Page 30 of Unburied

He watched the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, and Miles’s eyes widened. He dropped one foot to the floor and leaned forward on his stool. “Vivi?”

He nodded, and Miles shook his head a little. “How?”

He told Miles about meeting Vivi at the hotel while he was tailing Morrison, and everything that had happened since.

Miles blew out a breath. “So Knox doesn’t know?”

“Not yet.” He pinned Miles with a hard stare. “She wants to tell him, so I swear to God I’ll throttle you if you slip up and say something.”

Miles waved one hand. “I won’t say a word.”

“Thanks.” He felt immensely better telling Miles about them, and they sipped their beers in silence for a few minutes until Miles changed the subject.

“Talked to Dad last night.”

Not at all what he wanted to discuss. He couldn’t help the sarcasm dripping from his voice when he responded. “Good for you.”

Miles studied him. “You should call him⁠—”

“No, thanks.” He cut Miles off before he could finish whatever well-meaning thought was going through his head. “I took his advice years ago and took off without a backward glance. Not gonna start now.”

“Come on, man. I’m sure he’d like to see you.”

“Well, I don’t want to see him. And I’m pretty sure he couldn’t care about me one way or the other. In fact, I’m almost positive those were his words to me the day I left.”

Miles sighed. “You guys have never seen eye-to-eye.”

Their father never had any criticism for Miles. He saved that for him. “No kidding. You were always the golden one. I was the stupid one, the screw up.”

“You’re not stupid.” Miles’s eyes flashed as he stared at him.

He shrugged. “Doesn’t change the past. You were smart and talented. I wasn’t. At least he got one good son.”

He’d shed the insecurities of his youth—mostly. But sometimes they rose up, threatening to choke him. He’d never been good enough, smart enough. While Miles had aced his classes and played first string football and baseball, he was the failure.

Though he now understood why learning had been so difficult, he’d been frustrated by his lack of progress. He hated school and had passed his classes by the skin of his teeth. After a while, he’d stopped trying to impress his father. All he wanted was to graduate and get out of the house the minute he turned eighteen.

Miles could have gone to college—he should have, with his grades. Instead, he’d followed him to the military. It was kind of a twin thing. He felt better with Miles by his side, the way it’d always been. Miles was a huge pain in his ass, but he was still his brother, his flesh and blood.

There was a connection between them that few people understood. They were different as night and day, but as he grew, he discovered that they each had their strengths and weaknesses. While Miles was good with the analytical stuff, Mason had been an outstanding Marine. He loved the physical aspect of it, and Miles had helped him pass all the tests he needed to get into the military.

“I was no better than you. I just argued less,” Miles responded.

He snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

“He’s not doing so great.” Miles raked one hand through his hair. “He won’t say anything, but I think it’s serious.”

“Yeah?” He took a swig of his beer. “Well, that’s what happens when you chug a twenty-four pack every night after work. The bastard’s lucky he’s lasted this long.”

“I just…” Miles hesitated, looking torn. He knew Miles hated having to choose sides. “I don’t want you to regret not talking to him while you still have the chance.”

He knew where Miles was coming from, and he appreciated his concern, even if he knew there was no hope for the situation. “I’ll think about it.”

“I’m going to see him next week. Maybe you can come with me,” Miles offered.

“Keep me posted.” He drained the rest of his beer and pushed it away, then fist-bumped Miles. “I’m out. See you in the morning.”

With that, he slid off the stool and headed out into the humid night. He rang the bell a little after ten, and Vivi swung the door open with a smile. “What, not going to break in this time?”