Free Sweet Reward by Christy Reece Page B

Lucas’s. He’d cut himself off from everyone.
    “McCall call you in for the meeting this evening?”
    Lucas nodded as he tossed his empty water bottle into the garbage can in the corner. “Said he was bringing in someone new.”
    Jared still couldn’t believe it. Mia Ryker didn’t belong at LCR. She was a young innocent playing at a dangerous game. What the hell was McCall thinking?
    “You don’t look like you approve,” Lucas said.
    “I don’t. You’ll understand when you meet her. She’s not cut out for this kind of life. Can’t believe McCall agreed to let her work this case.”
    “The man’s rarely wrong about people. Did this woman do something wrong or do you just dislike her on principle?”
    Dislike Mia? It’d be a hell of a lot easier if he did.
    “She did nothing wrong. She’s just not LCR material. She lives outside Chicago in a house that looks like it belongs to a 1950s sitcom family, with five dogs and a cat. Her informant was like a relative of hers—really upset her when he got killed—and she’s got no self-preservation instincts. She threw herself into a dangerous situation and didn’t even stop to consider the consequences.”
    Lucas arched a brow, his mouth twisting in a wry smile. “That so? Other than the pets and the house, sounds like someone else I know.”
    “There’s a hell of a lot of difference between taking chances when you know what you’re doing and you’re trained and being a person who dives into danger without any idea of the outcome.”
    “Ah, I see.” Humor sparkled in Lucas’s eyes. “So when you single-handedly walked into a room full of armed guerrillas a few years back, you knew what the outcome would be.”
    Jared glared at his friend. There was nothing worsethan having your past thrown back at you at the most inopportune times. “I lived to tell about it; they didn’t.”
    “Yes, after losing half the blood in your body. Guess you knew you were going to live through that, too.”
    “What’s your problem? Why’re you bringing this up now?”
    “Because you’re back to your old ways, and this time, it might just get you killed.”
    Jared turned away and grabbed a towel. He’d heard this a thousand times when they were with IDC. Most government agencies had ten rules and regulations for every move they made. Working in an agency that only a handful of people in each country were even aware of allowed more flexibility. Which was one of the reasons he’d never been fired—that, and he was too damn good at what he did.
    “I gotta shower.”
    Jared ignored the disgusted sigh from his friend and headed for the stairs to his second-floor apartment.
    “Getting yourself killed won’t fix your guilt over your failed marriage.”
    Turning slowly, Jared worked to squelch his anger. Lucas was the closest thing he’d ever had to a brother; he knew his friend’s words were well intended.
    “No, but getting Lara’s daughter back for her will sure as hell help.”
    “Look, I admit you should have told her the truth from the beginning, but—”
    Jared raised his hand to stop Lucas. He knew exactly who was responsible for his failed marriage. Loyalty from his friend was nice but unwarranted. His marriage had failed because he’d lied to Lara from the moment they had met. She’d thought him a bit of a geek and a nerd, but only because he had portrayed himself that way.
    “I should never have married her.”
    “I won’t argue with that, either. You’re too different.”
    Jared shrugged. He’d lived a role he had thought he could maintain for a lifetime, but that had all changed the day he’d saved a woman’s life. Instead of looking impressed by or happy with his skills, Lara had realized that her husband had depths and secrets she’d known nothing about. After a few pointed questions, which he’d answered with the truth, she had demanded he leave.
    “I owe her,” he said.
    “I agree. And you’ll get her daughter back for her, but since