Page 16 of Stone Coast (Tyson Wild Thriller)

T he 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. I wanted to 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?”

“You’d do the same for me.”

“Would I?”

His piercing eyes surveyed me for a moment. “There was a time.”

“Tell me about that time.”

He hesitated. “Maybe later.”

There was a long pause as I contemplated his offer. To be honest, I was more than a little unsettled by things. I know I’d sleep easier with him around. “I don’t know what happened between us in the past, but nothing is going to happen if you stay tonight. Just so we’re straight.”

He laughed. “That’s not why I offered.”

“You can stay in the guest berth, but just for tonight,” I said.

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t planning on moving in. I’ve got to get back to Coconut Key in the morning.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want you around all the time anyway,” I teased.

He laughed and called my bluff. “I can go now if you’re getting sick of me. ”

“No. I think I can put up with you for an evening.” A grateful smile curled my lips. “Seriously, thank you for being here. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

He accepted my thanks with a subtle nod. “Let’s go back to your boat and sweep for bugs. Assume that your old phone and computer are compromised. Only use the burner I gave you, and never?—“

“Use it on the boat. I know.”

We both gave a look around the marina before boarding the boat.

Tyson followed me into the cabin, and we proceeded to scour every inch, looking for cameras and listening devices.

There were a million places to hide a bug on the boat.

The easiest thing to do was put spyware on my phone and computer.

A successful attack would turn my phone into a listening device on command, and it would be next to impossible to discover.

It could be done remotely. It was the fast and efficient way to do things.

Still, the old-school methods of planting high-tech bugs had their merits.

Small button cameras on a cellular network could be hidden just about anywhere.

And multiple devices would ensure redundancy.

Tyson didn’t waste any time getting down to business.

Neither did I.

Surprisingly, instinct took over. I knew what to look for and where to look for it.