Page 39 of Shameless

I read between the lines. Mason is talking about money laundering.

“What other branches do you have? Aside from the drugs, I mean.” Maybe I shouldn’t ask him, but if he’s gonna kill me for losing his bag, I might as well satisfy my curiosity.

“We have a lot of land for real estate development and a few years ago we found a very lucrative diamond mine in one of them. Can you imagine? Top quality diamonds in the heart of California. My uncle manages that part of the business but we’re a joint venture. The diamond business is one of the best ways to make the drug money look legit. Then there are some other businesses that help with distribution.”

His explanation causes my curiosity to peak. “What other businesses?”

Mason’s eyes are fixed on me when he answers. “Stuff that costs a lot of money, like sports sponsorships. We donated large sums to the local college to build a new hockey arena and?—”

It hits me why he said he spoke to Trevorand Eddie.

“And boat racing?” I finish for him.

“You’ve always been too smart for your own good, Lula. How did you figure it out?”

It’s a no brainer. “You just mentioned Eddie. Did you know he used to be married to Arianna, my dad’s wife? He was a gold digger apparently and he was cheating on her the entire time. When Arianna found out, she kicked him out and he skipped town. We were just wondering where did he find all the money to start Star Thunders, to pay six figure salaries and to buy Dustin Hudson’s old HQ and his old mansion.”

Mason’s smile widens. “I guess you got your answer. His boat racing team is perfect for both money laundering because of thehigh cost in designing and building those boats, the high salaries and because races happen all over the country and the world. It’s easy to inflate the figures of what is invested on research and development. And traveling for the different events provides the perfect excuse to pick up and drop large quantities of product. No one will look twice at a powerboat running around the general area of a race.”

It’s evil, but I must admit it’s also genius.

Something is bothering me though. “If you had such a perfect system worked out, why ask me to make that drop?”

For someone who considers herself smart, I have to admit that I got played.

“It was a test,” Mason offers, his shrewd eyes boring into mine. “I wanted to see if you would try to complete the assignment or if you’d run with the bag or even worse, take it to the sheriff. Trevor bet you’d go straight to Pullin’s office with the bag.”

I grind my teeth. “Not to speak ill of the dead, but Trevor was a grade A asshole. He probably thought I would act the same way he would have if roles were reversed.”

Mason laughs as if I told him the best joke he’s ever heard. “Nah, he’s just even worse than me when it comes to putting his trust in others. He called me last night before the storm hit to tell me he wouldn’t be able to meet you at the drop off point because of the choppy sea.”

I should have known. “Trevor was the person who was supposed to meet me? But if it was a test, why risk valuable product just to prove some kind of point?”

Mason takes a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and offers me one. I’m very tempted to take it, but even if that’s just a regular cigarette, I feel like my promise to Crew was to stay off anything addictive.

“I didn’t risk any product,” Mason says, taking a deep drag from his cigarette. “That bag was full of bricks. And it had the air tag of course.”

My jaw drops for the second time this morning. “I risked my life for a bag full of bricks? Were you ever going to forgive my debt?” It’s impossible to hide the accusation in my tone.

Mason’s smile reaches his eyes this time, his gaze softens as he looks at me. “Your debt is forgiven, Lula. Once I talked to Trevor, I realized it was a huge misunderstanding. If you didn’t steal my product to profit from it, I’m not gonna hold it against you. You did your best to hide it and there is nothing you could have done if your stepmom found it.”

I should feel relieved. This is what I wanted, but after my last few encounters with Mason, I learned that my trust in him was misplaced.

“Are you sure?” I ask. “You’re gonna leave me and the guys alone?”

Mason’s smile fades, replaced by sadness. “You have my word. I’m truly sorry, Lula. When I thought you betrayed me… I don’t know, I lost my shit. I thought that out of all the people in my life, including my family, you were one I could trust. As much as I can ever trust anyone, of course.”

I roll my eyes. “Of course. You just said you’ve been taught to always watch your back even from your friends.”

“What should I have believed?” Mason sounds frustrated. “That piece of shit Evan said you two were planning to screw me over all along. I got arrested, lost a ton of money in product and that landed me in extremely hot water with my dad and my uncle. And I promise you Lula, they are people you don’t want to cross. They wouldn’t hesitate to make someone disappear, even family.”

I’m about to say that’s really sad and callous, but then again I understand exactly where Mason is coming from. Tiffany would do exactly the same. Case in point, yesterday she suggested that I might have something to do with those murders.

“I just wish you didn’t believe I would ever work with Evan. You know how much I hate him.”

He nods. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have believed that asshole.”

“So that’s it?” The much awaited relief finally washes over me. “We’re even? For the product Arianna destroyed? The stuff Trevor took? All of it?”

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