Darby Stansfield Thriller Series (Books 1-3 & Bonus Novella)

by Ty Hutchinson

  “So, this gang—they’re local or part of a bigger organization?”

  “They’re local. Pretty tame. They make most of their money from gambling. They hold poker games and organize cockfights—”

  Tav grabbed my arm. “Cockfights? Are you kidding me?”

  “No, why?”

  “They’ve always fascinated me.”

  I shook my arm loose from his grip. “What? Since when do you care about cockfighting?”

  “Since I read about it in National Geographic. It’s huge in the Philippines.”

  “I’m not taking you to a cockfight.”

  “Why not?” Tav demanded indignantly.

  “I’m not going to drag you into this. Do you not remember what happened last time? Plus, you’re always on my case for literally getting you involved in my business.”

  “Darb, those were the Russians. They’re up there with the worst gangs to mess with. This crew sounds pretty tame from what you’re saying.”

  I stopped walking and then crouched.

  “What are you doing? Did you fart?” Tav whispered.

  I pointed a few feet ahead of me. There, almost completely camouflaged against the sand, was a crab. I shot out from my crouching tiger position and pounced on the bugger. After two missed swipes, I caught it on the third. “Sweet!” I exclaimed. I quickly grabbed it from behind so it couldn’t pinch me and then handed it over to Tav. He was like a little kid at the aquarium.

  “No way. This is so cool.” Tav poked at the pincher a few times. “He’s so tame.”

  That’s when the crab struck, clamping down on the skin between Tav’s index finger and the thumb with one of its pinchers.

  He let out a yelp and shook his hand sending the little guy flying into the surf. “Damn!”

  I placed both hands together in front of me and bowed. “It’s when one thinks something is not dangerous that one becomes vulnerable and is attacked. Remember that, Grasshopper.”

  “Enough with the kung fu crap, Darby. Tell you what; if you get me into one of these cockfights, I swear I won’t give you shit for consulting with the Beach Boys.”

  “It’s North Beach Boys or NBB for short. And what makes you think I can get you into one of these fights?”

  “Uh, they’re your client, and plus, I would be willing to throw a twenty down on one of the roosters.”

  Not having to have the same argument over and over again with Mr. I-Told-You-So was a thrilling proposition, even though I knew he meant well when he gave me a hard time. “Come on; let’s head back.”

  “What about the cockfight?”

  “I’ll look into it.”

  When we got back to the cottage, Izzy and Linda had taken over our seats on the lanai.

  “Where did you guys go?” Izzy asked.

  I took a seat on the wooden railing near her. “We just went for a walk on the beach.” I nodded toward Tav who was digging in the cooler for a couple of beers. “I had to show this guy how to catch a sand crab.”

  “Feisty little fellows,” he said, not looking up from his quest in the cooler.

  “By the way, Izzy, Devon called. Her flight just got in. So as soon as she get’s her rental, she’ll be on the way. Did you hear from your folks?”

  Izzy stood up and stretched. “Yup. They’re on the way to the hotel.”

  “Is it just your mom and dad coming?” Linda asked, rising to join us.

  “No, my sister Sophie is with them. You’ll totally get along with her. Darby, Linda and I have to head over to Luau’s. I told Momi we would help her bring the food over.”

  “Okay,” I said. The puttering sound of a diesel truck carried through the windows. “Looks like the party supply people just pulled up. We’ll get stuff situated here.”

  Tav handed me an open beer as I watched the girls walk away. I couldn’t help but think things were perfect.

  Chapter 33

  That night, the sky was clear and lit by a full moon. I couldn’t have asked for better weather. There were nine of us sitting at the round table. We had started the evening with multiple pitchers of mai tais and never stopped, so no one was shy. A mixed plate of conversation crisscrossed back and forth over the table’s floral centerpiece, which scented the air beautifully. Hawaiian music played in the background, complimented by the sounds of the nearby ocean. And finally, tiki torches were set up around the perimeter to our private luau. It was perfect.

  The Hawaiian food seemed to be a big hit for everyone. This was the first luau any of our guests had attended. Momi even spent the day roasting a small pig just for our feast that night.

  “Momi, this pig is done the right way,” said Tobias Weber, Izzy’s dad, as he slipped a chunk into his mouth with his fingers. “Don’t you agree, Simone?” he asked Izzy’s mom.

  “One hundred percent,” she said.

  “My favorite is the laulau,” injected Tav.

  “Give my vote to the lomi-lomi salmon,” added Linda.

  I turned to my sister. “And Devon, what’s your favorite?”

  “I like it all. I’m heading back for seconds.”

  Tobias and Tav followed her back to the buffet table. I topped off everyone’s mai tai, knowing that when they returned to the table I would make my announcement.

  I had been able to pull Tobias aside when he first arrived. I’ll admit I was nervous, not having met him before. Tobias looked like a tough guy. He stood six-foot, three inches tall and had a full head of slicked-back white hair to match his white mustache. He was broad shouldered and fit as can be. And damn if he didn’t have the largest hands I’d ever seen on a man.

  He was absolutely delighted with the news, saying Izzy had spoken more about me than she had about any other boyfriend. I couldn’t have asked for a better response.

  He gave me a slap on the back that hurt like hell. “I’m proud of you, Darby. Coming to me was the right thing to do,” he said nodding at me with the bluest of blue eyes. I sort of got the feeling that, had I not asked, the proposal would have turned into a very awkward and uncomfortable situation.

  He promised not to tell Simone, knowing she would want to share the surprise part of the experience with her daughter. There would be one more surprise that night. I had purchased a ring for Izzy while I was in town buying the security supplies. Since we were going to make such a big deal of it, how could I have not gotten one?

  As soon as everyone had returned to their seats, I picked up my spoon and clinked my glass. “Attention, everyone. If I could have your attention please… Thank you. I just want to say, Izzy and I are thankful that you all rearranged your schedules to come here at the same time. We’re very happy to have you here, sharing the wonderful island spirit with us. Here’s to family and friends.”

  Everyone clinked their mai tais and seconded the toast with smiles and laughter. I, of course, was still standing because next up was the proposal. I cleared my voice again letting everyone know I still had more to say.

  “There’s someone else I want to give thanks to tonight.” I looked across the table at Izzy, who was sitting next to her mother. Both of them had the same green-blue eyes. “I’d like to thank Isabel Weber for allowing me to come into her life. It is by far the most wonderful thing I have experienced to date.”

  I walked around the table toward her as I continued. “Izzy, you make me laugh. You make me smile. You make me want to be a better person. And for that, I love you with all my heart.” I proceeded to kneel next to her. I knew this proposal was a hit from the gasps that followed my kneeling down. I looked into Izzy’s eyes and either she was a great actress or those were honest-to-goodness tears streaming down her face.

  I reached into my pocket and removed a tiny black box. Izzy’s mom gasped again as she grabbed onto my shoulder. Her sister, Sophie, let out an “Oh my God.” The rest of the table had stood to get a better look at me on my knees. I couldn’t see Tav, but I’m sure his jaw was sitting on the table.

  I lifted the lid on the tiny box to
reveal a two carat diamond solitaire engagement ring. “I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without you. So I’m asking; will you, Isabel Weber, be my wife?”

  A few seconds had gone by and still no answer from her. I knew she said she could act surprised again but this felt like she was dragging it out a lot longer than need be. I took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger. From the look on her face, it was obvious she did not see this coming. Score one for me.

  Izzy held her hand out in front of her for a moment before bringing it in for a closer look. The shine had hypnotized her. It wasn’t until her mother prompted her that Izzy broke out of her daze, screamed, “Yes!” and threw her arms around me.

  The rest of the table erupted in cheers. There were a lot of congratulations and additional toasts.

  Izzy’s mom couldn’t stop crying and grinning. She turned to Tobias. “Aren’t you glad we rearranged our schedule to come out here?”

  I was still kneeling next to Izzy and her mom but I could hear her father respond. “Yes, dear. I’m very happy.”

  Simone placed a hand on Izzy’s knee. “Just think; your father almost didn’t make it.”

  Again the booming voice from behind Simone responded. “Izzy knows how hard it is to find last-minute replacements at the Academy.”

  I shouted back. “What academy are you talking about Tobias?”

  “The only one, son. The FBI.”

  Fuck!

  Izzy’s mother chimed in. “He’s an instructor there. Didn’t you know?”

  Nope. Izzy didn’t mention any of this to me. How could we have dated for over a year and I not know? Was I subconsciously ignoring the signs? I knew that her parents lived in Virginia but I didn’t know it was in Quantico. Izzy was a trained kickboxer with a background in jujitsu, but she had always just come across as someone who could handle herself. She was independent. Smart. Intuitive. A problem solver. Hell, she could change a tire all by herself. Of course she could; she was raised by a guy who turned men into agents. She’s probably a qualified marksman. No wait, make that an expert sniper. What the hell did I just get myself into? Does Izzy know what I do? Does she even suspect? My head started to spin and it wasn’t from the mai tais.

  “I guess if she didn’t say anything, then you wouldn’t know,” Simone said.

  I looked back and forth between Izzy and her mom, afraid to hear what else I didn’t know. “What’s that?” I asked weakly.

  Simone smiled. “Why, her father was an FBI agent for 34 years.”

  I’m dead.

  I looked at Simone, dumbfounded. I was at a complete loss for words. I finally managed to let “Really?” squeak out. I couldn’t help but think my life was over. Her father will figure out everything about me and I’ll end up in federal prison. I leaned back around Simone and found Tobias staring right at me.

  He wasn’t smiling.

  Chapter 34

  The next day over breakfast we sorted through the days plans.

  “So, what’s everyone got in mind?” I asked pouring my coffee.

  My sister was the first to pipe up. “Last night, Linda and I were talking about visiting Waimea Falls Park. We want to hike the trail to the falls. All the tour books say it’s beautiful.”

  “That sounds awesome,” Izzy said as she buttered her toast. “Darby and I haven’t been there yet.”

  Linda walked up behind Izzy and gave her a hug. “You can come with us, you know.”

  “I know, but I think I’m going to hang with the family at the resort.”

  “Fine, but you’ll miss us,” she said playfully. Linda looked over toward Tav. “What about you, Tavish? Interested in a hike?”

  Tav was busy shoveling left over kalua pig into his mouth when Linda asked him. He raised a finger and chewed faster but he was still unintelligible, so I translated for him. “He wants to go to the Dole Plantation. I guess we’re all splitting up today. Devon, you have a car, so you and Linda are squared.” I looked at Izzy. “Do you want me to drop you off?”

  “My sister already called and said she would pick me up.”

  “All right then.” I pointed at my sister and Linda while putting my arm around Izzy. “The two of you are hiking, Izzy is kicking with the family, and Tav and I will look at pineapples. It’s settled.”

  About an hour later, Tav and I were walking through the largest pineapple maze in the world while we munched on a couple of Dole Whips. It’s some sort of pineapple sherbet goodness that only Dole sells.

  “What the hell have you gotten yourself into?” Tav asked.

  He was the only one at that table who knew what was going through my mind when Tobias announced he was FBI.

  “You make it sound like I planned it. How the hell was I supposed to know her family was dedicated to taking names and kicking ass?”

  We rounded a few corners and ended up in a dead end.

  “Dead end,” Tav said. “That’s where you are my friend.”

  “No shit. What am I supposed to do?”

  “Well, you can’t take back the proposal.”

  “Why not?”

  Tav looked at me like I was nuts. “It doesn’t work that way. You’ve proposed. It’s a done deal.”

  He was right. I didn’t want to take the proposal back. I loved Izzy. I just wished I had known about her father; I might have waited a bit.

  “Darb, you do anything stupid to hurt Izzy—not that I think you would, but if you did—her father looked like the kind of guy who would have a couple of guys work you over before he went to work on you himself. And then he’d make you disappear. Make it so it’s like you never even existed. He’d even figure out a way to brainwash your sister so she had no recollection of you. And then he would—”

  “I get it. I get it.”

  “So, now what?” Tav asked.

  I raised my shoulders. “Long engagement?”

  We stopped at a fork in the maze. “Which way?” I asked.

  Tav peered down both pathways. “They’re identical. Let’s go left. So, have you guys talked about a date?”

  “Briefly. We even toyed with the idea of getting married in Hawaii at the end of our stay.”

  “Wow. That’s fast. There’s no way you can run your business with that guy as your father-in-law. He’s probably already running a background check on you.”

  The thought of a background check froze me in my tracks. Tav was right. Tobias could easily run a thorough check on me. Shit! “You don’t think he would do that, do you?”

  “I dunno. Maybe, if you pissed him off or did something to Izzy.”

  “Most people get married in a year, right? Well if I push for something like that, that gives me a year of cranking and trying to rake in as much cash as I can. Maybe at that point, I try something new in life.”

  “You mean leave sales?”

  “Maybe I’ll become a professional surfer.”

  Tav snorted. “Please. I’ve seen you surf.”

  “Okay, but you know I can do other things.”

  “You can, Darb. You should think about a career change. Maybe you’re not meant to be a salesman.”

  Just then my cell phone rang. It was Izzy calling to let us know that her parents wanted to host a dinner in celebration of their engagement. We had to be at the Turtle Bay Resort by seven that night. To be honest, I wasn’t all that thrilled about going.

  Tav gave me a big pat on the back. “Look at it this way, Darb. You’ll have an opportunity to scope the old man out tonight, get a feel for what he’s thinking.”

  “There’s the exit,” I said, pointing ahead of us. I had a plan in place that made me feel mildly better: Extend my engagement to Izzy for a year so I can figure out a new career. In the meantime, I just needed to make sure I didn’t get caught up in anything newsworthy for Izzy’s father. That would include most of the issues I’ve had with my clients in the past. If I could do that, I’d be golden. Should be easy, right?

  Chapter 35

  Appar
ently, the Weber’s have money.

  They hosted a dinner in their spacious three bedroom ocean villa on the beach. Dinner was contemporary Hawaiian cuisine catered by the famous 21 Degrees North restaurant at the resort. It consisted of two starters: a mango and goat cheese salad and scallops with a poached fruit reduction, which was followed by a seafood chowder. The entrées consisted of three courses: ahi tartar with a chili mango sauce, a grilled sea bass over a corn crab hash, and finally, filet mignon with a Maui onion and goat cheese crust. Of course there were four wonderful wine parings to be had. The bowtie at the end was Waialua Estate chocolate layered with island coffee ganache, lilikoi marmalade and creamy dark chocolate mousse.

  Two guys in chef outfits worked the kitchen while a server in black tie worked the guests. No one could move much after dinner except for the short migration to the couches. We were content sows sipping after-dinner drinks.

  A good half hour had passed before we could consider ourselves mobile again. The women somehow had all regrouped back around the table for coffee and were engaged in hearty conversation while the men, which consisted of me, Tav and Mr. FBI, remained on the couches in controlled silence—meaning questions were rare and answers were short. One could keep pulling on the conversation starter but the engine wasn’t going to turn over. Finally, Tav broke through the old man’s defense by asking him what sort of service was he mostly involved in when he was an agent.

  “Criminal activity,” Tobias said, taking a sip of his port. Tav and I followed his cue. “I didn’t specialize in any one sort of area like some agents. You got guys who live, eat and breathe organized crime or drug trafficking or terrorists. Not me. I was all around. Did a little of everything. Kept it interesting.”

  “What did you like about it most?” Tav continued with his line of questioning.

  “Nailing the bastards, especially the bad ones.”

  Whew. That’s a good sign, right? I’m not bad. I wouldn’t even be worth his time.

  “Oh? Who’s the worst person you caught?”

  “Seamus O’Callaghan,” Tobias said in a low growl as he eyed Tav. “Mean sonofabitch. He would cut your tongue out for saying the wrong thing. He got his start with the IRA back in Ireland but later immigrated to the States—New York.” Tobias sat up and rested his arms on his knees. “He loved making bombs.”