In a world built on high-stakes lies, their honor—and their passion—is the only thing that’s real.
Darby’s Honor will be released in early 2027 and is currently only available for readers who preorder the exclusive 2026 Beach Please! It’s a Reader Thing collectible. Place your order today at Beventi!
About the Book:
She’s a whistleblower with a target on her back. He’s an ex-Special Forces operator with something to prove.
To clear her name, they’ll fake a marriage and walk straight into a killer’s trap.
Cybersecurity engineer Darby Johnston was framed, fired, and stripped of her reputation. Following a trail of digital evidence leads her to an exclusive Lowcountry resort hiding illegal gambling, military secrets, and people willing to kill to protect both.
Hayes Wilson thought he’d left his old life behind. But when Darby arrives at Cypress Security’s door with deadly enforcers on her heels, he steps up, taking the assignment that could give them both a second chance.
Their only way in is a fake marriage, a luxury suite, one bed, and a charity event crawling with dangerous people and lethal agendas. As the devoted-couple cover story blurs with tempting, true feelings, Darby and Hayes must complete their mission before they’re exposed, because a losing bet will cost them their lives.
Enjoy a Sneak Peek at Chapter 1:
The windshield wipers on Darby Johnston’s beat-up sedan fought a losing battle against the deluge soaking historic downtown Charleston. Sheets of rain swept across the cramped streets, turning the flickering streetlamps into blurred halos of amber light.
Darby’s knuckles were white as she clutched the steering wheel. She had to make it. The alternatives… Well, there weren’t any alternatives worth dwelling on. She’d reached the all or nothing point in this horrible chapter of her life.
She had to make it.
Her pulse hammered in her ears, louder than the rain pounding the roof of her car. Lightning cracked and flashed across the harbor and thunder boomed behind the thick veil of dark clouds. In the passenger seat, safely in her purse beneath her rain-jacket, the encrypted flash drive felt like a live grenade.
Just two more blocks.
In her rearview mirror, headlights swerved around the corner behind her. Black SUV. Big. She marveled that the driver wasn’t sideswiping other cars, street lamps, or pedestrians on these narrow streets. She’d hoped to lose them once she reached the city, but they stayed on her.
They’d picked up her trail way too soon. She’d been so careful, but they’d been on her from the moment she slipped out through the employee exit of the Gilded Heron resort about twenty-five miles south.
It didn’t help her cause that there was only one primary route in this part of the state. Par for the course along the Eastern seaboard. She hadn’t dared take the back roads. Just the idea of getting caught speeding, or cornered in a remote area by the men chasing her, brought tears to her eyes.
She blinked rapidly, clearing her vision, and zipped through the intersection as the light changed from yellow to red. Yes! Almost there. She could do this. It was only the most important task of her life.
Critical to her survival—literally and figuratively. With everything she’d learned about the operation… Well, if they caught her, she’d never be seen again.
She glanced in her rearview as tires squealed. The black SUV ran the red light, igniting a swell of honking horns. They might be almost as desperate as she was to end this chase. If they failed to stop her, they probably wouldn’t be seen anytime soon either.
Their boss, Ashton Thorpe, was as corrupt as he was wealthy. And he didn’t leave loose ends. After what Darby had downloaded onto the flash drive, she was currently the biggest loose end in South Carolina.
Granted, Thorpe no longer did the dirty work himself. These days, he kept his hands clean enough to mingle with the one-percent, perpetuating the illusion of angel investor and generous benefactor. Last year alone, he’d given over ten million to charity.
And how did you get that ten million, Mr. Thorpe?
It sure hadn’t been anything as innocent as a lottery win.
She slammed her foot on the gas, the tires slipping briefly on the slick pavement before catching. She pulled a sharp left onto a side street off Meeting Street, searching frantically for the unmarked brick townhouse—the satellite office for Cypress Security.
There. A wrought-iron gate and a brass address plate gleaming faintly in the rain.
Darby stomped on the brakes, slid into the narrow driveway, her car small enough to be off the street. She didn’t wait for the gate to roll open, she threw the car into park. As she cut the engine, the black SUV roared into the lane behind her, brakes screaming and tires sliding as the driver blocked her in.
“No, no, no—” Her heart threatened to pound out of her chest. She had to make it. She couldn’t fail when she was this close to help. With trembling hands, she grabbed her purse and phone. Too scared to look back, she shoved open the door and darted out into the storm.
Scooting through the open pedestrian gate, she ran for the house. Despite the pounding rain, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind her. She had to make it. She lunged up the townhouse steps and under the shelter of the porch. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of her pursuer.
Forward. Looking back wasn’t the answer.
She reached for the brass knocker but the heavy oak front door swung open before she touched it. A tall man with dark hair and dark blue eyes stepped out and tucked her behind him. “Inside. Now.”
