King Bastard: A Dark Sparrow Novel, page 1
King Bastard
A Dark Sparrow Novel
India Kells
Contents
Untitled
Blurb
Definitions
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
A Note from India Kells
Also by India Kells
About the Author
Follow India Kells
Untitled
KING BASTARD
A DARK SPARROW NOVEL
INDIA KELLS
King Bastard
(A Dark Sparrow Novel, Book 6) by India Kells
License Notes
Copyright © 2021 by India Kells
Editing and proofreading by Black Opal Editing
Cover Art by The Book Brander
All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-1-989354-18-6
www.indiakells.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
www.indiakells.com
Blurb
He needs to defeat his enemy to save the one person who matters.
Like Lazarus from the Bible, Lazarus ‘Oz’ King rose from the dead, chose a new name, and with the help of his bastard brothers, they’ve all but taken down their father, the monster who’s destroyed so many lives, including his own. As the oldest, he’s duty-bound to finish what they started, what should’ve been done so many years ago, and now it’s time to strike the final blow.
But how can he catch a feral animal when it can’t be found?
On the verge of cornering his father, Oz finds his plans in disarray when the one person he can’t resist walks back into his life. Until now, he’s refused to acknowledge the attraction he feels for Doctor Sasha Landry, as love only makes a person weaker. Lazarus is sure he can separate his emotions from the job he needs to do and keep Sasha safe.
The experienced operative should have known better…
When Sasha’s life is threatened by the one person Lazarus should have protected her from, he realizes that the only way to defeat the enemy is to open himself to love and put his heart and life on the line. He can only pray they all make it out alive, and none of his family will become collateral damage along the way.
“It’s a father’s duty to give his sons a fine chance.” ~ George Eliot
“Being a male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of choice.” ~ Edwin Louis Cole
Definitions
Bastard
~ An illegitimate child
~ An offensive or disagreeable person
Dark Sparrow
~ A small gray-brown songbird
~ A soul offered a new life in exchange for a favor to be repaid later
Chapter One
So many airports, so many sleepless nights. She should be used to it by now, especially being a doctor, but Sasha Landry found it hard not to drag her feet while she headed to the taxi line.
At least spring had arrived in Chicago, which was a balm for her weary body. After weeks of consulting in Tanzania in a newly opened clinic, her current state confirmed that she was way beyond tired.
Instead of working, it would’ve been wiser to book a trip to a secluded beach that had absolutely no need for a doctor. If she’d had an apartment of her own, locking herself in and ordering out would’ve been an even better option.
Where was home? Acadiana parish in Louisiana was where she grew up, but when Sasha was accepted into medical school, turning her back on the rickety shack her parents called home had never been in question.
After finishing her training, she’d made the world her home. Or rather made the best home she could wherever people needed her help, whether it was a tent, a hut, or under the starry sky.
Chicago had only become a regular stop because of her cousin, Deva. Deva’s mother, Amelie left Louisiana for the Windy City and got pulled into the nightmare of the criminal underworld, raising Deva and her brother the best she could before dying. Deva had escaped and built a life for herself until she’d come back when she’d met the love of her life, Aleksei. The Russian had almost got her cousin killed. Sasha could’ve forgiven the man who’d stolen Deva’s heart if he hadn’t brought a pack of bigger-than-life trouble-making brothers with him.
One of them popped into her mind, even as she worked hard to erase all memories of him. The mighty Lazarus King, with his tall frame, square, bearded jaw, and swirling mercury eyes. He was the most stubborn, annoying, and overbearing man she’d ever known. Not that she didn’t have experience with alpha male types. After all, in the developing countries where she did most of her work, men of power often looked down on women, thinking them feeble and disposable, to be protected not considered.
Sasha had been in more than one fight with Lazarus King over the fact she’d been adamant in helping Deva and thus had come to know the bastard brothers and their growing circle of family and friends. However, she’d been pulled full force into the fold when Lazarus had been severely injured and ended up in a coma. Becoming his nurse during a perilous situation, while hiding out, had made her care so much more for his family. Maybe the fact he was silent helped Lazarus become more tolerable in her eyes. And alluring and sexy.
With increased annoyance at the intruding images, Sasha reached the front of the taxi line before she picked up her cell phone and realized she’d forgotten to book anything. Not only did it cause her to stop in her tracks, but she almost plopped down on her suitcase and cried, which was a sure sign her breaking point was near.
While debating if she could impose on Deva or just let a cab driver decide, her cell buzzed in her hand, distracting her from her foolish state of despair. After all, she wasn’t in a war zone or starving to death like so many patients she’d seen. “Hello?”
“Hi. May I speak to Doctor Landry, please?”
The moment her title was used, Sasha became all business, especially since the woman with the British accent sounded so formal. “Speaking. How may I help you?”
“I’m so happy to have finally reached you. I tried earlier, but I got your voicemail. It’s Elizabeth. I don’t know if you remember me as it’s been awhile, but we’ve met a few times, the last being a couple of years ago in Litvínín, when you came to work at the Children of the World Orphanage, the one in a farmhouse. I was in charge of the non-profit organization.”
Through the fog of her mind, Sasha recalled an older English woman with a beautiful smile, dark hair with silver weaved through every strand, and most of all, a dedicated heart.
“Yes! Elizabeth! Of course! It’s been a while, but of course I remember you. I heard you had to escape some attackers with your pupils. That’s so awful. I was relieved to hear you and the children were safe.”
It wasn’t uncommon for non-profit organizations to become targets of criminal or terrorist groups, either because they believed they could make a statement or they could get a lot of money through kidnapping the workers. Sasha didn’t know the details but having been in a similar situation, knew how difficult it was. However, Elizabeth’s voice remained light.
“Thank you, but I’m fine. In the end, all I wanted was for the children to be safe. We were lucky to be rescued. I know you’ve been to much more dangerous locations and risked your life many times.”
Sasha refused to think about the past or what had happened. From a therapist’s perspective, it wasn’t the best thing to do, but her work had been everything and filled the void. “Are you still in Europe? Is that why you’re reaching out to me?”
“Oh, no, doctor. I’m now helping out a local organization in Chicago. My dear son doesn’t want me to go abroad. I think I made him turn gray before his time. I relocated to the city and learned through the nurses at the Northeastern Hospital that you often work pro-bono for them. And I wondered if you had a little free time.”
Her body screamed no, but her heart couldn’t deny people in need. “I may, but you’ve caught me at the airport, jetlagged, and I need to find a place to stay. Can we speak tomorrow? I’m so tired I’m about to start babbling.”
“Goodness! How inconsiderate of me. And here I thought you were spending your evening relaxing. Are you at O’Hare?”
It was impossible not to smile at the sincere concern in her voice. “Yes, I am. But don’t worry, I’ll just use a booking app and find something.”
“You’re coming to my home. I have a small but comfortable guest room in a very safe building, as my son wouldn’t agree to anything else. And
It was clear the woman was joking, but Sasha had come across a few crazy people in her line of work and one real psycho. One who’d threatened her cousin, put Lazarus in a coma, and tried to kill his brothers. Jamieson Finch was the very definition of a psychopath.
“Please, call me Sasha, and I can’t impose on you, Elizabeth.”
“You aren’t. And I can hear in your voice how tired you are, doc… Sasha. Please, even if it’s only for tonight. Don’t fight me on this. At least you’ll get a good night’s sleep and can make a sensible decision.”
Before she could even open her mouth to argue, Elizabeth had sent her the address to her home and wouldn’t give up until Sasha was en route, even telling her that she’d wait by the door until she arrived.
The cab ride was swift, but Sasha still managed to doze on and off until her driver told her they’d arrived.
Sasha didn’t have a clue where she was, but everything around her was calm and quiet. The fact night had fallen and she was groggy also didn’t help her orientate herself. The buildings looked more industrial or commercial, although there were houses scattered around. Maybe it was an up-and-coming neighborhood.
As she dragged herself out of the car, her driver pulling out her luggage, Sasha recognized Elizabeth coming out of the building, beautiful and elegant as ever, even dressed in loose pants and a flowery tunic.
Although she hadn’t worked with the older woman a lot, Sasha felt a genuine connection with her. Maybe it was her sincere compassion or her maternal aura. When images of her own mother popped into her head, Sasha shook it and forced herself to smile as she found herself taken into a big hug.
“Oh! I’m so happy to see you again!” Elizabeth took over, dispatching the cab driver, grabbing one of her suitcases, and ushering her inside. “My dear son would have apoplexy if he knew I’d come outside at night like this!”
The woman was laughing, but it rang an alarm bell for Sasha. “Why? Is the neighborhood dangerous?”
The lobby was basic, but it was secure. Elizabeth tapped in a code, and they entered an elevator. “Not during the day, but at night, I guess it’s a bit trickier as there isn’t a lot of traffic. I’m told some buildings are being remodeled to become condos and apartments, so I guess the environment will change over the coming years.”
The door pinged open and Sasha whistled at the space revealed before her. She’d expected a rudimentary apartment, but it was pretty luxurious. Decorated in white and pale wood, it was soft and luminous, even in the dark of night. Simple, feminine, but warm and inviting. “Wow, you have a beautiful place, Elizabeth.”
Her laughter was like music. “It’s my son’s. I could never afford such a place working for non-profits, not that I’d really want to.”
Sasha rolled her shoulders. “Even though I’m a doctor, I doubt I could either. Unless I relocated to Chicago and worked at a hospital with four walls and a roof that doesn’t leak.”
Elizabeth laughed, a dreamy look in her eyes. “When I’m on a mission, I often miss hot water. Although being in a tent in the middle of the desert, with an infinity of stars over my head, I tend to forget about the comforts of this world. Would you like a cup of tea?”
Even if her body yearned for a soft bed, Sasha’s mind was restless, which was a sure sign of tossing and turning the moment she put her head on the pillow. “I’d love some, if it’s not too much trouble or too late.”
“It’s never too late for a cup. Put your luggage down, curl up on the couch, and let me get you the best medicine in the world.”
How could she refuse? She’d been in constant motion since she’d left her childhood home. It was rewarding and tiring at the same time. Her phone buzzed with a blank message. What was going on? She deleted it and wondered if it was a network problem.
“There you are. And I’ve added a couple of cookies. They’re marvelous.”
Elizabeth curled up by her side as Sasha took her first sip and sighed. “You were right. It’s heaven in a cup.”
“How long has it been since you’ve taken a break, my dear? You look worn out.”
Puffing loudly, Sasha shook her head. “The last few years have been challenging. Working abroad has become more difficult, and I had family issues to take care of stateside. I think all that combined has taken more of a toll than I’d realized.”
“So, you haven’t had any downtime in a while. I see a lot of my child in you. Loyalty, dedication, and stubbornness to the point where you push your limits too far. And I asked you to do even more work. That was very inconsiderate and unthoughtful of me.”
Sasha didn’t want to say more as to why she worked so much and redirected the conversation. “Don’t worry about me, all I need is a decent night of sleep and I’ll be good as new.” Even though she smiled, Sasha could see the worry in her hostess’s eyes. “Elizabeth, I don’t want to pry or anything, but if there’s something I can do, maybe talk to your son and make him understand how much you worry about him, I’ll do it.”
Elizabeth reached out and touched her hand. “You have a good heart, Sasha, but I’ve tried everything. To be honest with you, even though my boy demanded that I stay in the country since the kidnapping, I only agreed because I wanted to stay close to him. What he’s working on is eating at him, and even if I don’t know what it is exactly, I feel better knowing I can keep an eye on him. I wish he could see he shouldn’t shut out the world for his work, regardless of how dedicated he is. He told me he’d made a promise to see it through. I just hope it doesn’t eat him alive.”
Everything Elizabeth had said could’ve been applied to Sasha, but it also matched the intensity she’d seen in another man. Her thoughts had slipped again and made her heart lurch, and she hated herself for that. Was she so lonely Lazarus King’s face was the only one that could make her tremble?
With another sip of the hot tea, Sasha tried to empty her mind. If she wanted to go to sleep soon, thoughts of the handsome, annoying man wouldn’t help at all.
Instead, she observed Elizabeth, who held a heavy burden in her heart with her son and her work in Chicago. “When you called you said you needed help with something. What was it?”
Elizabeth’s graceful face winced. “I shouldn’t have reached out to you like that. I’d hoped you were in the city and were maybe willing to help. But you don’t have to. I see you need to rest …”
Sasha stopped her. “Without a new contract, I don’t have much to do. I consult, but that’s only when the hospital calls on me. And you know I never say yes until I’m sure I want to do whatever it is I’m being asked.”
With her mouth quirking up, Elizabeth relaxed. “That’s for sure. I remember very well. I knew I couldn’t stay inactive or I’d go insane, so I looked around and found an organization in the neighborhood that welcomes the homeless, who are mostly elderly and veterans. I volunteered and quickly became the coordinator. We sorely need a doctor. We’ve advertised, but you know how slow bureaucracy can be. I thought as you came under the umbrella of a non-profit, it would be easier to get the authorization and have you there as a buffer. I don’t think it will be a full-time job.”
