Free Locked and Loaded by Mandy Baxter Page B

twice in the past two years, and though all of his applications had been rejected, it wasn’t because he wasn’t cut out for the job. Unfortunately, his apparent attitude toward authority had stood in the way. Charlie had gotten a dose of that attitude today. But whereas Charlie had thought his insubordination was nothing more than arrogance, she realized that Mason simply didn’t trust anyone. And given his upbringing, she could hardly fault him for it. Still, she couldn’t let that excuse what had happened today.
    They drove in silence for twenty minutes or so. Charlie tried to compartmentalize everything that had happened since showing up at the prison and the realization that her entire operation was about to blow up in her face. She had to hope that it could somehow be salvaged. That by some miracle, Eagan bought everything they’d told him and he wouldn’t take off yet again. Carrera indicated that he was itching to arrest Eagan, but the rest of the task force knew that Faction Five was the real prize. And it rankled that they needed Eagan to get to the esoteric crime syndicate.
    â€œWhy do you think Eagan wants to join them?” she asked. Mason quirked a brow. She’d been more or less thinking out loud, but maybe without the scrutinizing eyes of several heads of agencies on him, Mason would be more forthcoming with information. “Faction Five,” she added.
    â€œHonestly,” he said, “I’m not entirely sure. It’s not like him to get involved in something like this. Kieran prefers to work alone. There’s no accountability and no one to screw him over or trip him up. And the political aspect of smuggling never appealed to him. The warlords in the Congo are volatile, and Kieran always hated playing to their egos. I can’t imagine being under the thumb of some crazy-ass crime syndicate is going to appeal to him. Kieran is in this business for two reasons: the money and the excitement. The only thing I can figure is that smuggling has lost some of its luster for him and he’s looking for a different adrenaline rush.”
    â€œIs that why your dad did it?” Charlie asked. “For the rush?”
    Mason kept his gaze straight ahead as he negotiated the freeway traffic. “No. For him it was all about easy money.”
    â€œEasy?” Charlie laughed. She could never figure out why criminals thought the money they made was easy . From her perspective, circumventing the law to make a buck took a hell of a lot more elbow grease than a regular nine-to-five job. “I don’t think anything about what your dad did was easy.”
    â€œYou’re probably right,” Mason said. “Maybe he just didn’t want to have to answer to anyone. Hell, maybe he liked the thrill like Kieran does. I really don’t know. He didn’t confide in me much. He knew I wasn’t going to follow in his footsteps and I guess he didn’t see the need to share any deep secrets with me.”
    The disappointment in his tone sliced through Charlie. Mason wanted his dad to be proud of him, and instead, he found him lacking. Charlie knew firsthand what that felt like. Oh, her dad played nice, but there was something hiding beneath the surface of the constant ribbing for taking a job as a federal prosecutor. He’d wanted more for her. He’d wanted her to join his practice, and her choice to go her own way had let him down.
    â€œWhat sort of test do you think Kieran is going to lay down for you?” It bothered Charlie, especially since they’d have to pull something together at a moment’s notice to make sure that Mason could perform whatever task Kieran set out for him without a single wrinkle.
    â€œ Us ,” Mason corrected. “I told you, you’re in this now. We’ll be working as a team from here on out.”
    Anxiety stabbed at Charlie’s chest, sending a rush of nervous energy through her bloodstream. If