Page 48 of Unburied

“She wanted to tell her brother in person.” Jaxon’s brow rose, and Mason sighed. “Yeah, I know. Didn't quite work out the way we'd hoped. He showed up this morning while I was at her house, caught me half-dressed after we got out of the shower.”

Jaxon whistled. “Bet he was pissed.”

Mason let out a mirthless laugh. His ribs and jaw still ached from the force of Knox’s anger. “You have no idea.”

“Can't be that big of a deal, right?” he asked. “Can't you just stay away from him, at least ‘til things chill?”

Mason made a face. Knox hadn't really given him an answer one way or the other whether he was fired or not, and he hated to destroy a friendship, but he would do it for Vivi if he had to. The question was, would she choose him or Con?

Jaxon seemed to read the thoughts ricocheting through Mason's mind, because he held up a hand. “Wait. We're not talking about Vivi, are we?”

Mason contemplated playing stupid for a split second, then discarded the idea. “How did you know?”

“Holy crap.” Jaxon laughed. “It all makes sense now. I knew something was going on with you, I just wasn't sure what it was.”

“Yeah.” Mason heaved a little laugh. “That's what it was. Who it is,” he corrected.

“I was at the Hilton one night working the case for Mrs. Morrison, and I met Vivi at the bar. We hooked up, then went our separate ways. I knew her name, but I assumed she wasn't from the area. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the lobby Monday morning and saw her there behind the desk.”

“Bet that shocked the life out of you.”

“Understatement of the year.” Mason explained what had transpired between him and Knox that day, what Vivi had overheard. “I tried to apologize, but she wanted nothing to do with it.”

“I take it she was more than just a one-night stand?” Jaxon asked.

Mason drained his beer, trying to order his thoughts. “I knew after the night in a hotel that something was… different with her. But she was so dead set against me after everything that happened. She went on a date with another guy out of spite, and…” He rubbed at the heat of shame rising along the back of his neck. “I may or may not have been waiting for her at her house when she got home.”

Jaxon’s eyes widened. “Whoa.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know how bad it sounds. Anyway, we talked after that⁠—”

“Hooked up,” Jaxon cut in.

Mason shot him a dirty look. “Maybe,” he admitted. “Anyway, we started seeing each other more and more, but she said she didn't want Knox to find out before she had a chance to tell him. So… yeah.”

Jaxon stared at him for several seconds before reaching into the fridge and grabbing another beer. He passed it Mason’s way. “You’re gonna need this.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

The soft rumble of an engine met Vivi’s ears, but it stopped just shy of her driveway. Curiously, she peeked out the window, but it was completely dark. No headlights. Smart. Several minutes passed in silence, but she knew he was coming; she could feel it.

She hurried through the darkened room, knowing instinctively he’d move to the back of the house. The soft scuffle of footsteps on the back porch was her only warning, and she quickly crouched down out of view, concealed by the corner cabinet in the kitchen. She kept her eyes trained on the back door, watching. Waiting.

It wouldn’t be long now. Her heart raced in her chest, and she tightened her grip on the trigger as the handle jiggled. Blood rushed in her ears, and the sound of metal on metal filled the air as he picked the lock.

Vivi held her breath as the mechanism popped free. The knob turned, and the door swung open an inch. Immediately, it was stopped by the hook and fastener she’d installed that afternoon. A mumbled curse from outside met her ears, and a feral grin lifted her lips.

Less than thirty seconds later, a small, thin object slipped through the crack between the door and the frame. She wasn’t close enough to see, but she suspected it was a credit card. She waited with bated breath, watching as it slid upward. The object pushed the hook up out of its hole, and it swung down against the door with a gentle clink.

Her eyes narrowed. He thought he was so smart. The door swung inward, and his huge frame filled the space before he quietly closed and re-locked it behind him. As he turned back to her, she rose from her position, finger firmly on the trigger. She flipped the handle on the faucet to full blast, and cold water shot from the nozzle, hitting Mason square in the face.

For a moment, shock rendered him emotionless, then he exploded into motion. “Viv!”

Vivi kept her finger on the trigger, dousing him from head to toe as he stormed forward. “What was that for?” he roared as he tried to wrestle the sprayer from her.

“I told you not to come back!”