Targets Entangled (8 page)

“You kept it within the speed limit. I’m not so sure you do that when you’re by yourself.”

“You’d be right,” Daegan said with a playful wink. He leaned back in his seat, wanting this truce between them to go on a little longer. “What else have you done in your life where you felt like you were flying and that there wasn’t a care in the world?”

Ferrin’s brows dropped as she considered his question. She slowly shook her head as if she couldn’t recall a moment like that in her safe little life. She opened her mouth to say something but then quickly closed it. He remained silent, wanting her to see that she didn’t have enough fun. They’d shared some things about their past and the conversation had been light, but he’d been able to read between the lines.

Ferrin hadn’t had an easy time of it, although not once did she complain that she didn’t have a father growing up. If anything she was very proud that her mother had been able to raise two daughters on her own. He could understand that Ferrin felt it was her responsibility to pitch in and help raise her sister, but it was sad that she hadn’t experienced a carefree childhood or enjoyed the life that most teenage girls did. He wanted to show her the fun side of living for one’s self.

“I’m on a converted high speed transport ship with every intention of helping you and your fellow teammates complete a highly dangerous rescue mission to recover hostages from armed combatants whom fancy themselves as modern day warlords,” Ferrin said, stretching the truth a bit, especially considering that she would stay aboard where she was relatively safe. “That’s an adrenaline rush, wouldn’t you say?”

“In a sense, but it certainly doesn’t give you that
not a care in the world
attitude. And considering there are multiple contracts we could have been given, you don’t know for sure which mission we have undertaken…although I do understand your meaning.” Daegan leaned forward, putting what was left of his coffee next to hers on the small desk. She’d yet to take a sip, but she had made headway with that donut which she’d set aside on her napkin. Her grey eyes deepened and he was relatively sure he knew the answer. “My motorcycle, rock climbing, and my job give me that feeling of freedom. So did that weekend with you, actually.”

Ferrin dropped her gaze and rubbed her hands together as if she were getting rid of whatever sugar may have been left on her skin. He honestly didn’t know why he felt this overwhelming need to be with her, but his fingers burned with the desire to touch her. His mouth could already taste the sweetness of her lips and his heart raced at the thought of taking her to the edge once more.

“You say that, but any woman on this ship could give you what you want,” Ferrin whispered, almost as if she were afraid someone would overhear them.

“No, you’re wrong,” Daegan replied in disagreement, wanting her to know that this yearning he felt to have her underneath him had nothing to do with scratching an itch. He didn’t want to take this thing between them further than what this mission would go on, but she was the only woman he wanted—period. He didn’t know how to put that into words without it sounding as if it meant more than it should and he would never mislead her that way. He kept his eyes on her while he leisurely wrapped his fingers around her ankles and slowly pulled her until she was sitting on the edge of the bunk and basically between his legs. She quietly watched him and he didn’t like that he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. “The only woman I want on this ship is you. I was being honest with you when I said whatever this thing between us is still there. It didn’t go away after that weekend and I want more. I want you more.”

“You’re really, really bad for me, Daegan.” Ferrin dropped her gaze to his lips. She brought a hand tentatively to his face and brushed her thumb across his bottom lip. It took everything he had not to take it in his mouth and show her how bad he could be. “You make me want to forget that we have jobs to do that shouldn’t include…whatever this is. I always, always follow the rules and I want to throw caution to the wind for the second time since I’ve met you.”

“Be bad with me, Ferrin,” Daegan murmured before leaning in, claiming her lips. The sweet taste of sugar spread over his tongue and he couldn’t get enough. He slipped his right hand around her neck, holding her still with his fingers while he placed his other hand on the side of her flushed cheek. He deepened their kiss, needing more of her sweet, warm flavor. She finally reached for his shoulders, her hold on him as tight as when he’d ridden her home on his bike. A rush of hot wanton need came over him as he remembered what it felt like to have her cling to him on the bike with her breasts pressed against his back. He tore his lips off of hers and pulled back far enough to inhale some oxygen. “Take your shirt off.”

Ferrin’s grey eyes darkened like a sensual storm approaching and he couldn’t wait to get caught in her rain. Her breathing was shallow and then hitched when the radio attached to his hip signaled that he was wanted elsewhere. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Their eyes met, with her fingers dropping from the hem of her T-shirt.

“Ferrin—”

“You should really get that.”

Ferrin gathered her still damp hair with trembling hands and pulled it all to one side, visibly pulling herself together. He wished it were that easy for him, but he still tore the radio off of the clip attached to the waist of his jeans. Duty came first and something important must have come up if Gunny was contacting him this early. The radios they were using were encrypted and designated for private communication between the team, so they were allowed to talk somewhat freely.

“Daegan here.”

“We’re meeting in the team ready room in ten. We have an immediate issue that needs to be addressed.”

“Copy. Out.” Daegan hooked the radio back onto the waist of his denims and then ran a hand over his closely shaved hair in frustration. He looked at Ferrin, who was taking the lid off of what now must be her cold decaf coffee that he’d tailored to her liking. She wasn’t looking at him and he couldn’t accept that she’d changed her mind so fast. “Ferrin.”

Her grey eyes swung to his and he was pleased to see her arousal still smoldering. Daegan held out his hand and patiently waited for her to take it, content when her warm fingers slipped into his. He stood and pulled her up as well, noticing that she kept hold of the Styrofoam cup. Maybe it was her way of making sure they didn’t start anything else that they couldn’t finish, but he still slipped it from her fingers and set it next to his before drawing her into his arms.

“You said you’re off duty tonight.” Daegan didn’t expand on his words or sentiment. He didn’t need to, judging from the way her fingers slid up his chest. She had a bunkmate and there was only one possible solution. “Come by my cabin at twenty-three hundred.”

Ferrin took a deep breath and slowly nodded as her fingers stroked the back of his neck. Daegan felt the tension ease from his shoulders for the first time since he’d spotted her the morning they’d set sail. He captured her lips for a goodbye kiss and she returned it with unbridled passion, reminding him of the woman who had held on to him on the back of his motorcycle.

“I’ve got to go,” Daegan said, finally pulling away. He brushed his lips against her forehead, breathing deeply to inhale her vanilla scent. He turned to her before walking through the hatch, loving the sight of her swollen, parted lips. “Get some sleep. You’re going to need it.”

Daegan closed the hatch and then shot up the ladderwell to the main deck that would lead him through the starboard mess deck and across to port where the ladderwell would lead down and aft of the Engineering spaces where he could make his way to the team ready room on the first platform. Although he wondered what Gunny wanted to discuss with the team, he couldn’t tear his thoughts away from Ferrin’s hungry eyes. There was something about her that wouldn’t allow him to think of any other woman and while that was a problem now, it could be dealt with down the line. He pushed those concerns out of his mind, as he was confident they both knew where things stood. It wasn’t like him to be concerned about things getting complicated and he wasn’t going to start worrying about something he hadn’t even run into as of yet.

‡

F
errin tossed and
turned until she considered jumping off of the ship in frustration. She sat up in her berth nearly smacking her head on the overhead, knowing that she wasn’t going to get any sleep at this rate. She swore she would never tell Scuttlebutt Tami about her personal life, but she had to share with someone. Swinging her legs over the side of her rack, she then quickly scrambled down the three bunks to the deck. Pushing the middle rack up and latching it, she turned and sat on the empty community bunk as she slipped her feet into her running shoes and tied them. Grabbing a hair tie, she quickly put up her hair, not really caring that she was only wearing her grey sweats and a white T-shirt. She needed to talk to someone and Tami was the only one available.

Glancing over to the bulkhead at the twenty-four hour ship’s clock to make sure that Tami would still be in her cabin, Ferrin then walked out of her compartment trying to think of what she could say and what she should hold back. Did she want advice or just for her friend to listen? It didn’t matter as long as she could go over the pros and cons of what she was about to do this evening. By the time she’d made her way through half the ship, she was still conflicted and wasn’t sure she should now say anything. Arriving in the passageway outside Tami’s cabin, Ferrin was surprised to find the hatch ajar. She rapped her knuckles on the gray metal surface, waiting impatiently for her friend to answer. Tami’s roommate worked first shift, just like Nina, and they didn’t have a third shipmate in their cabin either. After a moment of silence, Ferrin pushed on the hatch as she called out for Tami.

“Tami? Do you have a minute?”

Ferrin froze at the vision of Tami lying dead on the rack with her head angled awkwardly toward the hatch, her lifeless milky eyes remaining open while her blue lips appeared to be parted in a final silent scream. It was as if her cry still reverberated in Ferrin’s head as she struggled to comprehend what she was seeing but there was no outlet for the echoes. She stumbled back into the passageway and would have kept going had the opposite bulkhead not stopped her. She had to be having nightmare, but the rapid speed of her heart rate and the nausea that settled in her stomach told her a different story.

“Ferrin? Are you okay?”

“Go get help,” Ferrin whispered, pushing forward and forcing herself to enter Tami’s cabin. “Now!”

Ferrin didn’t look back to see if Matt did what she’d ordered. He was one of the mess chefs on board, but that was irrelevant as she took steps closer to the bunk. In her mind she knew that Tami was dead, but her heart didn’t want to believe it. She held her breath as she slowly reached out trembling fingers to see if she could feel a pulse in Tami’s neck. Nothing. Ferrin felt a sob rise up in her chest, wanting to do everything and anything to bring life back into her vibrant friend. This couldn’t be happening.

“Oh, fuck,” Matt whispered behind her before he turned away and started to call for help.

Ferrin lowered herself into one of the desk chairs, unable to draw enough oxygen into her lungs. Her mouth had gone dry, but a tear rolled down her face as she felt herself start to come undone. She swiped at it and welcomed the anger that washed over her. Even she could see the marks around her friend’s neck. It wasn’t like they were back home or in a port. They were on a ship in the middle of the ocean with a crew of over two hundred. Someone aboard had murdered Tami. Someone she had probably met and talked to.

“Hewitt, I need you to step out of the room.”

The deep voice penetrated through the hollow sound in her ears. She forced herself to pull her eyes off of Tami to look toward the hatch. Captain Hensel appeared nothing like the firm and resilient man who oversaw a vast combatant ship. His distinguished salt and pepper hair appeared slightly disheveled from having run his hand through it and the lines around his mouth appeared to be deeper as his lips thinned out. He seemed to be having the same issue as Ferrin when it came to observing the hideous and shocking scene before them. She stood, ignoring the fact that her knees trembled and her stomach once again revolted at the movement. Matt was standing behind the captain and by the time she’d take the three steps that would bring her next to him, she finally noticed that Chief Jackson was also in attendance.

“We need to dock,” Ferrin said, having to clear her throat twice. “We need to call the authorities and we need to find the murderer on this ship. Someone—”

“Jackson, take Hewitt to the officer’s wardroom immediately,” Captain Hensel ordered, soothingly placing a hand on Ferrin’s arm and pulling her out of the cabin. His professional mannerism returned to normal a lot more quickly than hers. “Starr is already on her way and she’ll want this area controlled so that any forensic evidence can be preserved. I’ll assign an officer to conduct the initial inquiry.”