Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Mason wrapped an arm around Vivi's waist as she hopped down from the passenger seat of his truck, then led her into Vantage, shielding her between his body and the building.
He didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to try something there, but one could never know.
Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Tyler and Vivi's questions had definitely stirred up a hornets’ nest of trouble.
Somebody obviously had a lot to lose if the truth came out, and Mason wasn't going to let him get anywhere near Vivi.
One way or the other, they were going to find the truth.
What happened to Russ, what really happened to Christine, and if that person was responsible for the incident at the bar last night.
He had texted Knox on the way to let him know they were stopping in and that Tyler was dead. Zane sat at the front desk, and he met Mason's gaze as they stepped inside. Mason tipped his head toward the hallway, and Zane vacated the seat, leaving it open for Vivi.
Mason moved to Zane's side as Vivi settled herself behind the desk. With all of them around, she was safe enough there.
“I need to talk with Knox. Can you stay here with her? I don’t want her left alone,” Mason said.
“Sure thing,” Zane replied, nodding his assent and moving to stand sentry next to the front door.
Vivi’s gaze was fixed on the computer screen in front of her, and Mason knew it was a coping mechanism for her.
She was throwing herself into her work, trying desperately to forget about the reality of the situation.
He didn't blame her at all. Vivi was no stranger to death.
She had lost both of her parents at an early age in a tragic car accident, and now Tyler had died the exact same way.
Mason took a knee next to her office chair, but she kept her eyes focused forward. Placing a hand on her thigh, he gently swiveled her so she had no choice but to look at him. “I’m going to go talk to your brother. Zane will be out here with you in case anyone shows up,” he said.
She gave a little nod but remained silent. That was another thing. She had been quieter than he had ever seen her since the day they met, and it worried him immensely. It was as if her bubbly personality had been extinguished, overridden by fear and worry, and he hated it.
He lifted his free hand and pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger, studying her for a long moment. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to. She knew exactly how he felt about her; he’d do anything to keep her safe.
He tipped her mouth down to meet his for a single, soft kiss. Vivi pulled back almost immediately, and her cheeks flared pink as her eyes darted over his shoulder. Mason knew Knox was standing there. He heard him approach just before he kissed her, but he didn’t care.
Not bothering to glance Knox’s way, he levered to his feet then dropped another kiss on her forehead before stepping away. “Yell if you need anything,” he said.
She gave a little nod, her gaze landing on everything except him and her brother. Mason met Knox’s eyes as he turned around. Knox’s face was inscrutable, hands tucked into the pockets of his black slacks. Anyone else would have assumed he was relaxed. Mason knew better.
He was sure there was a huge part of Knox that still resented the fact that Vivi and Mason were together, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He jerked his head toward Knox’s office, and Knox silently fell into step beside him as they made their way down the hall.
They were silent for a long moment as Knox settled behind his desk, and Mason took the chair on the opposite side. Knox stared at him for nearly a minute before speaking. “It's still weird.”
Mason bit back a smile. He refused to apologize for it.
“You really care about her,” Knox stated, not asking.
“She’s everything,” Mason replied.
Knox nodded slowly. “To me, too. As long as you take care of her and she’s happy, I don’t want to know anything. I’m just going to pretend you’re not defiling my sister.”
He wasn't wrong. Mason was no more comfortable telling Knox about their relationship than Knox was hearing about it. “No worries there,” Mason assured him.
Knox gave a curt nod. “Talk to me. What happened?”
“I haven’t spoken with anyone up that way yet, but from the article Vivi read to me on the way here, looks like a car accident,” Mason explained.
Knox arched a brow. “And your take?”
Mason didn’t hesitate. “Not an accident. I left a message for the lieutenant who handled it, but he was tied up so I’m waiting on a call back.”
“Let me know what you find out,” Knox said, giving a concise nod. “Also, we’ve got nothing on the cameras from last night.”
Of course not, Mason thought. “All right. I’m gonna wrap up a couple things before we head out. Hopefully he’ll touch base soon.”
He didn’t have to wait long. Not five minutes after he left Knox’s office, his phone rang. He thumbed the screen and held it to his ear. “Kane,” he answered.
“Mr. Kane, this is Lieutenant Mabry returning your call,” the voice on the other end said.
Mason explained everything to Mabry, but the lieutenant didn't seem particularly concerned about a man searching for his missing father. To them, Russ was an adult who was free to move about of his own will.
Though Mason knew they couldn't waste a ton of their time and resources on what appeared to be an open and shut case, he wasn't willing to just sit back and wait for something to happen.
He refused to jeopardize Vivi's safety, and one way or the other, they were going to figure out who was behind this before he came after her again.
Because there was no doubt in Mason's mind that the man who had accosted Vivi in the parking lot at the bar was also responsible for Tyler’s death.
Mabry made a little sound in the back of his throat. “Are you saying you believe those two are connected?”
“I think it’s definitely possible,” Mason offered, trying to be as diplomatic as possible, given the circumstances.
“We retrieved the car from the ravine and had our investigators look it over. So far there's been no sign of foul play,” Mabry informed him.
Mason could hear the trace of condescension in his voice, and it set his hackles on edge. “Listen, I trust your guys. I'm sure they did a thorough job. All I'm saying is, maybe there's more to the story.”
He told Mabry about Tyler going up to Orlando to speak with one of Russ's relatives. “We tried to contact him for several days but could never get a response. We just saw the death notice this morning, so I wanted to reach out to you. It could be nothing, but I don't believe in coincidence.”
The lieutenant was quiet for several seconds before he let out a soft sigh. “I'll have my guys double-check, see if they overlooked anything.”
“I appreciate that,” Mason said sincerely. “I could just be looking for trouble where there is none, but…”
“Better to be safe than sorry,” Mabry supplied.
“Exactly.” Mason hung up feeling not a whole lot better about the situation, then turned to Carter and Aiden. “Mabry promised to look into it.”
Aiden stared at him. “Do they have any idea what happened?”
Mason shrugged one shoulder. “All they know so far is it was a single car accident. Best guess is he swerved to miss something in the road, lost control, and flipped into the ravine. I have a feeling they're just gonna call it a day on this one.”
From his left, Carter lifted one hand in a shrugging motion. “It'll be almost impossible to get them to re-open it unless you have significant evidence indicating it was intentional.”
Such a lawyerly response. Mason narrowed his gaze at him. “I'm telling you, whatever happened to Tyler wasn't an accident.”
“Not disputing that, but how do you prove it?” Carter pressed. “Say he was run off the road. Unless the killer left something behind—paint flakes, tire marks, something—you may never know.”
Mason speared him with a dark look. “You know, Cross, I'm starting to remember why I disliked you so much.”
Carter rolled his eyes. “Whatever. It's nothing you don't already know.”
No, it wasn't, but it wasn't the answer Mason wanted. “Who is this guy?”
“Are we sure it's a guy?” Aiden cut in. “Could be a woman.”
“I don't think so, not unless it's a team.” Mason thought back to last night at the bar. “Vivi was absolutely positive she was attacked by a guy, and after everything that’s happened, I’m confident it's the same person. The question is, who has the most to lose?”
“Elijah,” Carter supplied.
Aiden shook his head. “As soon as I heard about the ordeal last night, I thought of him. I gave him a call this morning and asked where he was last night. He and his wife were out to dinner with his boss, who verified it.”
“Who else could it be?” Mason asked.
“Could have hired it out,” Aiden suggested.
“I don't think so.” Mason shook his head. “If this person killed Russ and covered it up, he would want to deal with this personally. I couldn’t care less that they killed him. The problem is, he went after Tyler, then Vivi. Now I'm pissed.”
If he had just left her alone, Mason would have let sleeping dogs lie. But the moment the killer threatened his woman, he’d sealed his fate. Mason didn't care what it took; he was going to find him.