Page 32 of Stone Coast

"What do I do now?"

"Get out of town. Drop off the grid. Go dark. At least until you can figure out what's happening."

I thought about it for a moment. "I can't go dark. I can't leave town. This place is the only connection I have to who I was. If I leave, I may never figure out who I am."

"If you don't leave, you might not get the chance to figure out who you are."

He had a valid point.

"Why don’t you come back to Coconut Key with me? Stay a few days and get your head straight.”

16

The idea of leaving town with Tyson was appealing. I felt safe with him. But I knew if I left, that was it. My old life would be gone. But did I really want my old life back?

Part of me wanted to run away and put this all behind me. But I knew my past would always haunt me if I ran. You can’t outrun yourself.

“I need to stay here and sort this out,” I said.

Tyson respected my choice. A slight smirk tugged his lips. “That sounds like the Savannah I know. Stubborn and determined.”

“What do I do now?”

“Stay on high alert. Don’t let your guard down for a second. You’ve got to understand that if you were the target, they will try again. And you don’t want the third time to be the charm.”

“I want to find out who did this. One of them got away.”

“What are you going to do when you find him?”

“I’m going to give him exactly what he deserves.”

“And what is that?”

I paused, and my lips scrunched. Iwantedto empty an entire magazine into the guy. I sighed and said, “I will give his name to the authorities and let them handle it.”

“You can’t assassinate the guy. I know you want to, but you can’t act like you’re untouchable. Nobody is going to stick their neck out for you and make a murder charge go away if you get pinched. Not now. If you pick up a charge like that, you’ll definitely become a liability. It’s easy to take someone out in prison.”

“I’m not going to kill anyone,” I assured.

Tyson stared into my eyes, trying to predict my behavior.

“I swear, I’m not going to go vigilante.”

“I know you’re not going to sit on your hands. I know you’re gonna dig. If you find out who did this, you call me first.”

I nodded. When Tyson told you to do something, you did it.

“I’ve had my people look into Ross Jenkins. Nothing comes up. Like he says, he’s the CEO of Synovectis Solutions. My people usually know everything. And for him to have a blank slate, I can guarantee you he’s a Company man or a contractor. Somebody went to great lengths to make him look like an average Joe.” Tyson paused. “Are you sure you don’t want to come to Coconut Key? Just for the night.”

“Thank you, but no. I’m not letting anyone run me out of town.”

“Gotta admire your spirit. Want me to stay with you tonight?”

“Don’t you have better things to do than babysit me?”

He chuckled. “I have a lot of things to do. But you take care of the people who are important.”

“So, I’m important?”