Page 64

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

Olivia sat on the Coast Guard cutter, a blanket around her shoulders and a warm cup of coffee in her hands. Tyson was also aboard but instead of sitting, he paced, keeping an eye on the situation.

The Coast Guard had been unable to locate Wes.

Had the kick Olivia given him been lethal? She had a hard time believing that might be true.

But where else could he have gone?

The Coast Guard had already boarded the cabin cruiser Wes had been using. He wasn’t there. So unless he was swimming back to shore, there was a good chance he hadn’t made it.

After a few moments, Tyson came and sat beside her. His concerned gaze met hers.

Olivia knew she had so much to explain.

Yet at the same time, Tyson didn’t seem to need an explanation. Certainly he’d pieced together what had happened, and he knew she’d fled trying to keep him safe. There would be time for them to talk about it later.

He put a hand on her knee. “You were brave out there, Olivia.”

She appreciated the sentiment, but she didn’t feel brave. Yet maybe his words were true. Because without courage, she would have never gone back under that water.

“I didn’t want anything to happen to you,” she finally murmured.

He pushed a wet strand of hair from her face and stared deeply into her eyes. “I love and appreciate that you did that for me. But you have to know I would much rather you be safe than for you to protect me.”

“I know.” Her throat burned as she said the wors. “But I feel the same way about you.”

A slow grin spread across Tyson’s face, and he leaned toward her, their foreheads touching.

Before he could say anything else, commotion sounded on the deck.

They both straightened to see what was going on.

* * *

Tyson’s muscles went taut.

Had they found Wes?

He wanted to go out to see what was happening. Instead, he stayed by Olivia, knowing she might need his support, depending on what the update was.

He could hardly breathe as he waited.

A few minutes later, one of the Coast Guardsmen stepped toward them. “Our men found Wes. He was trying to swim back to shore and got too tired. He grabbed hold of a buoy and was hanging on for dear life.”

Relief washed through Tyson. “Where is he now?”

“We have him in our custody. We put him on a different boat in order to keep him far away from you two.”

Tyson glanced at Olivia and saw the relief spread across her face. That had been a good move, one he was thankful for. He wasn’t sure Olivia could handle seeing Wes again right now.

“This is all over,” the Coast Guardsman said. “You’ll have lots of questions to answer, of course. But you should be safe.”

Tears sprang to Olivia’s eyes. Not tears of sadness but of relief.

All these months, she’d had doubts that the real killer had died. That realization had left her living in fear.

But maybe now she could truly take some time to recover.

Tyson hoped that healing would take place with him by her side.