Trapped: A SciFi Convict Romance (The Condemned Book 1) Page 6

  “You okay?” Davies’ voice was thin.

  “I’m fine.” There were far more important matters to discuss than her emotional state. “I don’t know where he’s taking us, but I’m charting the direction via the suns as best I can. We’ll know how to get back to the crash site and the rescuers when the time comes. Until then it’s best to stay with him.”

  “Maybe so, but…”

  “Are you worried he’ll go after you? He’s given his words he won’t. Not as long as I’m available.”

  “Oh, God.” Davies stopped pretending to fiddle with Winthrop’s bandages, her expression crumpling. “I’m so sorry. I–I hate that you had to do that for us. For me. Because I’m Council and—”

  “I didn’t do it because you’re Council.”

  Davies shook her head as if refuting the claim. “I shouldn’t have let you. I shouldn’t have been such a coward.”

  “No, please.” Bella’s hand closed over the woman’s thin shoulder. Yes, initiating touch with a Council member without permission was a serious breach of protocol, but there was no reason Convict’s notion of different rules for Dragath25 couldn’t hold true in this respect as well, and Davies appeared to need more comfort than just words. “Don’t feel like that. It isn’t what you think.”

  “Don’t lie to me. I heard you. I know what he did to you.” Davies’ eyes sank shut as she leaned in to Bella’s touch. “I hate myself for letting it happen. For doing nothing while he hurt you. I–I know what that’s like…and now….” Her hands twisted in her lap. “Now I’m letting it happen to you. I’m a terrible coward. ”

  “He didn’t hurt me.” Embarrassment had a tight grip on Bella’s throat. Sorrow, too. Someone had hurt Davies. Badly, if the way the woman’s hands shook was any indication.

  Emboldened, Bella gripped those trembling hands. Surprisingly, they gripped her right back.

  “What you heard wasn’t pain, it…it was pleasure.” Bella took a deep breath and confessed. “He made me feel good. Better than anything I ever felt before. I–I didn’t expect it, but there it is.”

  Davies’ shocked gaze didn’t help.

  “He’s not what you think.” Bella felt oddly protective.

  “He’s a Dragath25 prisoner. He’s forcing you to have sex with him.” Davies’ voice cracked at the end.

  “He’s not forcing me.” Bella kept her voice gentle. Her colleague’s confession made this conversation even more delicate than she’d expected. “We have a deal. And so far, he’s given far more than he’s taken.”

  Davies remained silent.

  Bella squeezed the woman’s hand. “I’m sorry someone hurt you. Truth be told, I’d like to find the bastard and feed him to a tigos, but my situation isn’t the same. He’s brusque and rough, but he’s not a monster. Even when he’s been angry, he hasn’t harmed me. And he’s already done more for us than Pogue ever did. We’re alive because of Convict.”

  “Convict? Is—is that his name?”

  “No, but it’s what he’s insisting I call him.”

  One of Davies’ eyebrows shot up.

  Bella shrugged. “He’s been here for eight years. I don’t think he likes to remember the man he was.”

  “Or maybe that man is gone for good,” warned her colleague. “Don’t hang your hopes on someone who doesn’t exist. He couldn’t have been a very good person to begin with anyway. Not if he ended up here.” Her eyes sank shut. “Don’t…don’t let yourself be deceived. I—I know I’m not supposed to speak of Council matters, but I thought my fiancé was a good man once. Then he turned me into his personal punching bag.” She shook her head, her watery eyes blinking open to survey the barren landscape. “All I wanted was freedom. Look what I got instead.”

  “This isn’t the end.” Bella tried to keep the shock from her voice. There was far more to her fellow researcher than she’d ever realized. And far less to her foolish presumption that being part of an elite Council family line meant an end to all worries. “You can still have that freedom, Ava.”

  Ava’s small smile at the use of her first name assured Bella she’d chosen correctly. After what they’d just admitted to each other, the required use of last names for Council-members seemed overly stiff and ridiculous. Different rules for Dragath25, just like Convict had said.

  “Bella? Cadet Davies?” Winthrop’s thready croak cut into their conversation. “What’s going on?”

  Bella sank back on her heels. Their commanding officer was alive and awake. “Don’t try and get up.” Ignoring protocol once again, she pressed gently down on his chest as he tried to rise. “There was a crash. You were hurt.” She didn’t know how much he remembered of the last day and a half. Winthrop scanned their faces, his eyes groggy, his handsome face tight with pain and weariness, his skin so pale the dark Council designation on his neck stood out even more than usual. “Are you both okay?”

  “My leg’s a little banged up, but I’m fine,” answered Ava.

  “I’m fine, too.” Bella felt a surge of guilt. Beyond a few scrapes and a sore shoulder that only really hurt when something heavy bore down on it, she was remarkably unscathed while so many of their colleagues had died. She dreaded having to tell Winthrop that.

  “Thank God.” Winthrop’s hand gripped hers. “The others?”

  “Pogue and a few other soldiers also made it out alive.” Her gaze slid from his. “The rest didn’t.”

  “Shit.” Lines of grief tightened his usually cheerful face. “Where is Pogue now? I—I remember somebody carrying me.” He struggled to sit up fully. “I need to thank him.”

  She and Ava exchanged a look. “It wasn’t Pogue. He and his crew deserted us.”

  “What?” Winthrop’s protest started as a roar, but ended on a pained hiss, his hand clutching his chest. “Christ, that hurts.” He shook off their attempt to check his bandage. “Deserted us? The Council will have Pogue’s job for this. His freedom, too. His sole objective is to keep us alive.”

  “He was afraid for his life.” Bella wasn’t defending, simply explaining. She’d detested Pogue since the first time he ‘accidentally’ brushed up against her ass during a training session. His actions since the shuttle wreck had only confirmed her initial assumption of his character. “Our crash drew the attention of the Dragath25 prisoners.”

  “Are they after us?” Winthrop tried to heave himself up. Instead, he slipped on his elbow and crashed back down with a grunt.

  “We’re safe. Stop thrashing around.” Ava added her weight to Bella’s, holding the man down. Clearly, Bella wasn’t the only one emboldened by being temporarily beyond Council rule. Still, her colleague’s wary gaze flickered to Bella before shifting back to Winthrop. “Bella found us help.”

  “Help?” Winthrop’s eyes slid shut. Even that simple effort had exhausted him. “Thank God. I think I need a little more time before I can make a run for it.”

  It was the kind of self-deprecating joke he always had at the ready. It had Bella smiling, her eyes prickling with the sting of salt, relief that he was alive, that they were all alive, winding through her.

  Ava’s eyes were wet, too, as she smiled down at the man. “Let me get you some water.” She sprung up, hurrying toward the hollow gourd Convict had left behind.

  “Bella, I’m so glad you’re okay.” Winthrop pressed her hand against the curve of his face, surprising her. “I knew the second I saw you, you were extraordinary. So beautiful. So determined.” He turned and kissed her palm; his mouth a warm, unwelcome imprint against her skin. “I shouldn’t have let Council biases deter me. I—I’ve wanted to tell you for so long. I…I care for you. And I’m not going to let protocol stand in my way anymore. I want us to be far more than colleagues. And my position affords enough influence to weather any damage our union might cause.” His grip tightened. “Thank you for finding a way to save us so I could come to my senses.”

  He was in shock. Likely not thinking clearly. And, boy oh boy, the presumption. The unbelievable arrogance. S
till…he was her superior. She shifted uncomfortably, her face growing hot, her mind struggling for the right thing to say.

  Especially since she doubted he’d be thanking her so fervently if he knew the truth of what she’d done to save them.

  “Well, isn’t this cozy.”

  Bella looked up.

  Convict loomed above, his gaze locked on Winthrop’s hand atop hers. “I see he finally woke up.”

  Winthrop’s hold tightened. “Who’s this?”

  The air vibrated with menace.

  Bella struggled to her knees. “Convict, this is Dr. Winthrop, Senior Council Officer of our mission. Dr. Winthrop, this is Convict. The man who’s saved our lives countless times already.” As subtly as possible, she tried to withdraw her hand from Winthrop. He didn’t let go.

  Convict’s nostrils flared.

  Ava returned with the water, her nervous gaze flickering between the two men. “I—I wanted to thank you as well, Mr…ah, Convict. We appreciate all you’ve done.” Ava shoved the water toward Winthrop, forcing him to free Bella’s hand.

  Released, Bella pushed to standing. “Did you have any trouble?”

  “You worried about me, fighter girl?”

  She could feel Winthrop’s and Ava’s gaze boring into her. It made her want to turn tail and flee. She locked her knees instead. “I’m worried about us all. I don’t want anyone hurt.”

  Convict’s gaze flickered to Winthrop before settling back on her. “Sometimes pain adds to the pleasure.” He beckoned her forward, his gaze as cold and hard as when he’d faced that tigos. “This time ‘round, I’ll show you what I mean.”

  “What’s he’s talking about?” Winthrop’s furious voice sounded behind her.

  “You don’t know?” A cold, half smile twisted Convict’s face. “In return for all that heroism and saving your lives, I get her.”

  “Her?”

  “Your precious Bella. To fuck. Whenever I want. However I want.”

  If a sinkhole would have appeared and swallowed her whole, Bella would have been grateful.

  “No.” Winthrop’s protest was a near whisper. Ava sobbed.

  Convict’s attention shifted back to her. “You following me up that hill or you want to pay up in front of them? Doesn’t matter to me. I’ll want you on all fours. Ass in the air.”

  Nausea choked her, but she swallowed past it.

  She’d learned growing up that pride rarely jibed with survival. She did what she had to and moved on. Still, a part of her grieved. Despite Convict’s warning, she kept fooling herself into thinking he might be something he wasn’t. But it didn’t matter in the end what she thought of him. He was still their best chance of getting out of here alive.

  “I’ll follow you.” Without looking at her colleagues, she started forward.

  “Bella, no,” shouted Winthrop. “Ava, stop her.”

  Which only made Ava cry louder.

  For the first time, Bella had the uncharitable wish that Winthrop had remained unconscious. She had the strong feeling none of this would be happening if he had.

  “You don’t need to whore yourself out to that bastard.” All Winthrop’s frustration at his helplessness was apparent in his voice. “We can survive without him. I’m Council, God damn it. Don’t go. Don’t do this to us.”

  Convict didn’t even slow down. His utter indifference, his absolute assurance that Winthrop could do nothing to stop this, insult enough.

  But Bella couldn’t help herself. She turned back. “We have no weapons. No knowledge of the terrain. No food. No water. No tools. You and the rest of the our superiors said we would be safe, that this was an easy mission, a simple in and out, and you left us unprepared.” Her chin tilted upward. “You don’t want to thank me for what I’m doing, fine. But don’t lie to me or yourself. All your Council trappings can't help us now. We won’t last an hour without his help.”

  She didn’t hurry to catch up with Convict, and he didn’t slow to wait for her, either. By the time she was halfway up the rocky canyon, he’d disappeared from sight. Alone, she picked her way along the rocks, growing more and more enraged with every stumble, every scrap.

  By the time she crested the top of the cliff, she was gleefully imagining using the Council rescuers’ stun guns on the bastard while ordering him to crawl around on all fours. Ass in the air.

  Then she crested the cliff—and sucked in a breath, her steps faltering.

  Chapter Seven

  Bella stared in awe, her gaze darting everywhere at once. Nestled between barren, rocky cliffs was a paradise she’d never imagined existed. A lush, green canyon dotted with towering spiky trees and fan-shaped purple and orange flora. A place even more beautiful than the one in the cave. Palms moved lazily in the wind, casting shadows over a slow moving crystal pink lake that shimmered in the suns’ rays. It was…it was vibrancy and tranquility and beauty. It was sustenance. It was hope.

  “Do you like it?” Convict stepped into sight from behind a large rock. The hard mask that had tightened his face when talking with Winthrop had settled into more relaxed lines.

  “It’s…unbelievable.” Her admission was grudgingly offered. She’d liked the view better without him in it.

  “I stumbled on it a few years ago. There are a couple places like it on Dragath25, but so far no one else knows about this one. I thought you’d like it.”

  “You meant to show it to me?”

  His gaze shifted away. “I noticed how much you liked the place in the cave. I thought you might like to see this, too. The lake down there is at least fifteen degrees warmer than the one in the cave.”

  Like a swinging pendulum, her feelings careened back in the other direction, something almost akin to affection for Convict flaring inside.

  “Amazing.” She took a few awed steps closer to the cliff edge, peering down. “I can’t believe it’s real. I never truly believed we’d find anything useful here on Dragath25, but there it is. Plain as day. Living, thriving wild plants. Something we haven’t had at home in ages.” She clapped her hands in awe. “Do you know what this means? The mission wasn’t a failure, after all. You may have just saved Earth.”

  He reared back as if slapped. “I don’t give a fuck about Earth.” His scowl was fierce. “What the hell has anyone there done for me except strand me on this hellhole and wait for me to die? I say Earth’s demise is fitting justice.”

  “But millions of people will die.” She slammed her fist into her hand. “You can’t honestly wish them all dead. My brother and sister are there. They’ve done nothing to you.”

  He shrugged, a disturbing non-answer. “It doesn’t matter what we think, anyway. We can't do a thing to change it.”

  “But we can.” She corrected, praying she was making the right decision in confiding in him. “A search and rescue shuttle is coming. It’s standard procedure after a crash. They’ll come to investigate and identify survivors. They’ll save us and we’ll relay our findings. We’ll be heroes. All of us, including you.” She hurried to add the last part as his frown deepened. “Because you were the one to show me this place. I’ll be very clear on that point. I’ll tell the Command Council all you’ve done for us. I’m sure that will go a long way in reducing your sentence.” She’d make sure of it. She owed him at least that.

  He snorted. “For such a smart female, you really have no clue.”

  “Excuse me?” She drew up short.

  “There’s no shortening my sentence. The Command Council wants me on Dragath25 until I die and nothing will change that. And those rescuers you’re counting on?” He shook his head, pity in his gaze. “They won’t make it. You think your shuttle crashed by accident?”

  An inky cloud of dread spread through her veins. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying the Council has no idea what’s going on here. I’m saying you’re hardly the first research vessel to try and land here. I’m saying 225’s pack brought down your shuttle, just like the few that came before, and they’l
l do the same to whomever comes next.”

  “That’s not true.”

  He started toward her. “Is that why you’ve been so accommodating? Were you holding out hope for rescue? Imagining that this little deal of ours only needed to be for the short term? That you’d only have to suffer some Dragath25 lowlife’s cock inside you for a few days more?” His laugh had no humor in it. “Sorry, fighter girl, but there’s no imminent rescue in sight.”

  “You’re lying. They’re coming.”

  “225’s pack only lets the droids through because they like what they bring—food, clothes, and bodies for slave labor or fucking—and they haven’t wanted Command Council to get suspicious until they were ready to take them on.”

  “Take them on?”

  “You think you can leave a group of criminals alone for thousands of years and not have them build their own societies? All it takes is one visionary psychopath with the ability to terrorize enough followers into doing whatever he wants and you go from a disorganized penal planet full of kill-or-be-killed criminals to a well-organized terrorist training center. And that is what Dragath25 has become.”

  “That can’t be.”

  “You may not have heard on Earth because of the Council’s censorship, but this planet is now run by a vicious pack of killers with delusions of grandeur and a fairly large grudge against the Council. To top it off, they’ve figured out how to jam entering ship’s electronic systems, causing them to crash without much warning at all. From what I’ve seen, they’re on their way to building the kind of machinery that can do far more. Maybe even get them off this planet and into space.” He hoisted the backpack that was never far from his side. “All they’re missing is a few critical pieces and some know-how. But those will eventually come.”

  “No.” She took a step back. Then another. “You’re lying. Rescue is coming. And I’m going to get off here. Ava and Dr. Winthrop, too.”

  “Careful,” Convict barked, his backpack hitting the dirt as he raised his hands and beckoned her toward him. “You’re near the edge.”