating along with the ship. For a Council descendant, he was friendlier than most. “Our landing site is six hundred metrals in the opposite direction. We’ll touch down, obtain available vegetation and soil samples, and be back in flight before the planet’s inmates are the wiser.” Breaking protocol, he reached over and squeezed Bella’s gloved hand, his dark-green eyes crinkling. “Standard mission practice. Don’t worry.”

  Bella’s gaze found Davies’. Her colleague raised one eyebrow. Bella needed no translation. Davies had noticed Winthrop’s interest was more than mentor-mentee. Luckily, she appeared more amused than condemning. Still, as subtly as possible, Bella shifted her hand closer to her thigh.

  Jim Winthrop might be a smart, good-looking guy with more decency than most of his kind, but he was still Council, her superior, and frankly she wasn’t looking for any kind of personal complication. She’d scrapped and sacrificed to make it past the Academy’s rigorous screening process to train to become a junior level scientist, the highest position a non-Council descendant could achieve outside of marriage to a Council elite. She couldn’t afford any mistakes, especially the one night-and-done kind that might jeopardize her position. The Council wasn’t known for its forgiving ways.

  “You two will see.” Dr. Winthrop leaned forward in his seat. “You’re about to be a part of something historic. Mark my words.”

  “That would be amazing.” Davies smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  Bella understood. It was hard to imagine this mission was going to be the one to succeed after so many expeditions with better leads had failed, but who knew? With billions of Council and non-Council inhabitants already lost and more dying every day, any lead, however slight, was worth investigating.

  “We’ve entered Dragath25 air space. Ensure your straps are fastened tight.” The pilot’s voice again sounded through her earpiece. “We’ll touch down in ten.”

  “I hate this part.” Their communications specialist Steve Meyers shot her a weak smile from his seat to her left. Like the majority of lower level skill personnel, all the soldiers, and Bella, there was no Council designation behind his ear. “But closer to the front of the shuttle is definitely the better spot. Less turbulence.”

  Bella gave him a commiserating grimace and sucked down a few slow, deep breaths as the shuttle shuddered. She saw a couple of the other scientists looking like she felt. Terrence, who’d placed himself next to Davies—per usual—was green. Poor guy. He’d thrown up almost every space drop, and this was rougher than usual.

  She glanced into the rear of the shuttle and bit back a frown. The soldiers were pains in the ass, true, but they’d get the roughest part of the ride back there. Hopefully, none of them would get space-sick. On landings like this, soldiers were vital. While every research mission had an element of danger, landing on a planet at the outskirts of human territory known to be chocked-full of violent criminals seemed particularly insane.

  And yet, if Dr. Winthrop’s hypothesis was correct—and this was a big if since travel to Dragath25 on droid transport was always a one-way ticket for prisoners only—there might be a portion of the planet that thrived despite the brutal weather conditions. No one knew for sure since early records related to the planet’s settlement had been destroyed during the Great Wars and ensuing chaos. But a few droids had recently returned with intriguing vegetation samples stuck to a tread or a stabilizer. Subsequent droid reconnaissance had yielded promising possibilities, though nothing absolute.

  Which was why she and the rest of Winthrop’s team were here.

  If such findings proved real, Dragath25 might actually offer humans hope for survival. Hard as it was to imagine, what had been established over two thousand years ago as a human dumping ground for the worst of the worst might end up offering a new crop of hardy plants that could save a dying Earth. Energize the dwindling numbers who’d been forced to live in crowded, dusty ad hoc settlements near the last remaining rain collection reservoirs. And, if Winthrop’s optimistic musings were to be believed, restore humanity—now firmly under Command Council rule—to something akin to what it had once been when plants and water were in abundance.

  So why did she have such a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach?

  A set of ear-piercing bells shrieked through the cabin. The warning lights imbedded in the hull flared to red. “Emergency landing protocol initiated.” The pilot’s voice was no longer so calm. “We’ve encountered an unexpected electrical disturbance. At first, it appeared to be a simple atmospheric change, but now—”

  His words cut off. Ominous static crackled along the line.

  Bella’s gaze locked with Davies’.

  The ship dropped.

  *****

  Bella came awake with a gasp.

  Dizzy. Disoriented. Pain beat at her chest and shoulder as she forced her eyes open. Blaring alarms only added to her confusion.

  One look around and everything crystallized. The crackle of fire. The blur of smoke. The sweet scent of blood and the acrid scent of burning flesh. Oh no, oh no, oh no. The shuttle had crashed. Fracture lines snaked through her helmet obscuring visibility.

  Frantic, she yanked off her helmet and squinted through the smoke. Fumbling with her straps, her siblings’ gaunt, hopeful faces slammed through her mind. They were depending on her.

  A scream strangled in her throat. To her left, Steve Meyers’ sightless eyes stared back at her through his visor, a trickle of dried blood tracking from his nose.

  She scrambled free of her restraints, tripped over a mangled piece of steel two inches from her boots, and lurched across the aisle, her hands landing on warm thighs.

  A palm closed around her wrist.

  “Cadet Davies?” she screamed over the shrill alarms. “Davies? Can you hear me?”

  “West?” The word was a moan, but it sent Bella’s heart soaring.

  “The ship crashed. We need to get out.” She was already feeling her way along her colleague’s straps for the release. “Are you hurt?”

  “I–I don’t know….My head hurts. My leg, too.”

  “We’ll take a look once we’re out.” Bella’s hand slipped from the restraint. To Davies’ right, Terrence stared back without blinking, his neck twisted at an impossible angle. The poor man. He’d never moon over Davies again.

  “They were right. I–I shouldn’t have come.” The woman’s voice was oddly monotone, her arms hanging limply by her sides as if she didn’t care if Bella found the release or not. “I–I was wishing for death, and now look what I’ve done.”

  Bella’s head snapped up. “This isn’t your fault. There was an accident.”

  Knocked off-kilter, Bella forced herself to concentrate on finding her colleague’s release latch. Under normal circumstances, she’d have pushed the woman to explain. Davies was a part of the privileged Council elite, after all. Death should have been the furthest thing from the woman’s mind.

  But now wasn’t the time to probe.

  The rough nylon sliced the pads of Bella’s fingertips as she worked to find that damn release.

  Finally, a click. Davies was free.

  “I’m going to put my arm around you,” Bella instructed. “Lean on me—and try and stay low.”

  She gave a small silent thank you when the woman’s arm circled her waist and they were able to stagger together into something between a squat and a stand. Bella’s shoulder screamed as Davies’ weight pressed against her, but she pushed the pain aside.

>   “Bella?” A hand shot from the smoke to grab her arm.

  She jerked to a halt. “Dr. Winthrop?” She didn’t use his first name despite the fact that he’d used hers. Command Council protocol was very clear on that point.

  “I’m…I’m hurt.” Winthrop’s voice shook. Not a good sign.

  “We’ll help.” She tried to keep the alarm from her voice. “We need to get outside. Fast.”

  “You should go.” Shock left Winthrop’s voice oddly matter of fact. He jerked off his helmet with trembling hands. “The fire’s getting worse.”

  “You’re coming, too.” She swiveled toward Davies. Her colleague had removed her helmet to reveal a nasty bump on her forehead and one of her legs was definitely not working right, but her eyes looked infinitely clearer than they had a second ago. “Davies, can you make it to the back exit without me?”

  “Let me help.” The woman’s sincerity was easy to hear. As was her pain.

  “Get to the exit,” insisted Bella. “That’s the help I need. We’ll be right behind.”

  The woman grabbed her shoulder, her voice low. “Let me try. It shouldn’t be you who dies in here.”

  “No one else is dying.” Bella gave the woman a soft push, surprised and touched that someone like her would even make such an offer. “Go.” When Davies still refused to move, Bella grew less gentle. “You’re only slowing us down. Go!”

  She’d deal with whatever repercussions came from addressing a Council member in such a fashion later…if they all survived.

  Davies’ lips flat-lined, but she didn’t argue. Or grow all haughty. Mouthing one more don’t die warning, she simply hobbled away, her awkward hopping gait instantly swallowed by the thickening smoke.