Page 56 of Stone Coast (Tyson Wild Thriller)

I don’t know if it was the circumstances or if it was just that good.

I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and by the time we grabbed dinner at the Coral Steakhouse, I was famished.

My judgment had been colored, but it was the best steak I had ever eaten.

Tender and juicy with a perfect sear. It put my taste buds into happy mode.

With a side of sautéed mushrooms and garlic mashed potatoes, it hit the spot.

I washed it down with a nice glass of red wine, and for just a moment, I felt like a normal person. Not someone under attack. Not someone on the wrong side of the law. It was the first time I felt like I could breathe. The moment wouldn’t last long, but it was nice to enjoy.

Tyson wasn’t bad company, either.

We were a little underdressed for the fancy restaurant, but a flash of the badge got us seated faster than most. Tyson had a smile that could charm just about anyone, especially the impressionable young hostess who looked up at him with doe eyes.

Women melted in his presence. It was easy to see why.

After a glass of wine, I was feeling the heat.

Tyson kept his eye on the door the entire time.

I'm not going to say he didn't relax and enjoy himself, but he never let his guard down.

Maybe that gave me a chance to let go a little.

He had a calming effect. He always had a solution.

Contingency plans. He was always in control, even when the world was spiraling out of control.

After dinner, we grabbed a few things from the store, then headed back to the marina. The horde of media had dissipated, moving onto bigger and better things. Thank God.

Tyson and I hauled groceries down the dock and boarded the Intrepid . After everything was stowed, we swept the boat for listening devices and surveillance cameras.

It was clear from what we could tell.

We decided the best course of action was to anchor out for the night.

Tyson cast off the lines and navigated us out of the marina.

We sailed out to Blackfin Key and anchored in the shallows.

There wasn't another soul as far as the eye could see.

The full moon glowed the water, and a few light clouds drifted on the breeze.

It was a nice evening, and we enjoyed another glass of wine in the cockpit.

The boat gently rocked back and forth, and the motion lulled me into an even more relaxed state.

I let my guard down, and maybe that wasn't such a good thing .

We had both turned off our cell phones and were reasonably confident there were no tracking devices on the boat. Nothing that we had found. No one had followed us out to the island. I felt fairly certain that we were as safe here as anywhere.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?” I asked.

"Try to get in touch with the other doctors in the study. See if we can find similar discrepancies.”

"What if they don't cooperate? What if they are on the payroll?"

Tyson shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

I smiled. "Thank you for coming back. You didn't have to.”

"You didn't give me much choice.”

"Sorry." Then I added, "For everything.”

He gave a nod of acknowledgment, but I felt I needed to say more.

"It's hard for me to apologize for something I don't remember doing," I said. "But if I had it all to do over again, I wouldn't have left you in the dark.”

"I'm sure you had no choice."

"We always have a choice. We might not like the alternatives, but there's always a choice.”

There was a long moment of silence as the boat rolled with the waves .

"How do I make it up to you? I mean, an apology means nothing without an offer to make it right.”

"We can't change the past.”

"The future hasn't happened yet," I said in a flirty tone that held possibilities.

Tyson's eyes narrowed with interest. "What exactly did you have in mind?”