Page 61 of Stone Coast (Tyson Wild Thriller)

W ith duct tape across his mouth and eyes so wide they were about to pop out, the CEO of Phaxelon, Alec Stratton, stared at the ominous figures that surrounded him.

“Mr. Stratton has graciously volunteered his time to be with us today,” Xzavier said. “Let’s get straight down to business. Your company is manipulating clinical data. You’re covering up the deaths of innocent people.”

Alec mumbled through the duct tape.

Xzavier ripped it off.

Stratton winced. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” he said in a frantic breath.

Stratton was late 50s. His once strong jaw was now softened by age and overindulgence. He wore a T-shirt, boxers with yellow smiley faces, and black socks. It looked like he’d been plucked out of bed by Xzavier and his crew. It seemed to be their specialty .

Sweat misted Stratton’s skin, and he trembled with fear.

“I don’t think you’ve come to fully appreciate the situation,” Xzavier said. “Lying will not be tolerated.”

He sparked up a propane torch. The blue flame hissed promises of pain and disfigurement. Xzavier brought it close to Stratton’s face, and the blue flame reflected in his terrified eyes.

“What do you want!?” Alec squealed.

“I want the truth. I want a confession,” Xzavier said, pointing to a video camera on a tripod. The red tally light flickered as it recorded the scene. “I will get it, too. It’s just a matter of how much you are going to suffer between now and then.”

I looked at Tyson, his unease at the situation growing.

Xzavier brought the blistering flame closer.

“Okay!” Stratton was a cushy corporate guy.

He didn’t want any part of that. He wanted to keep his vision.

“We’ve got $100 million dollars invested in R&D.

The raw data coming in would have killed the drug, tanked the stock, and opened us up to liability.

We need time to redevelop the study to achieve better outcomes. ”

“You mean change the study criteria so your drug doesn’t look as fucked up,” Piper said.

“Well, with that much at stake, it’s easy to see why you decided to have people killed,” Xzavier snarked.

“I didn’t kill anybody.”

“No. You had somebody do it for you. ”

Stratton’s face tightened. “I didn’t hire anybody to kill anyone.”

Xzavier brought back the flame.

“I swear!” Alec shouted, his face red, drenched in sweat. He was a millisecond away from bursting a blood vessel.

Xzavier relented. “You’re going to name everyone involved.

You’re going to halt the trials and pay damages to the patients’ families.

Then, you’re going to surrender to the police and admit to your crimes.

If that doesn’t happen, this video will go out to every major media outlet.

You can handle this on your terms or ours. Makes no difference. ”

Alec looked mortified.

“This is non-negotiable. And if you don’t do as you’re told, we’ll find you again. And the next time, you’ll end up at the bottom of the ocean. Are we clear?”

Stratton nodded. He didn’t have much choice. He would do as commanded.

Tyson and I stepped back into the next room. He hissed, “You’re playing with fire.”

“I’m not the one who started the fire,” I quipped. “These guys are getting results.”

“They risk blowing any real investigation.”

“There is no investigation, not without evidence. You said it yourself. Guys like Stratton always walk.”

He knew I was right.

“I’m a cop. I can’t condone this. I can’t be a part of it. ”

“I told you to stay outside.”

He gave me a look.

“It’s not like you don’t bend the rules when convenient.”

“This is a little more than bending the rules. Kidnapping is tantamount to murder in this state.”

Xzavier left the other room and joined us. “Don’t worry. We’ll have him back where he belongs in no time. After he’s given us everything we need. Unharmed.”

“And if he doesn’t comply?” Tyson asked.

“He’ll comply. He damn near pissed himself.”

“I’ll tell you what I told her. You’re playing with fire.”

“That man tried to have you both killed. Or have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t forgotten. I don’t like him any more than you do. But there is a process.”

“Yes, and sometimes that process doesn’t work.”

A silence hung in the air.

Tyson was torn between duty and me. I didn’t like putting him in that position.

We left the warehouse, and Piper drove us in the van back to the marina to pick up Tyson’s car. I wasn’t sure where we would go from here.