Read Online Mason: The Sinner Saints #4 by Adrienne Bell - Free Book Online Page B

hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal goods every year. He’s successfully evaded every federal and international agency that’s come knocking on his door over the last two decades.”
    “Because he blackmails victims into taking the fall for his crimes?”
    “Sometimes,” she said. “Everyone knows how merciless he is. That’s why no one turns on him. That’s why hardly anyone has the guts to say no to him.”
    “ Hardly anyone .” Mason’s eyes narrowed. “But your parents said no, didn’t they? Why?”
    Sara shrugged. Somewhere deep inside, she wanted to believe it was because they were finally reforming, but she knew better.
    “Could have been anything. It was too high-profile a target. The security too tight. The cut too low. Could be that my father is just a stubborn pain in the ass.” Her voice broke at the end, but she kept going. “It didn’t help that Malcolm, like everyone else, believed that I was just like them, that I was a thief.”
    “Could you have pulled off the heist?”
    “I wouldn’t have gotten away with it, not without a crew or more time to plan,” she said. “But I came up with a way to get the necklace out of the museum and all the way to the drop site. That was all that mattered.”
    “And you could do all that, and you still say you’re not a thief.”
    “Just because I have the skills doesn’t mean that I use them,” she said, starting to feel desperate for a change in the conversation. “Could you have killed that man in the alley tonight?”
    “Yes.”
    Sara sucked in a breath and waited, but he didn’t elaborate. “Just yes ?”
    “Yes. Easily.”
    She pressed her spine into the cushions behind her. “So, why didn’t you?”
    “Because I needed him to bring a message back to the people he works with.”
    “That’s it?” she asked. “If you didn’t need to warn his boss, then the poor guy would be dead now?”
    “The poor guy ?” Mason gripped her hand a little tighter. “The man wanted to kill you, Sara. He would have done it in a heartbeat. I wasn’t going to let that happen.”
    “Why?” she asked.
    He shook his head. “It’s my turn. What’s the Kelham job?”
    Sara’s heart sank in an instant. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
    Mason’s eyes narrowed. “Sara—”
    “It’s the truth, Mason,” she said. “I don’t want you to think that I’m not grateful for everything you’ve done for me tonight. I am. But deep down I still don’t believe we have any chance of beating Malcolm. Which means that I have to accept his terms. And that you need to walk away before you get pulled in any deeper.”
    Sara squared her shoulders as Mason’s lips tightened. The intense look in his eyes sharpened, and for a moment it felt less like he was staring at her as much as seeing right inside her.
    “All right,” he finally said with a slow nod. “But not tonight. After that attack, I want to make sure that no one is coming through your door.”
    “I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She shook her head.
    “So am I,” he said, his tone firm. “Because I’m going to stay while you get some sleep.”
    “I’m not tired,” she protested.
    “Yes, you are. Judging by the dark circles under your eyes, you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in at least a couple of days,” he said.
    Three, actually. Not that Sara was going to admit to it.
    “And what’s worse, you’ll be going to bed hungry,” he continued. “Because by not answering that last question you have officially forfeited your last taco.”
    The corners of his lips lifted as he reached over and grabbed the last one off her plate…but this time the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Chapter Five
     
     
    Creak .
    Mason shifted against the cushions. He’d dozed for the last quarter hour, so he only had a few more minutes left for this session. Resting for no more than twenty minutes at a time meant that he stayed sharp, but didn’t dip down far enough into the sleep cycle to