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

by Ty Hutchinson

  “So,” he said.

  “So,” I said.

  “I’m wondering when you’re going to cut through the bullshit and tell me what really went down in Mexico.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “From the moment you got home, you had plenty of chances to fess up. You may have everyone else buying into your mugging fable, but not me. I thought you would have come clean to me by now. You got mixed up in something bad, didn’t you?”

  I was hoping to avoid this conversation. I leaned forward in my chair. “All right, I didn’t get mugged. It was worse… I almost died.”

  Tav stared at me for a second before answering.

  My expression was flat.

  “You’re serious aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  I told Tav the entire story from the beginning. “It all went bad, of course. The last thing that flashed in my mind while I was kneeling next to this shallow grave was that day we spent at Tomales Bay.”

  “What? Are you joking, mijo?”

  “Keep it down, man.” I got up quickly and shut the door to my office. “There are a lot of eyes and ears waiting for me to slip up.”

  “Darb, you have got to get out of this business. It’s not worth it… Or is it?”

  I remember vowing to find something else to do with my life, something safer, if I got out of that situation alive. When I made that promise, I was dead serious. There was no doubt in my mind that’s what I would do. So, what was the problem?

  I looked over at Tav and shrugged. “I dunno.”

  “You don’t know. This is stupid. I’ve been telling you from the very beginning that this was wrong. Consulting for criminals was the worst idea I ever heard come out of your mouth.”

  “How can you say that? Look, I’m a heavy-hitter now. Before, I was a bottom-feeder like all the others on the second floor. That’s a dead-end career. You can’t make it if the only sales leads on your desk are mom-and-pop businesses. I needed bigger clients. I needed to develop new territory to go after.”

  “It’s illegal, Darb. One of these days, someone is going to find out your clients are really criminal organizations.”

  “Technically, the idea of selling wireless business solutions to a person is not illegal.”

  “Darby, you’re showing them how wireless products can increase their ability to do their jobs better, which is criminal activity. I’d love to see the judge’s face when you tell him that.”

  As usual, Tav was right. But mistakes happen in business, especially when a person is forging new territory. That’s what I’m doing here. There isn’t anyone to learn from. There are no how-to books. It’s trial and error. Every time I make a mistake, I learn from it. “I’m done with the Mayhems. The consult is over.”

  “You’re done because the top members of their organization are now buried in shallow graves on some desolate ranch in Mexico.”

  “It was over before the trip. I’m not attached to anyone. I mean, I have some last orders for the gang that were placed before the trip, so I’ll follow through with them, but aside from that, I’m done.”

  “For real? You’re going legit?”

  Before answering Tav, I thought about everything I had gone through and put others through since starting this business. It was a lot—unnecessary too. The answer was simple.

  “Yes.”

  Chapter 4

  I hadn’t really thought about sticking to my word since my return from Mexico. With Tav pushing me to give it up, I really couldn’t come up with a reason not to. I mean, things were good at work. Maybe I could find normal clients. I had achieved my goals. As far as my personal life, there was some improvement there. I had moved out of my shitty apartment and into a killer Victorian that we dubbed The Vic. And best of all, I had a girlfriend—a normal girlfriend who liked me and I liked her. And she lived with me.

  “Hey, guys.”

  Into my office walked Izzy Weber. She was an operations director at Teleco. I had met her initially through Tav, but over time we got to know each other and became friends. I like to think there was always some attraction but the timing wasn’t right, until one day, it was.

  “Tav, you coming to lunch with us?”

  “Uh, no. I was just leaving. I actually got roped into eating lunch with Lois Burkhardt. I told her I’d look at pictures of her visit to Disneyland with her granddaughter.”

  “Sounds like fun,” I said.

  “That’s sweet of you, Tav,” Izzy added has she pulled her long blond hair back into a ponytail. Today she was dressed like the Izzy I liked—a faded hoodie and a pair of skinny jeans. God knows she had the legs for them.

  “Thanks,” Tav said as he stood up. “I’ll catch up with you guys later tonight.”

  “Give me a sec to shut my laptop down,” I said after we waved goodbye to Tav.

  “Why? We’re just going to lunch.”

  “I don’t want anyone snooping.”

  “Gotcha.”

  We headed over to our favorite place for lunch, Mixed Greens. It’s one of those make-your-own salad places, but their produce is amazing. These were exceptional salads that men could eat.

  Ever since Izzy and I became an item, my diet had changed. I had started eating a lot more seafood. I also started eating a lot more fruits and vegetables. She got me off the eating-the-same-food-every-day routine I would occasionally fall into. It’s healthier her way.

  The sun was out so we grabbed seats outside. I watched Izzy eat for a bit. I liked watching her: the way she flipped her head to get her hair out of her eyes. It almost always covered one of them. Thinking back to that day in Mexico, I realized how close I had come to losing her, losing us. We had a great time together. To be honest, we could be doing so much more. Why weren’t we? It was partly my fault; I had always made consulting my number one priority. With Izzy in my life, my priorities needed to change. It was time to smell the roses.

  “What?” she asked playfully. “You’re staring at me.”

  “I know. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you in my life.”

  “And don’t you forget that,” she shot back.

  “We should do more.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean stuff. You know, spend more time experiencing things together.”

  “Okay. What did you have in mind?”

  I had nothing up until that point, and then it struck me. “Hey, you know how we enjoy surfing?”

  Izzy stopped short, a forkful of greens inches from her mouth.

  “And we took that two week surfing trip to Costa Rica?”

  Izzy put the fork into her mouth and raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh.”

  “Why don’t we do it again? But this time, in Hawaii.”

  “Hmm?” Izzy resumed chewing at normal speeds as she looked off into the distance. She swallowed and then looked back at me with a smile. “Sounds like fun. I like it but… we surfed in Hawaii.”

  “We were only there for a few days. Let’s go for six months. We’ll rent a house on the North Shore and spend our days surfing, eating, sleeping, and then surfing more.”

  “What? You’re crazy, Darb.”

  “I know. It sounds far fetched but we can do it. We really can.”

  She put her fork down and crossed her arms across her chest. “You’re serious about this.”

  I thought for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I am.”

  “How do we get the time off from work? I might have a month, at the most, in vacation days.”

  I leaned in closer, pushing my salad off to the side. “You’re pretty good friends with Linda right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So you use whatever vacation days you have and then, for the rest of the time, you request a sabbatical, which is essentially time off unpaid.”

  “Uh, what am I suppose to do for money?”

  This was the part I loved. I felt like a baller being able to say this to her. “I got you covered, kid.”
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br />   Izzy laughed. “You got me covered? You’re telling me you’re footing the bill for this shindig and paying my bills?”

  “Yup. I mean we already live together, anyway.”

  “Well, if that’s the case, count me in.” Izzy reached across the table sporting a high five, which I happily returned.

  “Wait, what about you? How will you get the time off? One of us needs to have income.”

  “I think I can get permission to work outside the office. I don’t need to be here to do my job.”

  Izzy did her patented look upward toward the corner of her eyes. “Yeah… You don’t.”

  “I’ll look into it on my end, you do the same on yours, and we’ll rally back.”

  This was the beginning of a new life for me—a safer, legal one.

  Chapter 5

  Later that afternoon I met with Gerald Thorn, vice president of sales at Teleco. He was the brightest salesperson to pass through Teleco’s front door. This guy could close anyone, even the living dead. He was the best. To prove it, he had a custom desk built from steel, thick glass and a few of his company awards. He hired an artist to design it and then welded this monstrosity together in his office.

  “Mr. Stansfield, what can I do for you?”

  “I’ve been working pretty hard ever since you called me up to be a heavy-hitter—”

  “Tremendous job, son.”

  “Oh, thanks. I’m glad you said that. I, uh, wanted to propose something. I wouldn’t say this if the situation were different, but I think it’s fair to say that I, uh, we don’t need to be in the office at all hours to, uh… do my job. So I, uh, was thinking, um—”

  “Oh for Christ sake, spit it out.”

  “My numbers are good; I’m doing a great job. I’d like permission to work from home for the next six months. I’ll still attend our monthly update meetings, of course.”

  Thorn stared at me for a moment, twirling his mustache. “Are you having trouble here at work?”

  “No, no, I just…” Oh hell, I might as well tell him. “I want to live in Hawaii as a way to reset my personal life.”

  Again, Thorn went quiet. It was killing me. Finally he slapped his desktop.

  “Done. Have fun. Be here for the meetings,” he said with a finger point.

  I couldn’t wait to tell Izzy I got the okay. I pulled out my phone as soon as I exited Gerald’s office and started texting her. That’s when the pin popped my bubble. I rounded the corner and slammed into the nucleolus of all things smelly, Harold Epstein.

  He was the most disgusting person I had ever known and I had just made full frontal contact with him. A beat had passed before either one of us fully understood the situation. There we stood, thighs touching, bellies pressed up against each other, while we shared each other’s exhaled air.

  I backpedaled as fast as I could, wanting to find the nearest tub of hand sanitizer to bathe in. Where was the hazmat team when I needed it?

  “Watch where you’re going, asshole,” Harold snorted.

  “Me? You watch where you’re going. I’m not the one waddling aimlessly through the hallways.”

  We then both bit our tongues. Gerald Thorn was only a few feet away, and there was no need to bring the big boss man into our ongoing war. Harold and I have hated each from my first day on the job, and he’s been trying to get me fired since I started. Almost got me, too, a couple of years ago. Sonofabitch.

  It’s harder for him now that I don’t work for him. When I was a lowly bottom-feeder, my days consisted of avoiding him as much as possible. I’m a heavy-hitter now and report directly to Gerald. Harold has no authority over me, but it doesn’t stop him from trying to screw with me. He has eyes and ears all over the company working for him, compiling information he can use against me or anybody else who crossed his path.

  Harold lowered his voice. His lips tightened to the size of a brown sphincter. “Don’t think I forgot about what you do.”

  “And don’t you forget what I have on you,” I countered.

  The truth was, Harold already had me. He could end my career whenever he wanted. He had figured out what kind of clients I had been taking on. What stopped him from blabbing were the pictures I had of him. If he ever decided to not give a shit about the embarrassment the pictures would cause, I was a dead man. This was just another reason to get out of crime consultation while I was ahead.

  Harold and I moved around each other, as though expecting the other to throw a sucker punch. Once I passed him, I made a beeline back to my office and closed my door. His doughy belly still disgusted me. Just the thought of working for the man again, should I fall back down into bottom-feeder land, made me want to vomit. I didn’t think I could handle that, but I knew giving up my consultation business was what I needed to do.

  I would wrap up any remaining orders left with the Mayhem gang and then call it quits. I figured it would carry my sales numbers for at least a month and a half to two months. The Hawaii idea was perfect timing. It would give me time to think about how I was going to find legit clients to sell wireless business solutions to.

  I could then focus on living life and having fun with Izzy.

  Chapter 6

  We were only a week away from island living when Izzy dropped the bomb on me. She stormed into my office around mid-morning.

  “You’ll never believe what just happened.”

  I motioned for Izzy to close my door and keep her voice down. “What is it?” I asked.

  She sat across from me and took a moment to settle down before saying, “Harold got my sabbatical overturned.”

  It was only last week that we were toasting with champagne in my office. It took her awhile to get all the approvals, but with Linda Sawyer’s, help she did it.

  “What do you mean, he got it overturned?”

  “It’s not happening. When that pig found out about our plans for Hawaii, he complained to Linda about some bull that his department was behind schedule and with me gone, it would be even worse. Total lies. He’s the reason it’s behind, not operations.”

  “Linda doesn’t have to listen to him though.”

  “That crybaby went above her and talked to anyone who would listen. Linda said she was told the sabbatical was being denied.”

  “When did this all take place?”

  “I got an email from her this morning telling me what happened. I was so pissed, I came straight up here.”

  “Okay, wait. There must be something we can do. Let’s talk to Linda.”

  I gave Izzy a hug and rubbed her back as we made our way down to Linda’s office on the third floor. Thankfully, she had calmed down by the time I knocked on Linda’s door.

  “Hey, Linda, you got a minute?”

  “Hi, guys. Come inside. I’m really sorry about what happened.”

  I closed the door behind us and we both sat down. I looked at Linda, shaking my head. “What happened?”

  Linda and I were friends, but not as close as she was with Izzy. Still, we got along. I liked her because she didn’t sugarcoat things and was always straight up about stuff—no messing around. But I could see it in her eyes: There was nothing she could do.

  “I fought for you, Izzy. I really did try to prevent this, but Harold came in with a long list of things his department was working on and built a case.”

  “But it’s all bullshit,” Izzy said.

  “We know that because we know Harold. But the top brass—they don’t really care who swirls their tongue around their behinds.”

  “Linda, what are our options?” I asked.

  She tucked her hair behind her ears and cleared her throat. “It’s pretty straightforward. Izzy is free to use whatever time she has for vacation. If she chooses to stay beyond that, the company will view it as abandonment of her job and she will be officially released.”

  “You mean fired.”

  “Yes. Her other option is to give notice and quit once her vacation time is used up. If the company hasn’t filled the position
by the time she returns, I personally will hire her back.”

  Both Izzy and I sat up with hope. That was the first bit of good news we’d heard all morning.

  “Wait… so all Izzy needs to do is quit, and when she comes back you’ll hire her?”

  “Yes. But that’s only if no other qualified candidate presents themselves first.”

  “Oh. So technically, you would have to hire that person.”

  “Yes. My hands are tied there. I’m sure Harold will be monitoring the situation very closely.”

  Deflation set in as we realized our options. Damn that snout-nosed Harold. I was so pissed. I could see him messing with me, but Izzy? He was such a coward to go after my girlfriend. Ever since he found out we were dating, he’d been snarky with her. I could barely contain my anger. I wanted to hunt him down and lay in to him.

  “I’m sorry. I know how excited you two were. Look at the bright side: You can still do a month.”

  I know Linda was only trying to help, but neither option was ideal. We had our hearts set on six months, but I’d be damned if I was gonna let Harold spoil the entire thing. Island life was exactly what we needed right then, even if only for a month. I couldn’t think of any reason not to go.

  Chapter 7

  O’ahu, Hawaii

  It was nearing midnight on the island. The offshore breeze was mild and carried the scent of the ocean. Enough clouds littered the sky to hide the shine of the moon, leaving the sandy terrain of Ka’ena Point on O’ahu’s North Shore unusually dark.

  The local YMCA was hosting a campout for boys and girls ages seven to twelve. Sixteen children signed up for the event, which included learning various Hawaiian crafts and playing games during the day. A large bonfire lit up the beach most of the night so the children could continue their activities, including telling ghost stories.

  But with the bonfire coming to a slow death, so did the activities. Various colored tents, each holding two to three kids, were spread out along the beach. The children and the camp chaperones had retired to bed about an hour earlier. All was quiet on the beach except for the gentle washing of the waves and the mumbling of a stranger watching from the bushes on the hillside. The shadow lurking in the brush had decided to wait longer to ensure everyone was in a deep sleep. Taking a child would be much easier this way.