Page 32 of Stone Coast (Tyson Wild Thriller)

W as this justice?

Carter was a bad man. He’d no doubt killed before, and Grayson wouldn’t be his last, despite his heartfelt vow.

Part of me wanted to squeeze the trigger. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d killed someone. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not like this. Not in cold blood.

I lowered the pistol, flicked the safety on, and handed the weapon back to Mr. X.

“Are you sure?”

I hesitated a moment before nodding.

Carter breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, lady. You did the right thing.”

Mr. X put the black bag over Carter’s head, then motioned back the way we came.

We left and stepped back into the other room .

X shut the door behind us. “As you can see, we have the resources and ability to help you find justice for your fiancé. I can pay you a nice salary plus expenses—in crypto, of course. I can provide intel, weapons, and support.”

“What do you want in return?” I asked.

“If you haven’t figured it out by now, we do what the authorities won’t. We’re not bound by the same rules and constraints.”

“Vigilantes.”

“A justice squad.”

“I’m not an executioner.”

“As you’ve just proven. You showed restraint.”

“Maybe I showed weakness.”

“Maybe you showed strength.”

I wasn’t certain. “Why me?”

“All of us here are in a similar situation,” X said. “We’ve all lost someone close to us. We all failed to get justice from the system. Now we go outside the system to right the wrongs.”

“Just for the hell of it?”

“Because someone needs to do it.”

We stared at each other for a moment in silence.

“Do you fund this operation?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Is there anyone else in charge? ”

“The buck stops here, as they say.”

There was another long silence between us.

“How does this work?”

“We take on unsolved cases. Gather evidence. Catch bad guys.”

“And what happens to the bad guys?”

“We present all the evidence to law enforcement and turn over the suspect. The system takes it from there.”

“And what happens when the system fails?”

“Sometimes, when there is no doubt…” He didn’t have to say it.

I took a moment to process everything.

“Not long ago, there was a dirtbag who raped and murdered a six-year-old girl. Six years old! Evidence was mishandled, and the guy got off on a technicality. He re-offended a month later. Would you be willing to cross a line to save a young child from such a horrible fate? I know I would.”

That hung there for a long moment.

X dug into his pocket and handed me a card with a number printed on it. “Take some time. Think about it. Call that number when you want to move forward.”

I looked at the card in the pale moonlight, then nodded back in Carter’s direction. “What are you going to do with him?”

“Like I said, we’ll drop him off in his neighborhood. Scout’s honor,” he said with a gesture .

X was no scout.

“Come with us if it makes you feel better.”

Mr. X and his men collected Carter and escorted him out of the warehouse. They stuffed him into the van. I followed them outside and hesitated for a moment.

"Are you coming?” X asked.

I didn't particularly want to get back in the van with these guys.

"This is a really bad part of town. I don't think you want to walk home.” He paused. "Come on. What's the worst that could happen?”

I stood my ground for another moment and said nothing.

"Okay. Suit yourself.”

Mr. X started to pull the cargo door shut.

"Wait!”

I hopped into the van, and he closed the door. We pulled away from the warehouse and left the desolate industrial district behind. We drove over to Bayshore Heights. The driver of the van pulled into an alley. The cargo door slid open again, and Mr. X’s associates shoved Carter out.

"Hey man, you gonna untie me, or what?” Carter griped with a scowl, the bag still over his head.

A guy hopped out of the van, pulled out a tactical knife, and cut through Carter's restraints.

Carter rubbed his wrists, pulled off the bag, and glared at him .

"I’d keep your mouth shut about this if you know what's good for you,” the guy warned. “If you tip off Ray that we’re looking for him, you’re a dead man.”

"I ain't saying shit to nobody.”

Carter backed away from the man and took off running down the alley.

Mr. X's associate climbed back into the van and rumbled the door shut.

He said, "I'm just going to go on record and say I don't think it's a good idea to let him go.” He looked at me. The displeasure in his eyes was obvious. His balaclava was soaked with blood from when I’d kicked him in the face.

It glistened the fabric in the moonlight.

"He's a killer. He's going to do it again. What more justification do you need?”

It was a good question. "I need to feel like I'm on the right side of things.”

"Trust me, we are on the right side of things. But we should at least talk to Ray Ray before letting Carter go. If he starts running his mouth, Raymond could be hard to get to.”

"He's gonna be too embarrassed to run his mouth,” another man said.

We drove out of the alley, and they headed back to Pelican Point. At least, that's where I hoped we were going.

"So, what do you call yourselves?” I asked. "Do you have a name?”

"We all have names,” one of them said. “You'll find out more when you decide to join.”

"If. And the organization. What's it called?”