Trapped: A SciFi Convict Romance (The Condemned Book 1) (16 page)

“Cadet Davies was working,” continued Ransom, “and Pratt was
supposed to relieve me for lookout duty. I saw them coming down the cliff, near
the caves. Then something bright flashed overhead and…and I must have blinked.
When I looked down, they were gone.”

“Shit.” Mitchell, Pogue’s second-in-command and a first-grade
asshole in his own right, shifted restlessly, his usual smirk nowhere to be
seen. “I hate this place.”

“One of them must have fallen. Or been hurt.” Bella tugged on
Ransom’s arm. “Show me where you last saw them. We need to find them before
something else does.”

Ransom shook his head, his boots locked into the dirt, his
gaze on Pogue. “I looked for them on the way down.” He swallowed hard. “All I
found was Pratt’s gun.”

“That can’t be.”

Ransom’s frown lengthened. “I’m telling you. I looked. I
shouted. They weren’t there. Just Pratt’s gun. No signs of even a scuffle. Or
footprints. It’s like they just disappeared.”

“They’ve got to be somewhere,” Bella snapped. “We have to
widen our search.”

Pogue swung his gun from his shoulder, positioning it in
front of him at the ready. His gaze scanned the perimeter. “We need to get to our
own cave.”

Without hesitation, Ransom fell into line beside him. The
five remaining soldiers did the same.

“No.” Bella could not believe Pogue was doing this again. “We
can’t cower inside. We need to go look for them.”

“And die with them?” sneered Mitchell.

Pogue’s hard gaze bore into her. “I’ve already lost too many
men. I’m not losing any more.” His stare flickered to Winthrop, challenge in
his gaze. “I’m certain the Command Council would agree as that’s standard
crisis protocol.” He gave the signal to move out. “Keep your guns at the ready,
men. We don’t know what’s out there.” Dust filled the air as the soldiers’
boots shuffled forward.

A hand grabbed her arm. “I’ll go with you to look. Council
protocol or not.” Winthrop stood by her side, a determined look on his face.
“We’re not leaving Ava out there.”

Relief washed over Bella, but it was short-lived. A quick
scan of Winthrop proved he was breathing heavily from even that short run. Even
more telling, the hand wrapped around his rib revealed the true extent of his
pain. He’d never be able to help her against whatever was out there.

There was only one man who could.

“Jim, thank you.” She covered his hand with hers, hiding her
small smile at the way his eyes widened in surprise at her brazen use of his
first name. “But you need to stay here.” She searched for an explanation that
would leave him some pride. “We have no idea what condition Ava and Pratt will
be in when I bring them back.” She refused to contemplate any other
alternative. “I need you to be ready with supplies by the time I return. We
know Pogue won’t have done a damn thing.”

“That’s crazy. You can't go alone.”

She squeezed his hand. “I…I won’t be alone.”

Understanding dawned, pain and resentment flaring in
Winthrop’s eyes before his expression shuddered altogether. “I see
.
”

She didn’t have time to gently handle a Command Council ego
right now.

“
Caine
is Ava’s best hope.” At
least she hoped he would be. After the terrible way they’d parted, she didn’t
know if he would help her or not. But she’d beg. She’d grovel. She’d do
anything if it meant finding Ava.

Spear locked tight in her grip, she took off at a run.

She’d gone about half a
metral
when
a large object stepped into her path.

Chapter Nineteen

Bella opened her mouth to scream, her spear coming up and
forward.

“It’s me.”
Caine
blocked her thrust
with his arm.

“
Oh, my God
, I’m
sorry. I saw a dark blur. I thought you were something else.” Her gaze ran the
length of him. His scratches had healed. He looked good. And strong. And close
enough to touch. Her chest grew tight. “Did I hurt you?”

He shook his head, his expression grim. “You thought I was
whatever got Ava.”

Surprise thundered through her. “You know?”

“I heard.”

“How?”

A beat of silence. “I was watching.”

“Watching?” She didn’t understand. “Did you see what took
them?”

Regret flickered across his face. “I wasn’t watching Ava.”
His stare bore into her.

Because he was watching
me.

A warm feeling swept through her. All this time, she’d
thought he’d let her go without a fight, but he’d been with her all along.
Still protecting her. Still guarding her. Despite all that had happened.

There was so much to say, but only one thing she could ask
right now. “Will you help me find her?”

“Of course.”

That was all it took.

They spent the next several hours looking. They started at
the last known sighting and worked outward in larger and larger circles,
searching the caves and the surrounding area.

In the end, they found nothing. Which meant there was truly
nothing to find. No footprints. No signs of struggle. No clues as to what had
happened to Ava or the other soldier Pratt. Because
Caine’s
tracking skills were amazing and meticulous, and if there had been anything to
find, he would have.

By the time evening came, despair and desperation had settled
over her like a heavy cloak. Thoughts of her friend hurt or afraid played over
and over in her mind until she thought she might grow mad.

“Bella, look out.”

Caine’s
sharp warning brought her
head jerking up. She took a hurried shuffle-step to the side. She’d been so
focused on scouring the ground right in front of her that she hadn’t realized
she’d ventured too close to the cliff edge.

“I think you need to stop.” His black gaze flickered in the
light of the glow stick he pulled from his pack.

“No. I’m not stopping. You…you should go. I know it’s only
going to get more dangerous as the night wears on, and I don’t want you running
into Pogue and his men either. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.”

He stared at her, his jaw tight, frustration pouring off
him—and she braced herself for another scene like at his home—but he didn’t say
another word. Didn’t bark an order. Or stalk toward her. Instead, after one
more disapproving look in her direction, he turned and resumed searching again.

If she hadn’t been so terrified for Ava, she would have
broken down with relief and gratitude. But now wasn’t the time so she blinked
hard against the sudden sting in her eyes and returned to the tedious task of
examining the ground for any sign that might tell her what had happened to her
friend.

Another two hours later the glow stick began to fade while
the hisses and howls of
tigos
and Dragath25’s
nocturnal creatures grew louder and more frequent and the ground was literally
starting to blur. So much so, she missed a big rock right in front of her face.

She stumbled and would have fallen flat if strong arms hadn’t
caught her.

“That’s it.” This time
Caine’s
declaration brooked no argument. There was no anger in his voice, no wildness
either, only determination. He set her solidly on her feet and dropped his
arms.

She missed his warmth.

“We’re done looking for tonight,” he declared. “We both need
to be alert and well if we have any shot of finding Ava.”

He was right. She knew he was right and still…it was hard to
give up. “I don’t understand why we can’t find any clue of what might have
taken them or where they went.”

“It’s definitely strange.” There was an unusual hesitance to
his voice.

“Why does it sound like you
known
something you’re not telling me?”

He shifted his weight from one boot to the other. “I’ve heard
rumors. Rumors of other prisoners disappearing into thin air.”

“Taken by something like the
saybak
?”
The thought of Ava in the clutches of that flying beast made her sick.

“No, those creatures are vegetarians. They may use fire when
threatened, but they don’t go around stealing people from the sky.” He worked
his jaw as if he were debating whether to say more.

“Tell me, please.”

“When I first arrived, there was talk that Earth wasn’t the
only one using this planet. Prisoners whispered not to get caught alone. Until
today, I thought those rumors were just another scare tactic by 225 and his men
to keep the others in line.”

“Not the only ones? Are you…do you mean…aliens?”

A few centuries ago, scientists had figured out how to travel
to adjacent solar systems—an amazing accomplishment celebrated for a short time
as the hope of humanity’s future—until it was discovered that no other
habitable planets existed within. Plans to explore farther, to figure out how
to travel greater distances had been in the development stages when the first
waves of famine and blight had hit and efforts had to be abandoned. Still,
speculation had been rife that further exploration would not only uncover more
livable planets, but contact with alien life.

To think that it had happened already. On Dragath25. And that
Ava had been taken by some of them….

“Oh, God,” Bella whispered. “If it was aliens, we’ll never
find her.”

Caine’s
hands fisted at his side.
“I didn’t say it was true. Just that it was something we need to consider.
We’ll know more after we search again tomorrow. I want to take another look at
the caves in the light.”

“Right.” She stared at his hands. Wishing he would unclasp
them and put his arms around her. Touch her. Hold her. Comfort her. But the
fact was, she had no right to ask. That had never been their deal to begin
with.

And she was far less certain of where they stood now than
ever before.

Tension vibrated between them, a livewire of awareness she
didn’t know how to interpret. He’d set no terms for what he wanted in return
for his help searching for Ava. She wasn’t even sure what she wished he’d ask
for, though the thought of saying goodbye and simply walking away made her eyes
sting all over again.

“There’s a small overhang less than five
metrals
from where Ava was taken,” he said at last. “We’ll stay there for the night.”

So…she was staying with him.

Her relief was embarrassingly immense. As were her nerves.
They’d never been lovers in the true sense of the word, and yet he knew her
body, her dark needs and cravings, better than anyone. From the first time, his
touch had brought her nothing but pleasure. He’d seen the best and worst of her.
It made her feel close to him in a way she’d never felt for another living
soul. And vulnerable. Too vulnerable.

She hadn’t been wrong about any of the things she’d said to
him after the
tigos
attack, but she wished now that
she’d stopped to think if maybe things weren’t so black and white. She’d
accused him of being afraid, but the fact was, she’d been afraid, too. Afraid
of being rejected. Afraid she was becoming nothing more than another burden.
Afraid he cared too little. Afraid she’d never measure up to a wife she hadn’t
even known he’d had. So she’d run before giving him time to make things right.

But she wasn’t running now. Because time away had let her see
that, as much as it hurt to have only a small part of him, it hurt a lot worse
to have none at all.

Determined, she stepped beneath the overhang. Soft,
comforting light spilled into the space indicating
Caine
had engaged yet another of his glow sticks. A heavy hand fell on her shoulder.

“Bella?”

She swiveled around, her throat tight. She liked hearing her
name on his lips.

“I’m sorry.”

She stared at him, her heart beating hard. Was he expressing
regret over Ava’s disappearance? Or what had happened between them? His grim
expression gave nothing away.

“Helping me look for Ava today,” she began, “that’s more than
I can ever repay.”

“I don’t want repayment.” The glow stick thudded to the
ground. His hands cupped her shoulders, his voice rough and low. “I don’t want
anything in return.” He cleared his throat. “I shouldn’t have gone after you
like that. I said you’d be safe with me, and then I did the unthinkable.”

“You were dealing with some old stuff, I think.” She wasn’t
going to tip-toe around the issue anymore. “Your wife and what happened with
her.”

“That’s no excuse. I trained as a soldier and a pilot and
spent a lot of years fighting on Earth. But I never once raised a hand against
a woman. Even when Gwen and I weren’t getting along. Even when she slept
around. I don’t think I deserve praise for that. It’s…it’s just how a real man
behaves. But…but I lost it with you and,” he blew out a breath, “and I’ve done
a lot of bad shit in my life, but I never felt truly ashamed until that
moment.”

Needing to touch him, she
slid
her
hands along his skin until her palms covered his wide shoulders. “Like you
said, this place twists us all. You’re a good man.”

She could scarcely believe he was sharing so much of himself.

He swallowed hard. “By the time we met, I’d become more beast
than man. Living alone. Caring only for myself. But you changed that. Touching
you, being with you, watching you care so much for everyone and everything
around you, brought me a little bit more back to myself. And the thought of
losing that…of losing you….” His hold tightened. “You were one hundred percent
right. I was afraid. I didn’t want to let you in further. I didn’t want to go
back to what I was before you….then I lost you anyway.”

“You haven’t lost me.” She pressed her body flush against
his. The knowledge that he cared for her, that she was as important to him as
he was to her, was more than she’d ever hoped to hear. “I’m right here.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “I’m a lot more than a
Dragath25 low life and a lot more than that bully chicken-shit I became in that
moment.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “I want the chance to prove it
to you.”

“I already know.” Her fingers tangled in the short hair at
his nape.

“I finished the device.” His fingers contracted against her
skin. “There’s no one hundred percent guarantee, but I think I can get that
pile of wires to work well enough to jam 225’s weapon and allow your rescue
team to land safely.” He cleared his throat. “You can go home, Bella.”

“
Oh, my God
,” She
jumped up and down, almost knocking the top of her head into his chin. She
could scarcely believe it.
Caine
could save those
people. No one else needed to die. Her sister and brother would continue to be
safe, too. And once the rescue shuttle landed, they could join the search for
Ava. Her friend would be found. All thanks to
Caine
.
“You are amazing. Thank you so much.”

His hold tightened. “It’s no guarantee. Just remember that.
There’s a lot that could still go wrong.”

“I understand.’” She tried to contain her sense of hope.
“Nothing on Dragath25 is easy.”

His thumb whispered across her lower lip. “Except touching
you.”

Her heart fluttered. “So touch me.” Her nails scraped gently
down his back. “I missed you.”

She was lifted in the next instant, his hands sliding under
her ass as he took control, his dark gaze holding her captive as he walked them
backwards deeper under the overhang. “I missed you, too. Turns out holding back
didn’t do a damn thing to squelch the pain. I still saw you everywhere. Smelled
you on our bed. Heard your voice on the wind. The cave, the ridge, the spring,
the Oasis…it all felt damn lonely without you.”

She pressed a kiss to his jaw. “So you came to watch over me.
Thank you.”

“I shadowed you from the instant you left.” His hold
tightened, his gaze darkened by a vulnerability that hadn’t been there before.
“I’d die to protect you, Bella.”

“No one’s dying.” Her tone was fierce. “Thanks to you, we’re
both getting off this miserable planet.”

He tensed further.

“
Caine
? You know we’re both getting
off this planet, right? Your device isn’t just going to save the rest of us,
but you, too.” She cradled his jaw. “Even when I left your cave, I never
intended to leave you behind. We’re all going home.”

He turned and kissed her palm. “I can’t go back, Bella.”