The sky was clear and the stars were shining bright. There was reserved lighting from the half moon that shone that night. We lay on the blanket and pointed out various constellations, something I hadn’t done in a long time.
Izzy cozied up next to me. “It’s so comfortable. I feel like I could sleep out here tonight.”
“Yeah, it’s nice, isn’t it?”
“I’m so glad you made this trip happen. I mean, at first I thought you were nuts, but coming here was a great idea. I’m pissed that Harold did what he did.”
“Hey, now. Let’s not talk about work or the Ogre. We put too much effort into getting here to bring that along.”
“You’re right. It’s just you and me. It’s so rare that we have this much time together.”
I turned to Izzy. “What do you mean?”
“Every time we’re together, there are other people around. That’s all.”
“Yeah, I guess with Tav living with us, it is a threesome most of the time.”
“Don’t get me wrong—I love Tav and everything. It’s just that I didn’t realize how little time we had alone until we came here.”
“Isn’t it funny that we ended up together?”
“Yeah, it kinda is.”
“I remember the first time I met you. It was at the company picnic.”
“Did I have you whipped all the way back then?” Izzy said playfully.
“Uh, let’s keep the size of our heads in check here. Yes, I thought you were hot and no, you did not have me whipped from the start. Actually, I tried not to think of you that way.”
“Oh?”
“Well, I thought Tav was trying to get in with you. You know: the vending machine trips together, you teaching him how to surf when he can’t even swim.”
Izzy laughed out loud. “I remember that. He almost drowned. I can’t believe he didn’t tell me he couldn’t swim.”
Tav is usually the smart one, but in that instance, smart took a vacation and left him hanging with dumb.
Izzy nuzzled against my neck. “Tell me,” she murmured between light kisses, “when did you start to think about me that way?”
I rolled over onto her and returned the affection up and down her slender neck. I could feel my Darbytasm rising to the occasion.
Izzy let out a whispery breath. “Tell me, sweetie.”
I stopped and looked into eyes, “You really want know?”
“Yeah.”
“When you became my spy at work.”
Izzy chuckled. “Oooh. Was I great spy, or what?”
“You were wonderful.”
Izzy slipped her hand into my shorts and gripped me. “Do I make you horny?” she asked in her best British.
“I think you already have a handle on my answer.”
Izzy maneuvered me onto my back and straddled me in one move. She leaned over, letting her long hair tickle my face. “You didn’t think I had that in me did you?” She unbuttoned my shorts and took my rigid cock out. She lifted herself off of me, hiking her skirt up at the same time. She then directed me past her thong and inside of her. Slowly she lowered herself and began moving with the sound of the waves. This was our way of making up for lost time together. This was island living.
• • •
Hidden in the bushes, not too far from the couple, stood a dark figure watching the two, consumed in their lovemaking. The figure watched as the young woman rocked back and forth on the man. Suddenly her head whipped back and her long wispy hair followed in a lovely arc. It glowed under the moonlight. It’s long and beautiful, the stranger thought, unable to look away.
The woman leaned backward slightly, grabbing the man’s thighs for balance as she picked up the pace. Her hair snaked back and forth, following the sudden movements of her head, teasing the stranger, coaxing the voyeur to come closer.
Red embers crackled from a deep inhale as the figure stayed put. The stranger knew better. Now was not the time. Soon luck would again intersect with opportunity. Dropping the cigarette, the figure stomped it out. Will this be a nightly show? I’d like that. At the speed the couple was rocking, they would be done soon. It didn’t matter though. By now the figure had a good idea of what the landscape around the house was like. This is going to be easy.
Chapter 15
We had two more rounds of under-the-stars lovemaking before falling asleep on the beach that night. It was near five in the morning when I woke and ushered us both inside. I wasn’t keen on giving any early beachgoers a show.
Izzy continued to sleep, but I gave up and got out of bed around eight. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and turned on the TV. I hadn’t paid attention to any sort of news since arriving in Hawaii and I had a craving.
The newsman was reporting on a missing seven year-old girl. Apparently the girl had been at a YMCA camping event with other children when she disappeared from her tent sometime during the night. That two other girls, same age, had also been asleep in the tent but didn’t see or hear anything. The same went for the chaperones sleeping nearby. The police had no solid leads and were appealing to North Shore community for information. I bet she’s already dead, I thought somberly as I chewed.
It was a little shocking to hear that something like this took place in Hawaii, no less on the North Shore. That didn’t sound like island living. These were the exotic tropics. Land of aloha. Heck, Izzy and I just slept under the stars last night.
I shoveled more cereal into my mouth as I reviewed the events of last night, wondering if anyone had walked by when we were sleeping. A neighbor? A stranger? A kidnapper?
Izzy stumbled into the living room as I had my bowl tilted back, slurping the sugary mixture into my mouth. She sat next to me and laid her head against my shoulder. Her yawn triggered mine.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“The news said some little girl disappeared on the North Shore. Taken right out of her tent while she was camping with others. No one saw or heard anything.”
“That’s terrible.”
“I know.”
Izzy stood up walked to the kitchen. “Is there coffee?”
“Yeah. Will you pour me a cup, too, please?”
Izzy was wearing a T-shirt and panties. It barely covered her behind, turning her slow lazy walk to the kitchen into a game of peek-a-boo.
She handed me a mug of hot wake-me-up and sat again. “The cops don’t have any leads?”
“What?”
“The missing girl. Do the cops have any leads?”
“Sorry. Not enough coffee in me yet. They don’t have any.”
Izzy blew into the mug and took a bunch of baby sips before turning her attention back on me. “Why the sudden interest, Darby?”
“Well, it happened on the North Shore. Not where we are, but in a place called Ka’ena Point.”
“Never heard of it. Where is it?”
“Dunno, but I was thinking of how we slept outside last night. I mean, I felt safe and whatnot, but you know… Someone could have walked by us.”
“I highly doubt that. I think we would have heard someone walking by.”
“You think?”
Izzy had once again turned her efforts back to cooling down her mug of coffee. I liked that she was a strong, kickass chick. Not much scared her. Could be because for a few years she regularly attended kickboxing classes at the gym. I’d never seen Izzy totally lose it. For the most part she was pretty laid back, but I had to assume when push came to shove, she could handle herself. I know that because every time we play-wrestled, she ended up on top.
“So what’s on the to-do list today?” I asked, ready to change to cheerier topics.
“I made plans to hang out with Momi. I really got along with her last night. She’s super down-to-earth and way cool.”
That was so Izzy—always able to make friends quickly. “Oh, all right.”
“Do you mind?”
“No, not at all. I’ve wanted to do more exploring anyway. So I’ll do that. You go ha
ng out with Momi and we’ll meet up later.”
Chapter 16
Izzy didn’t want to have to remember directions to Momi’s house last night, so she had said she would meet her at the market. Darby dropped her off with a kiss and a grin and headed next door to Luau’s to pick up a Loco Moco for lunch.
She didn’t see Momi behind the counter when she entered, so Izzy quickly looked down the three small aisles in case she was stocking product. The store was empty.
“Momi,” Izzy called out, “you here?”
Weird, I could have sworn we agreed to meet here at 10:30 a.m.
She walked up to the counter and looked around. There was a cup of coffee near the register. Hmmm, now what? Someone had to be there; the store was open, wasn’t it?
She turned around and ran smack into Momi. Izzy brought her hand up to her chest and let out a couple heavy breaths. “Geez, you scared me.”
“Sorry. I had to run an errand. I thought I would be gone a few minutes, not much more.”
“It’s no big deal. Um, doesn’t it worry you to leave your store? I mean couldn’t people, like, rob you?”
“If I’m not here, people know to pay the next time they come in.”
“Wow, that’s trusting.”
Momi shrugged. “Eh, it’s the way it is.”
“But what if it were a tourist?”
“Well it’s a good thing you were here,” Momi said with a laugh. “Let me pull one of the girls from the diner to look after the store while we’re out and then we can head back to my place.”
Momi didn’t live very far from Luau’s, just a five-minute drive. Turns out she wasn’t that far from where Izzy and Darby were staying either. The house was one level, but it looked big.
“You live here by yourself?” Izzy asked as they walked up the driveway.
“Yup. I know, you would think I’d have a smaller place, but I got a great deal on it.”
There were no cars in the open garage area but there was a large heavy bag hanging in the corner. Izzy didn’t expect to see that. “Do you box?”
Momi looked at Izzy a bit quizzically until she realized she was staring at the heavy bag. “Oh, that old thing. One of my cousins needed a place to work out, so I let him hang it here.”
Momi opened the front door and motioned for Izzy to enter first. The inside was well kept. The furniture, while not modern, was comfortable. Momi gave Izzy a quick tour. The house had a master bedroom and two guest rooms plus an office. There were a couple of bathrooms as well. The sitting room was at the front of the house and the TV room in the back. Large windows, occupied the entire length of that room, with a door leading to the backyard.
Momi ended the tour in the kitchen. “This is my favorite part of the house. This is where everyone who comes over hangs out.”
The kitchen was completely modernized with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and a large island with stools around it.
“Something to drink? I squeezed orange juice this morning.”
“Yeah, that sounds great. I can’t believe you have this whole house to yourself. I’ve never lived in a place this big. I mean the house Darby has is big, but there’s three of us in there. And a dog. His best friend lives with us.”
“Is that good or bad?”
Izzy laughed. “No, it’s good.”
Momi placed a glass of juice next to Izzy.
It was then that Izzy noticed a picture of a little girl hanging on the wall. “Who’s that?” she asked.
“That’s Malie, my daughter.”
Izzy raised her eyebrows. “Wait. You have a daughter?”
“Had. She passed away two years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, Momi.”
“Me too. She had cancer. The office used to be her room but I couldn’t stand looking at it, so I cleaned it out and turned it into a workspace.”
Izzy was at a loss for words. “She’s very pretty,” she said awkwardly once she got her brain working again.
“Thank you. She had hair much like yours. Hey,” Momi said brightly, obviously eager to change the subject, “so what about you and Darby? What’s going on there? You guys serious?”
“I guess. I mean, we live together and we really get along with each other, but we’ve never really talked about our future.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. It never came up. We love each other. That I know. We just have never talked about it, but it might change. It seems like he’s had a change of heart, a new outlook on life lately.”
“How so?” Momi asked as she washed some grapes and then placed them in a bowl between them.
“This whole trip was his idea, a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. We were talking and he told me that we don’t do enough stuff together and that we need to start doing that.”
“That’s awesome, right?”
“Totally. I was so happy to hear that.” Izzy popped a few grapes into her mouth before continuing. “I guess I’m a little cautious. I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
“He brought you here, right?”
“Yeah.”
Momi raised an eyebrow. “I’d say that’s a pretty serious move.”
“He wanted to stay for six months.”
“What happened?”
“I had trouble getting the time off from work. It’s a long story. So we turned it into a month long thing.”
“This is the start of a new, improved relationship. That calls for something more than OJ.” Momi opened her fridge and revealed a bottle of champagne. “Mimosas.”
It really is a new start for the two of us, Izzy thought as she watched Momi pour the drink. Maybe this trip will bring us closer. Raising her mimosa, she clinked her glass against Momi’s. “Here’s to a new beginning.”
Chapter 17
The Jeep had a full tank of gas and I had a Loco Moco on the passenger seat with a full day ahead of me. My mission was to check out all the surf sites that Momi had circled.
Kamehameha Highway was the only road that traversed all of the North Shore. It was a simple two-lane where traffic seemed to mosey along. I didn’t care. I wasn’t rushing to get anywhere. I stopped at every site and took notes. I wanted to surf as many of these spots as possible, especially since we had the okay from the Black & Blue.
I pulled the Jeep over to the side of the road at a place known as Velzy Land. I had missed it once and had to turn around. From where I parked, I couldn’t see the break. There were about five hundred feet of land from the highway to the beach and it appeared to be the property of the University of Hawaii’s Agricultural Experiment Station—at least that’s what Google maps showed. Since I would have to walk to an access point to get to the beach, I decided to polish off my lunch first. Mmmm, so delicious.
I was about two thirds of the way through my mountain of food when a black pickup truck parked behind me. In my rearview mirror, I saw two male locals get out. I didn’t bother paying much attention until I someone was standing right next to the passenger door. I looked up and saw one of the guys standing there.
“Hey,” I said.
“What’s up, brah?” the stranger replied.
My senses kicked in and I was on high alert. My brain was giving orders to prepare the battleship for a preemptive strike. My stomach, the lazy bastard that it was, ignored the orders and continued to demand that food be shoveled into my mouth. It was then that I realized someone was standing near my door. Shit. I tried to peek at his face but he was standing too close to the window. All I knew was he was wearing a black T-shirt.
While the hardtop was on, both doors were unlocked and the windows were down. If these guys wanted to make trouble, they easily could. It didn’t help that both of my hands were busying themselves with my lunch container. I had gawked enough at the stranger near the passenger door that I figured I had better see what the one standing next to me was doing.
That’s when I heard a loud slapping noise. A beat later, the guy standing b
y my door had hit me in my face. I fell over into the passenger seat, spilling my lunch. Heat radiated from the left side of my face. I had been hit hard and was dazed, trying to get my bearings. Just then a flurry of strikes began pummeling my face and head. All I could do was try to shield my head with my arms and curl up into a ball.
As fast as it had started, it ended. By the time I had sat up, the truck behind me was gone and so were my attackers. Even though the beating was one big blur, I clearly remember one of them saying, “Thanks, brah.”
I sat quietly in the Jeep, waiting for both the shock and the dizziness to settle. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I did wrong. It’s probably because I didn’t do anything wrong. “Thanks, brah.” Who says that after a beating? It was then I noticed my backpack was gone. Inside was my wallet. Now the “thank you” made complete sense.
I nearly jumped out of the vehicle when I heard another voice. Standing near my window was a man holding a surfboard.
“Brah, you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Look like someone did one number on you. What happened?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” I started to tell him how two guys in a black truck jumped me when my I realized I was talking to another stranger. I lowered my head to get a better look at this person. He was familiar. I had seen him before. Then it came to me. Braddah Moku had pointed him out to me at Kolohe’s.
He was a member of the North Beach Boys.
Chapter 18
Out of sight, out of mind. That’s what they say until someone shoves it right back into your face. I hadn’t given gangs or my consulting gig much thought since I had decided to try and shake off my old lifestyle. So why was it that I was now sitting in my Jeep with a member of the North Beach Boys? Was I really serious? At the moment, I didn’t care. I was more concerned about what just happened.
I soon learned that the NBB sitting next to me was Mike Souza. He was one of the few white guys I’d seen in the area who were also local. The pidgin accent said it all. He was also pretty normal looking for a purported gang member; his short hair and lack of noticeable tattoos stuck out to me. I pulled the cold bottle away from my face and took a sip and then replaced it. I was thankful he had a cooler in his truck.
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