Page 15 of Stone Coast (Tyson Wild Thriller)

T yson banged on the stern of the boat and shouted my name.

I climbed the ladder and poked my head out of the cabin.

"Are you okay?" he asked, keeping his head on a swivel.

"Okay might be a stretch, but I'm all right."

"Let's take a walk."

My brow knitted with confusion. "Where are we going?"

He gave me a head nod toward the parking lot.

I climbed out of the boat, moved across the cockpit, and joined him on the dock. We took a leisurely stroll through the marina, the boats swaying in their slips, the moon glowing overhead.

“Have you checked your boat for surveillance devices?"

"No. You think…? "

He nodded. "If I was running an asset like you, I'd be concerned. I’d keep you under surveillance."

Worry tensed my face. “I’ve talked to Ross several times since I’ve been out of the hospital. Not once has he mentioned anything.”

“He’s waiting. Watching. He’s waiting to see how you’ll behave.

You need to do a sweep of the place,” he said.

“Don't talk about anything on the boat that you don't want anyone else to hear.

That goes for your phone, too." He handed me a cell phone.

"That's a prepaid cellular. Use it when you need to talk to me. Don't call anybody else from that phone. And don’t use it from any place that can be tied to you. Don’t use it from your boat.”

“Do you think tonight was…?”

"It's one of three things," Tyson said. "They were coming for you, they were coming for Grayson, or it was random."

My brow tensed with confusion. "Why would they be coming for Grayson?"

Tyson shrugged. "It’s just a possibility to consider. Look, I’m sorry I haven’t been around more, but JD and I have been working a case, and I wanted to give you space with Grayson. I didn’t think you needed me up here complicating things."

“It’s pretty complicated.”

"He was a doctor, right?”

“Who wants to kill a doctor?"

"Disgruntled patients,” Tyson said, half joking .

I considered it. "I guess, maybe. But…"

“Was he into anything?”

“I don’t know. Like what?”

He shrugged again. “I ran a background check on him. He was clean, from what I could tell."

"You ran a background check?"

"You know as well as I do that information is your most valuable asset."

"Right now, I don't know anything."

"You know more than you're giving yourself credit for,” Tyson said. “You obviously handled yourself well tonight."

"Did I?”

“You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

“It was instinct. Gut reaction."

"What does that tell you?"

"It tells me…" I wasn’t sure what it told me. Maybe I was sure and just didn’t want to believe it. It seemed too fantastical.

"It tells you to trust your instincts," he said.

I agreed with that.

"I don't think these guys were high-end professionals. If anything, street-level thugs. Enforcers.”

"Why do you say that?"

"I got a hit on the picture you texted me. Name is Isaiah Jordan. Has a long history of possession, breaking and entering, assault. I can get you a list of guys he’s been arrested with.

There’s a good bet his accomplice tonight has a wrap sheet.

Besides, the hit was clunky. If you were the target, they missed their objective. "

"If Grayson was the target, then why come into the house at all?” I said. “Mission accomplished. Why linger?”

“Most likely, they’d been casing the house for a few days and were looking for a quick cash grab.

If it was a hit, maybe they thought they could rob the house and pick up a little extra change in the process.

Maybe they didn’t want to leave any witnesses.

Professionals focus on the job at hand. Eliminate variables.

Too many variables here. Anybody could have answered the door.

If it were me, I'd have done it differently.

There are a million other ways that are a helluva lot easier and more predictable. "

"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.”