Targets Entangled by Kennedy Layne Read Free Book Online Page B

next hour target shooting, drowning out his thoughts. Every once in a while a beautiful brunette would make her way in and cause his concentration to waver momentarily. It wasn’t until he’d said Kayla’s name that he recognized the similarities between her and Ferrin. The way they planned things out to the letter and every fucking thing had to be thought out before they made a decision was so damn similar it made him nauseous. That hadn’t worked so well for Kayla; what made Ferrin think that she could control her life any better? Shit. Maybe it was for the best that she hadn’t accepted his offer this morning. As it was, he doubted he’d be the best of company right now and he sure as hell didn’t need to be reminded of his past.
    He eased his focus a little by adjusting his eye relief, too much obviously, and his next shot went wide right and long. Son of a bitch. It was a good thing Stick remained quiet as Daegan cycled the bolt, chambering another round. His concentration had gone to shit and he didn’t know if it was because of his past or his present. He took another shot and obliterated the target, wishing he could do the same to his damn memories.

Chapter Six
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    F errin was back on her shift one day later and it was as if she hadn’t had any time off at all. At least she got her laundry done. Daegan had occupied her thoughts since their last encounter and she couldn’t clear her mind no matter what she did. The only saving grace was that the night passed by relatively quickly due to a downed radio net and the relatively constant traffic from the crewmembers that had wanted to make radio calls back home.
    “Did you hear that Captain Hensel is making some sort of announcement at ten hundred?” Jerry asked, walking into the radio room with his utility bag. The man wasn’t much taller than Ferrin’s five feet and six inches but he was solid muscle and could take on someone twice his size. He set his bag down on one of the desks before practically collapsing in the chair. “I hear it has something to do with that grease fire in the galley the other day.”
    “I heard about that,” Ferrin said, taking off her glasses and laying them down on her desk. Nina had come into their stateroom last night as Ferrin was getting ready to leave for her shift and had filled her in on the day’s events. It was good to have something else to focus on. “At least no one was hurt, although I hear it did quite a bit of damage.”
    “You didn’t take a break to eat last night?”
    Ferrin looked up to see Chief Jackson walking into the radio room dressed for the day. She double-checked the time even though she knew it was zero five hundred. He’d only ever shown up on her shift once and that was at the beginning of their journey. She was relieved to see him for now she didn’t have to set her alarm later this morning.
    “Good morning, Chief.” Ferrin reached for her glasses and then her clipboard. “We had a busy night with TATC-1. The AirOps boys forgot to reload their VHF hop sets before launch last night but I managed a protein bar. I’m glad you came in early though. Do you have a minute?”
    “Jerry, you have things handled?” Chief Jackson asked, leveling the young man a look. Jerry gave his affirmation and it wasn’t long before Jackson was leading Ferrin out the hatch. “We might as well grab a quick breakfast. What is it we need to go over?”
    Ferrin fell into step beside Chief Earl Jackson as they walked down the passageway. He’d been the one who’d hired her and the one she felt a kinship to. She wasn’t under the assumption that it was solely his decision, for Catori Starr ran a tight show and had made a point to introduce herself to each and every department member. Chief was an African American retired Navy veteran, roughly in his mid-fifties, and an all-around clean-cut gentleman who took pride in his chosen vocation. She knew he would take her concerns seriously.
    “When I came on duty