Dark Bastard: A Dark Sparrow Novel Read online

  A DARK SPARROW NOVEL

  INDIA KELLS

  Contents

  Blurb

  Definitions

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  King Bastard

  Deadly Alliance

  Also by India Kells

  About the Author

  Follow India Kells

  Dark Bastard

  (A Dark Sparrow Novel, Book 5) 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 978-1-989354-17-9

  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

  To find the light, he must confront the darkness.

  Sam Sarkhan has had enough. Enough of life, enough of struggling with his demons every day, enough of pretending that everything is okay. Even though his time as a soldier taught him not to give in until the mission is over, he decides to end it all on New Year’s Eve. A final call to his brother shows him he’s not the only one suffering when he misdials and reaches someone who seems as lost as he is.

  Deciding to put off ending it all until he’s sure Ellie is going to live, Sam is left reeling when his darkest nightmare crashes back into his life. In order to save Ellie from the monster that is his father, Sam must make a deal with the devil.

  With his heart on the line and his soul in tatters, Sam must decide if he’ll take an ultimate chance on love, or if his demons will drag him under for good.

  “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” ~ Emily Dickinson

  “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” ~ Desmond Tutu

  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

  Prologue

  As he turned away from the festive crowd celebrating the arrival of the new year, Sam Sarkhan strayed deeper into the city, seeking solace he knew was nowhere to be found, neither in the heavens nor in the underbelly of Chicago.

  For a week now, nightmares plagued his soul whether he was awake or battling for sleep with an intensity he could no longer bear. The suffering and trauma he’d tried to suppress from infancy couldn’t be contained anymore.

  It was one of the reasons he’d enrolled in the army as a young man and became one of the most skilled and dangerous soldiers in his home country. To be prepared to confront and take down the demon who’d made sure to destroy his life from the very moment Sam took his first breath.

  What wrecked him even more was that it had all been for nothing. The demon had won.

  Sam hunched against the bitter wind as he reached the river. The area was tranquil at this time of night, free of tourists and busy workers milling around. It wasn’t calm like the desert of his youth, but it was the only thing he had.

  The water echoed the sky, dark and deep with blocks of ice floating along like glittering stars. It beckoned to him, beckoning his soul, promising peace and the quieting of the demon devouring him.

  He wished he had another solution, but Sam knew there wasn’t one.

  Silence and calm were pulling at him like a siren’s song. He’d had enough and wanted to end it tonight.

  His thoughts went to his brothers, all five of them, who’d pulled him out of the darkness, if only for a time. Good men, honorable men in their own way, who’d banded together to slay their enemy. Sam was convinced they’d succeed, even without him.

  As a soldier, he knew that the weakest link decided the outcome of a battle, and he wouldn’t allow himself to be that link. His brothers deserved to defeat their common dragon, their father.

  With his eyes focused on the flowing waters, Sam barely noticed the soft snowflakes whirling all around him.

  A faint smile came to him as he thought about the young boy he’d been, raised by the Bedouins in the desert, who wouldn’t have believed the marvels of the world, let alone the miracle of frozen water falling from the sky.

  It had been so long ago, with very few moments of happiness in between.

  Tiredness pulled at Sam like a terminal disease, one he knew he wouldn’t survive. One thing was for sure; he wouldn’t wait until he became the very thing he despised.

  He looked around and there wasn’t a soul to see him. With the certainty of what he needed to do next, he yanked his cell phone from his coat. He owed it to his brothers, especially Lazarus, to let them know to not search for him, and wish them well on their mission. He’d leave a message and be done with it.

  With numb fingers, he dialed his sibling’s voicemail.

  “Hello?”

  The female voice that answered took him by surprise. He hadn’t expected anyone to answer and Sam didn’t recognize the voice on the other end of the line.

  As he hesitated, the woman continued. “Hello? Are you still there?”

  The voice was soft and warm, with a hint of worry in it. Sam didn’t like being the one causing this mysterious woman distress. “I’m sorry. I think I dialed the wrong number.”

  The feminine voice lightened. “Who were you trying to call?”

  Before he could stop himself, Sam answered. “I was trying to reach my brother. I must’ve made a mistake. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

  “No worries. It’s New Year’s Eve after all. You want to share it with your family. You’re lucky to have one.”

  Sam caught the sad lilt in her voice. It mirrored his swirling darkness, and she became unexpected kin of some sort. “You don’t have a family?” Sam was surprised he’d even asked the question, as if it were pulled from his mouth without his consent.

  This time, the silence stretched on the other end of the line and he heard the faint background noise of a car passing by and the wind picking up. She was outside like he was.

  “Hello? Are you still there?”

  The wind blew through the tenuous connection until her voice returned on the line. “I’m glad you called me by mistake. Sometimes, when you’re out there helping people, you still feel alone. It can become almost untenable, such as tonight. Do you understand? Like constantly emptying your cup without having it filled.”

  Sam was taken back by wha
t she’d just revealed, a confession that rang so similar to his own, it was like putting a mirror right in the face of his suffering. “Yes, the more it empties, the more torment replaces it, without it having any way out.”

  “Yes. Torment is the word for it, don’t you think?” Sam didn’t know how to answer when she laughed, even if it was so sad. “I’m so sorry to swamp you with my melancholy, whoever you are. I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to me ramble. You must call your brother, wish him a happy new year and go celebrate with him.”

  The more she spoke, the more her distress materialized in his mind. In a weird twist, destiny had linked them, and her voice acted as a buoy, holding him up just before he was about to drown, although Sam feared she was drowning as well.

  “And you?” Sam wasn’t ready to break the connection yet. Part of him was still gasping for air and wanted to keep breathing.

  “I need to go to work. I’m on my way now. Although I’m so tired, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do my shift, much less finish it. I fear I won’t be able…”

  That simple sentence would’ve sounded innocuous if not for how her soft voice hollowed out, a sign that it would soon fall silent, and he couldn’t let her slip away yet.

  “Won’t be able to what? Talk to me.” He seemed brasher than he wished, but without knowing who or where she was, he only had his voice to keep her on the line.

  “It’s like someone has chipped away at what’s left of my heart. I don’t think I can go on anymore.”

  Beyond the words, it was the tears and void he sensed that made Sam shiver. This stranger echoed the exact sentiment that had been poisoning him. However, why did it enrage him to hear it from this woman when he’d accepted this fact for himself?

  “Go on doing what?”

  With a sigh, Sam detected a faint sob. “I lost another one. When I reached him, he was cold and dead, all alone in this freezing weather. I thought I could save him, but he was already gone.” Another whimper came through the line, clogging Sam’s throat. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have burdened you. I need to leave now.”

  “Wait! Please. Are you going to be okay?”

  The woman didn’t answer, and it was clear she forced a smile to her voice when she replied. “Whoever you are, I wish you a happy new year.”

  “Don’t hang up!”

  The woman didn’t hear his sharp order. Why had her last words sounded like the same goodbye he’d wanted to give Lazarus only moments ago?

  The protector inside him, as well as unidentified emotions he’d yet to explain, sent a string of warnings through him. If he didn’t act, if he didn’t reach the woman who’d unknowingly pulled him from taking his own life, she’d vanish, and bring him down with her. One way or another, he’d found a fellow lost soul, and he needed to get to her.

  It didn’t change his decision, but now, before he could find solace, he had one last mission to accomplish, one final soul to save.

  Chapter One

  It was strange, feeling the panic rise inside him. How long since he’d experienced that particular emotion? Sam tried to redial the woman’s number and was immediately redirected to an automated voicemail.

  With no name, and only a phone number, he had to act fast. Too far away from a computer, he had no other option but to ask for help.

  Now walking toward the busier side of downtown Chicago in the hope of finding a ride to his apartment, he dialed his brother’s number, probably the only one who’d answer so late at night.

  “Lazarus King speaking.”

  “Oz, it’s Sam.” The hesitation on the other end of the line was telling. It wasn’t like him to call.

  “Happy New Year, brother. I’m happy to hear your voice.”

  His brother didn’t have to explain his statement. Lazarus had that keen sense of knowing when something was wrong with someone, and to be honest, Sam had been sliding downhill for some time now.

  “You too, brother. But I fear I’m not calling to offer well wishes. I need a quick favor.”

  Sam could hear shuffling in the background. “I’m listening. What do you need?”

  It stunned him how Lazarus never asked questions, always trusting him even though brothers had only found each other a short time ago. Could that blood bond create such a connection so easily?

  “I’ll explain later, but can you track down a phone number?”

  “Shoot, my skills are at your service.”

  Sam relayed the phone number and waited as he continued walking. Apart from people laughing and some inebriated idiots, the streets were quite calm. The fact the police were very visible despite the cold temperature was a good reason too.

  “Gimme a minute. The number you gave me is private. I’ll need to pull a few tricks. Is this a sensitive caller? Someone that might keep track of who’s after them?”

  Sam doubted that very much. He had no clue who she was, but nothing inside told him she was any sort of agent. “I wouldn’t worry about that.”

  Lazarus hummed and continued working until he unlocked the information. “Ellie McLaren.”

  “What does it say about her?” It was like a punch in the sternum to learn her name, and his question to Lazarus sounded closer to a sneer than a genuine question. Sam never lost his cool, and he had to bring himself back.

  “Easy, brother. I’m pulling up the information as we speak.”

  Ellie. Even if he didn’t utter her name, his lips moved, mouthing the syllables. Who was she? And more urgently, why did he feel as if she’d been on the verge, the same edge he’d been less than an hour ago?

  “I found her tax report and she’s a 911 operator here in Chicago.”

  “She said she was about to start her shift, that’s probably where she’s heading. Do you have the location?”

  “Near Park Avenue. I’m sending you the address. I’ll call you an Uber. It will be quicker than getting a cab, especially where you are.”

  As he was checking the address, Lazarus’ words made their way through his urgency as did the fact that his brother knew where he was. “Are you keeping tabs on me?”

  With a deep sigh, Lazarus’s British accent seemed deeper, sharper. “Always, Sam. You’re my brother and I care. The car is en route, and when you have a minute, I want to know why this Ellie McLaren has turned you into an impatient bastard.”

  The line went dead just as a vehicle approached, flashing its headlight in Sam’s direction. He didn’t know if he was ready to make sense of this, yet, let alone tell his brother, as he had a couple of questions to answer on his own.

  The hint of dawn, now only minutes away seemed to drop the temperature even more as he left the building. Sam pushed the discomfort to the back of his mind as steam rose inside him at the fact that Ellie wasn’t at the 911 call center. However, luck was on his side and for once, didn’t disappear along the way. He’d found a way to access the call center, which wasn’t hard as the people coming and going were like zombies, not noticing who was around them as tiredness dulled their attention.

  Inside, it had been easy to locate the call center, and even Ellie’s spot, but her chair was empty. Worry gnawed at him until he found out that Ellie had called in to get the night off. Where was she? Sam doubted the woman would’ve lied about heading to work, and the fact she’d notified her boss just after their discussion calmed his alarm a little.

  It was tempting to contact Lazarus once more, but he wanted to find a way on his own. In some weird way, he didn’t want anyone else to know about Ellie.

  In the almost deserted section, it had been only a matter of seconds and skill to keep a low profile from the various cameras and slide into an empty office. Morning was arriving, but Sam had to make the best of a few minutes alone with the computer.

  The first good news was that the machine had Internet access, allowing him to set a few safeguards to remain undetected before digging in and find the holy grail: her home address.

  Sam took public transport, most probably th
e route Ellie took to go home. Even knowing she wasn’t there, he looked around, discreetly examining the passengers. It was the first time he wondered what the sad woman looked like. She didn’t have a worn or raw voice often found in older women. With everything going on, Sam never thought about checking her photo, and for him, it didn’t matter; she was a human being who was suffering, much like he was.

  He didn’t want to analyze his reaction to it or think beyond what he’d do after making sure she was all right.

  After a thirty-minute ride with a few transfers and walks in-between, Sam was once again frozen when he arrived in front of the brick four-story building. It blended perfectly in the turn-of-the-century working-class neighborhood. Some parts had been restored, but most were still showing their age, or maybe that impression was caused by the bleak morning winter light.

  People were milling around now, the city coming alive as a new day began, and he looked around for a place to stake out the building, maybe a restaurant when someone came out. The older man glanced at Sam before smiling. He was bald and had a bright-red cardigan buttoned over his ample belly. “Hey! Finally! I thought you’d never arrive.”