Page 9 of Stone Coast (Tyson Wild Thriller)

“ Y ou heard me,” Tyson said. “Field strip it and reassemble.”

“I don’t know how?” I said, looking at him like he was crazy.

“Just close your eyes and do it.”

“I don’t even know how to do it with my eyes open.”

“Don’t think about it. Just do it.”

I closed my eyes and felt the steel that was still warm from his touch. Then something crazy happened. Once I had the weapon in my hand, I knew exactly what to do. I rotated the disassembly lever, released the slide lock, pointed the weapon in a safe direction, and pulled the trigger.

CLICK.

That allowed me to remove the slide. Then I removed the guide rod and recoil spring, followed by the barrel.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now put it back together. ”

An instant after he spoke, I had the barrel and guide rod back in place.

It clicked into position, then I slid the slide onto the rails.

I locked the slide to the rear, then rotated the disassembly lever back into position.

I yanked the slide back, releasing the lock, and it slid back into position.

Then I function checked the weapon, pointed it in a safe direction, and pulled the trigger.

CLICK.

Tyson took the weapon from me, and I opened my eyes.

In that moment, I knew there were dark secrets hidden in the deep recesses of my brain.

Whatever illusions I had upon waking about starting fresh, building a new, normal life were gone.

I wasn’t even half a day old in my new brain, but I was forever changed.

In a stunned voice, I said, “I don’t work in IT, do I?”

“No. You don’t.”

“Want to tell me what I do?”

“I’m not sure where to start.”

“That sounds intense. How long has it been since we’ve seen each other?”

"It's been a minute or two,” Tyson said. "Six years, maybe. Seven. Maybe eight."

"That's a long time. And you came right away."

"I'd like to think you'd have done the same for me. You do what you can for your friends."

"So, we’re friends?"

“We were. ”

"Something tells me we were more than friends at one point in time."

"We had our fun."

"Did we work together?"

He hesitated. “Let me see your cell phone.”

I handed it to him. He powered it down, then handed it back.

“What’s that about?” I asked.

“When I met you, we were working an operation that didn't technically exist."

“An operation?"

"At the time, you were in the Company. I worked for a private contractor."

“What company?”

“THE Company.”

I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about.

“Do I need to spell it out for you?”

“Maybe.”

“At the time, you worked for the CIA.”

My eyes rounded. “You said we worked together. What were we doing?"

Tyson hesitated, and a slight smirk tugged his lips. "Those details I can't discuss with anyone. And neither can you. It didn’t happen, and I've already said too much. "

"So, who's Ross Jenkins?"

"I don't know the name, but I'm assuming that’s your section chief. It could be a cover name, and most likely is. Can you describe the guy?"

I did.

"Do you have a picture?" he asked.

"I don't think so." I grabbed my phone and scrolled through the photos. I didn't have any pictures of Ross Jenkins.

"What about your company website?” Tyson asked.

"I don't know."

"You said it was Synovectis Solutions?"

I nodded, then searched the web and found the company's profile. I looked in the about section, but there were no pictures of the executive officers.

I showed Tyson.

"I'll look into it and see what I can figure out. I called my contact on the way up here. She couldn't find any information on Ross Jenkins, either.”

This whole thing was making my head spin. "So, let's just recap. I was, and probably still am, in the… Company . And you and I met on an operation that neither one of us can talk about."

He smiled. "See, you’re pretty much up to speed.”

“So, what happens now?"

“This is where it gets tricky. You are now an extreme liability. And I can tell you from experience, these people don't like liabilities."

"Why am I a liability?"

"Because somewhere, deep in that thick skull of yours, are a lot of secrets.

Secrets that people don't want getting out.

Because of your situation, your future behavior is uncertain.

Will you remember what's in your head? And if so, what will you do with that knowledge?

Will your loyalty remain, or will you sell that information to the highest bidder? "

My face tensed with confusion. "There's nothing in my brain. And I can’t imagine that whatever knowledge I have anybody would pay money for."

He chuckled. "You'd be surprised at what you know."

"It sounds that way."

"You need to watch your back."

"You're telling me I'm in danger?"

“Yes. On multiple fronts. You've made a lot of enemies. We all do in this line of work. It's impossible not to. You're at a distinct disadvantage because you won't see them coming. You won't recognize them."

I tensed. I didn't like the way this conversation was going. "You're supposed to be here to make me feel better."

He laughed. “I’m trying to look out for you."

"So, you think that my boss might have concerns that I'm a liability now? And I need to watch my back because someone might retaliate against me for something I don't even remember doing? "

He nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

I blew out an exasperated breath. "Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse."

"I'm not trying to scare you. I just want you to be aware that you're in a precarious position. And you shouldn't trust anyone."

"Except for you, of course," I snarked.

"What does your gut tell you about me?"

I was silent as I looked him up and down and tried to connect with that voice deep inside me. My gut told me I could trust him. I don't know why. But he just felt solid. A stand-up guy. No bullshit.

"I don't know a lot of people at this point, but I do know that I feel at ease with you,” I admitted.

"There will be few people who have your best interests at heart. I'm always wary of people who say ‘trust me,’ but I mean it when I say you can trust me. But trust is earned. And I don't expect you to trust me right away. All I’m asking is that you proceed with caution."

“How do I proceed?"

"You get yourself healthy. You get your strength back. You get out of here as fast as you can and get into a secure environment."

"You don't think this hospital is secure?"

He scoffed. "Anybody can walk in here wearing a pair of scrubs and inject a toxin into your IV while you sleep. No, this place is not secure. "

"Well, that's a pleasant thought," I said dryly. "Maybe you should leave me your gun."

"If the nursing staff catches you with a gun, you’ll have a lot of questions to answer."

"It's better than being dead."

“Look, I think you’re safe for now. If someone wanted to kill you, they had ample opportunity while you were unconscious.”

He was right about that.

"I think your boss is taking a wait-and-see approach. You’re a valuable field officer.

Someone of your skill takes years to train.

The Company has a lot invested in you. At some point, they'll bring you in for a debrief. They'll want to know everything you remember, and they’ll attempt to assess your integrity. They’ll hook you up to a lie detector and ask you all kinds of invasive questions and insinuate that you’ve been compromised somehow.

They’ll want to see if you're still functional. If not, they will cut you loose. If you’re a threat… ”

He didn’t finish, and at this point, I didn’t need him to.

"When you say I've made a lot of enemies, you mean…"

"Criminals, foreign intelligence agents, terror groups. People who might be willing to do whatever it takes to get information from you."

"Like torture and kill me?"

"Torture you and keep you in a box somewhere."

"Gee, you sure know how to make a girl feel good. "

He chuckled. “You mentioned a boyfriend. Can you trust him?"

I shrugged.

"Do you have a feeling one way or the other?"

I shrugged again. "I mean, he seems like a nice guy."

"But the spark’s not there," he said, reading my tone.

"How can the spark be there? I just met the guy." I failed to disclose the fact that I felt a little spark when Tyson stepped into the room.

"I'll stay here for the night to make sure you're okay."

"You don’t have to do that."

"It’s not a big deal."

"You said yourself, if somebody wanted me dead, they'd have done it when I was in a coma."

He shrugged. “True. But you’re in here for a reason. Maybe somebody already tried to take you out."

My face wrinkled again. "That was a fluke. A random mugging."

"Was it?"

I hesitated and thought about it for a moment. The incident was still a blank to me. "Now you're making me paranoid."

"As you should be."