Page 1 of Unburied

PROLOGUE

The figure moved forward, closing the distance between them. “Sitting here all by yourself, little one?”

Vivi nodded up at the deep voice, unable to form words. The man's face was blurry, and she couldn't quite pull it into focus as he moved in front of her.

“You’re a good girl, aren't you, Virginia?”

She nodded, a strange sensation taking root deep in her belly. She couldn't quite explain it, but it was the same kind of feeling she had once after eating too many cookies. A little sick, a little afraid of what would happen if she were caught.

The bulky figure took a seat on the coffee table in front of her. “I seem to be missing some money, Virginia. Had twenty dollars right on the kitchen counter and now it's gone. You wouldn't know anything about that, now would you?”

Vivi shook her head, fear and something else rising up in her throat, stealing her words as he leaned closer. His features remained obscured, fuzzy but somehow still familiar.

“I think you took it, Vivi.”

Again, she shook her head vehemently, but he cut her off as she tried to speak. “It's okay, I understand. I'll keep your secret.”

One huge hand settled on her knee. “No one has to know.”

The hand slid up her thigh, and the butterflies in her belly kicked into full flight.

“Such a pretty little thing...”

CHAPTER

ONE

Vivi’s feet felt heavy as she trudged through the hotel that had served as her home for the past two nights. Her brother had offered to let her stay with him, but she had declined. Knox had already done enough for her, and she didn't want to add to his burden. He was absorbed in his business and had already taken the time out of his busy schedule to move her things into Ellen’s place, even enlisting the help of his friend and employee, Miles.

The hotel bar came into sight, and she pushed down the guilt that threatened to swallow her whole. God, she was so tired. Tired of the guilt. Tired of feeling sad and out of control. The last couple of weeks had felt like a rollercoaster of activity and emotion. Even now that she was finally off the ride, the world around her was still spinning violently. After the past few days, she just needed a little bit of time to herself and a drink or two to take her mind off things.

Everything had happened so quickly. Two weeks ago, she had left college in Connecticut to move in with her guardian, Ellen. Florida was home for her, and she had gone to live with Ellen while Knox opted to enter the Marines after their parents passed away. Aside from her brother, Ellen was the only other person she had to call family.

She should have known something was off, but she had been so busy with moving and getting settled that she had ignored all the signs. Ellen seemed to be more forgetful than usual, but Vivi hadn't thought much of it—until the day of the fire.

On Monday morning, Vivi had left Ellen in the sunroom where she enjoyed drinking her coffee and working on her crossword puzzles. She shopped for groceries and then stopped by the drugstore to pick up Ellen’s prescriptions, completely oblivious to the turmoil unfolding back home. She would never forget the sight that greeted her as she turned onto the street.

Fire trucks had gathered in front of the house, creating a barrier around the burning structure, and thick black smoke billowed up from the old brick ranch. A sobbing Ellen greeted her by the ambulance. Though she wasn't hurt, it was glaringly obvious that she couldn't be left alone. While Vivi was gone, Ellen had apparently decided to make breakfast.

From what they concluded, Ellen had forgotten about the pan on the stove, and the bacon she had been frying caught fire. Ellen had thrown water on it to put it out, succeeding only in helping the fire to spread. Thank goodness a neighbor two doors down had heard Ellen yelling for help. He had called the fire department, and they had arrived minutes later.

Most of the kitchen was toast—no pun intended—but at least the house had been salvaged. The fire had spread from the kitchen into the surrounding living and dining rooms, scorching the walls and floors. Knox had hired a company to clean the house and renovate the kitchen so they wouldn't have to wait for the insurance check to come through. They would eventually need to replace the flooring in all the rooms, but for now, it just needed to be clean and livable.

Two days after the fire, Ellen moved into an assisted living facility. She had apparently been making plans for several months, but Vivi had been blindsided by her choice. She couldn't deny Ellen's request, and she had spent the past few days helping to get her settled. Vivi was exhausted mentally, and she couldn't bear to be at home right now.

Though she wanted to turn him down, she couldn't refuse Knox’s offer to put her up in the hotel. Since she hadn't been able to get to work either, she was a little low on funds. She was scheduled to start working for her brother’s security company this past week, but with everything going on, he had pushed her start date to next Monday. She was actually looking forward to it, hoping it would give her something else to focus on.

Vivi stepped into the hotel bar and threw a quick glance around. Since it was Friday night, most of the tables were occupied, either with travelers wanting to relax and unwind or locals who had come to grab a nightcap before heading home for the evening. Sliding onto the tall leather barstool, she allowed her gaze to rove the room. Most of the men were older, overweight, slouched over their drinks, still dressed sloppily in wrinkled suits and ties.

Coming down here had been a stupid mistake. She should have called her friend Jamie and asked her to come meet her, but she knew Jamie was going out with Brandon tonight, and she didn’t want to interrupt their date.

Her attention was drawn to the bartender who leaned against the bar in front of her. “What can I get you?” he asked.

“Um…” Vivi had never been a big partier in college, preferring to focus instead on her studies. She had had big plans back then, none of which had included moving back home the moment she graduated. Shaking off the thought, she forced a smile to her face as she passed him her credit card. “I’ll have an apple martini, please.”

He moved away with a nod and began to gather up the things he needed to make it. Vivi was always impressed by bartenders’ abilities to memorize and make so many different drinks, and she watched fixedly as he shook the liquid, then strained it into a glass before sliding it her way.

“Thank you,” she said.