Page 80 of Stone Coast

Ross had passed a poly, but that didn’t mean anything. A trained operative might be able to pull it off. I had to give it consideration. “If Ross wants me dead, why go to all the trouble? Why not just use Company men to do it?”

“Plausible deniability,” Xzavier said.

I considered it. “I need to be certain.”

“And what if you discover Rossisbehind all this? What will you do?”

I didn’t have an answer for that.

“Do you remember what you did for the Company?”

I shook my head.

“How do you even know Ross is who he says he is?”

“I don’t.” I paused, processing everything. “What drew you to me in the first place?”

“My organization tracks all the crime in the city. You were just a few lines in the newspaper. But the more I looked into your situation, the more curious I became. Things didn’t add up. When I looked into your background, it was too perfect. I grew intrigued. Then you made the news again with the home invasion, and you handled yourself rather well. I knew then and there you’d make a perfect addition to this team. Cooper’s trip to the range proved that your aim wasn’t a fluke.” Xzavier paused. “Money buys power and information. I’ve tried to find as much information about you as possible. But if I dig too deep, someone’s going to want to know why I’m asking questions. The last thing either of us needs is any more heat. If you want to get to the truth, you need to find out who hired Raymond. But I don’t suggest talking to him at the moment.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re charged with the murder of Carter Wallace,in case you’ve forgotten. You need to stay as far away from that world as possible. Let it cool down.”

“And in the meantime, I’m just supposed to keep looking over my shoulder? Just go about my life like nothing‘s wrong? Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Eventually, whoever is trying to kill me is going to be successful.”

“Think positive.”

“I am. I’m positive I’m going to talk to Ray Ray. He’s the link that can put the pieces together.”

Xzavier’s face tightened. It was clear he didn’t like the idea. He sensed I wasn’t going to back down. After a resigned exhale, he said, “Okay. We’ll watch him for a few days, learn his schedule, then grab him. I’m sure we can find ways to make him talk, if you’ve got the stomach for it.”

“I’ve got the stomach for it,“ I said, fire in my eyes.

“In the meantime, I don’t think you should go back to your boat. It’s not safe.”

“Where do you suggest I go?” I asked with suspicion.

“You could stay with one of the team members. It would be added protection.”

I laughed. “No. Sorry. I just met you people. I appreciate what you’ve done for me. But you’re asking me to trust you when I can’t trust anyone.”

“I’m throwing you a life line. The only friends you have are Olivia and Tyson.” Then he admitted, “Not bad friends to have. And your relationship could be beneficial to us.”

“What do you know about Tyson?”

“I know he’s a deputy with Coconut County. I know he’s got a good track record. We need a law enforcement officer we can trust.”

“That’s why you want me in the group,” I said, putting it all together.

“One of the reasons. We have to be very careful. This whole thing could go sideways. We need someone sympathetic to the cause. Receptive to anonymous tips. If we break the law collecting evidence, it could damage any potential case. This is a delicate balance.”

“Tyson’s not going to work with a vigilante group. And certainly not with people he hasn’t vetted.”

“If we play it by the book and provide legitimate intel, I don’t see why he wouldn’t.”

There was a long moment of silence between us.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “You’re not going to get the answer you want today.”