Living in Freefall (Living on the Run Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Rachel raised her hand and shouted as if in a game show.
“Pick me! Pick me!”
    Along with Mara, Jordon chuckled. “Okay, sis. What’s their
real status?”
    Very proud of herself, Rachel spoke cheerfully. “Well, to
help them find their way and get to the nearest planet, each ship has a good
working scanner and just enough fuel to land.”
    Riley scoffed. “Unless they prefer soft landings. Unpowered,
a Talon’s glide path is same as a rock’s.”
    Race looked at him with incredulity. “Riley, my calculations
were exact. They just need to be frugal with the fuel. No big deal. That, and
find a patch of flat ground to land on.”
    Jordon snorted a laugh and Mara chuckled. Apparently the
kids gave the inspectors just enough fuel to get to Hawthorn if they were, as
Rachel suggested, very frugal with their fuel consumption.
    Ericca sat quietly and contributed nothing, but her unobtrusive
behavior didn’t escape Jordon’s notice. Distracted by the girl’s attitude, he
dismissed everyone, watched her for a brief moment, then followed the others
out, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Chapter-Four
    Later that hour Jordon found Ericca in a corridor. “Hey,” he
said, catching her hand to stop her, then just as quickly released her. He
folded his arms. He gestured with one hand but instead of looking casual— his
hope —his movements were forced, stiff, and contrived. This seemed to amuse
her.
    “Ericca, you okay?”
    “I’m fine, sir. Why do you asked?”
    “Are you? You’ve been short, snippy. Is it something I’ve
said? Something I’ve done?” He brought his hand up to his chin, and rested a
finger across his lips but the motion was clumsy. The more he tried relax
around her, the more his muscles fought him.
    Her answer—a slight shrug. “It isn’t you. It’s me.”
    “This isn’t the life you would’ve chosen for yourself, is
it?”
    She paused and bit her lip. When she spoke, she chose her
words carefully. “Archer and I have been on our own for quite a while. We were
trained to handle ourselves in a fight. That’s what we do. This sedentary life
takes getting used to and, in fact, I don’t really want to get used to
it.”
    “Well that’s the shipping life. Huge expanses of boredom
punctuated by spikes of excitement. Nothing I can do about that.”
    She forced a faint but friendly smile. “Why did you hire Archer
and me?”
    “Well now, that is a story, but not one I wish to
tell in the hallway.” Turning to his office, he gave a quick snap of his head, bidding
her to follow. He took a seat at his work desk, and Ericca took a seat across
from him.
    “Once,” he began, “while my family and I were out enjoying
the sights, someone broke into this ship. We lost a valuable machine and irreplaceable
tech that day. I feel better having the added security. I thought you knew
that?”
    A black cube sitting on his desk caught her attention. She
picked it up to study as she spoke.
    “Sir, that’s what you said when you first signed Archer and
I on as security. Our presence should’ve made you bolder, braver, but instead,
according to Race, you’ve grown more timid. You avoid planets with even the
slightest reputation.” She flipped the cube into the air and caught it without
looking.
    “That isn’t true. I—”
    “Captain, you know the greater the risk, the greater the
reward, right?” She flipped it again.
    “Sure, but—”
    She flipped it higher, irritating him with her indifference
to the cube’s importance.
    He rose from his seat. “I know that, Ericca, but—” He leaned
across his desk and on her next toss, snatched it before it hit her hand. Seating
himself, he replaced the cube in its cradle.
    Her eyes flicked to him, then the cube, and then back to
him. “Sir, take advantage of Archer and me being here. We’ll do our best to
keep you safe. I promise.”
    Crossing his arms, he raised his eyes to the ceiling, and tapped
his chin thoughtfully. “I just don’t think the