by India Kells
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
Discover Aleksei and Deva’s story in Lost Bastard, Book 1
Sneak Peek: Night Justice
Also by India Kells
About the Author
True Bastard
(A Dark Sparrow Novel, Book 4) by India Kells
License Notes
Copyright © 2020 by India Kells
Editing and proofreading by Black Opal Editing
Cover Art by The Book Brander
All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-1-989354-14-8
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
Can a bastard and a nun bring down the devil incarnate?
Liam Harker is a cop on a mission. His one goal is to bring his father down and, despite his brothers’ desires, Liam wants him to face justice for all the wrongs he’s committed. Confronted with the insurmountable task of going through his father’s financials, he’s thrown a lifeline when a mutual friend sends novice nun, Sister Catriona Walsh, to help.
Catriona is a wizard with numbers and Liam could definitely use her expertise. There’s only one problem—he’s deeply attracted to the angelic nun. Her beauty, compassion, and intelligence are an almost irresistible combination.
Challenged by his own scars, and his resolve to do the honorable thing, Liam is forced to reconsider everything he thought was right and acknowledge that maybe Catriona is the one that holds the answers.
A bastard in the truest sense of the word, he’s covered in sin, but for his angel of mercy, he’s ready to go through the fires of hell to keep her safe and make her his forever.
TRUE BASTARD is the fourth book of the Dark Sparrows series by USA Today bestselling author India Kells. No cliffhanger. Sinfully hot and purely addictive!
“Hate the sin, love the sinner.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” ~ Marylin Monroe
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
Liam tried to ignore the annoying pain in his knee and wondered when his brain would start to treat it as a secondary buzz.
The good news was the constant improvement, and, according to the doctor, with steady physical therapy, there was a chance that he could fully recover. Maybe.
At least his captain had allowed him to return for special cases, or more specifically, the Finch case. He was lucky that Liam being the son of a man on the most wanted list hadn’t reached his superiors’ ears. However, fieldwork was still out, but he could live with that for now, especially since his father had transformed into a dangerous ghost, and the situation was bound to get worse.
Chewy pulled on his leash through the snow as they approached the diner. It was their spot, as he couldn’t cook. His coffee resembled tar at best, so that little restaurant was his saving grace. His and Chewy’s.
When he pushed the door open, he was glad to see old Debbie behind the counter. It was against regulations to allow his scraggy mutt inside, but Chewy had charmed the owner better than he would ever be able to.
“It’s my favorite customer! And his tolerable owner.”
“Hello, Debbie.”
“Hello, despicable cop.”
A bunch of customers laughed, but Liam only shook his head. One of his colleagues had given her a speeding ticket the week before, and he was now the devil’s spawn. If she only knew.
“Can this despicable cop have a cup of your amazing coffee, Debbie?”
As usual, she sniffed and picked a scone from the tray for Chewy before pouring Liam a cup. “If it wasn’t for that dog and your gorgeous eyes, I would have kicked you to the curb in an instant, like I did my ex-husband.”
Liam paid and winked at her before heading to his favorite booth. Chewy snuck under the table as Liam gave the mutt his treat.
The restaurant was festooned with garlands of red and gold, and there wasn’t a single space that didn’t remind him that Christmas was just around the corner.
Preferring to ignore it, he opened his backpack and spread his files on the table. It was challenging to focus, especially considering the last few days.
All the brothers were in an uproar. Lazarus had survived the surgery following the firefight but was still in a coma. Archer had arranged for him to be taken care of in a secure location with help from Kai and Sam, a secret place inside the hospital where Finch wouldn’t be able to find him. Sasha had helped tremendously in the medical aspect. She’d canceled all her upcoming contracts as a doctor on the mission field to stay with Lazarus until he recovered. Liam didn’t know if there was something between them, but one look at Sasha’s face when she saw his brother in his hospital bed confirmed that she cared for him as much as all the brothers did.
And now that Izzy had destroyed Jamieson Finch in front of the world, they would have to make sure he never rose again. One of the conversations he’d had with Archer and Aleksei in the waiting room stuck with him. What did Finch have left? Money? And a certain amount of hardcore connections? Connections could be cut, but money was another thing. Slippery to get a hold of, like an eel.
Find the money. An obvious task but far from an easy one.
“Hello, Liam.”
He smiled at that voice that had become so familiar in the last few years. “Hello, Gabrielle.”
The blonde spy slid in the booth in front of him. There was something different about her. For the first time ever, she appeared tired, and sadness clouded her blue eyes. “What’s going on, Gab? Any news on Lazarus?”
“Nothing new if that’s what you’re asking.”
Liam sighed in relief. “Sorry, it’s just you look like someone kidnapped your dog.”
When the most dangerous lady he’d ever seen got misty-eyed, something had to be very wrong.
“You could say that. Bad news comes in pairs. My boss, who was also my best friend, has been murdered. I just heard the news.”
Immediately, his cop instincts perked up. “What happened? Is the killer on the loose? Is it related to Finch?”
She dismissed his questions. “Our team has a
strong lead, and I know they’ll find him. But I need to get to them. I’ve always been her second in command, and the organization is shaken. Many of our operatives are currently undercover, and others are deep in dangerous missions. Get there and take care of everything.”
Liam could only nod, understanding her motivation. Until now, Gabrielle Thorne had been one hell of an ally in chasing down Finch.
“Is there something I can do to help?”
“No, unfortunately. The other thing is that I’m leaving all of you in a hot jam, and I don’t know how long it will be before I can help you again.”
Liam shook his head, hands trailing over the papers before him. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll handle things as best we can.”
“As I was organizing my family to leave Chicago for a while, I was thinking about what Finch would try to do, and where he was hiding.” Pushing the documents around, Gabrielle lifted an eyebrow. “It seems we had the same idea. At first glance, his bank accounts are fuller than full, and I’m not referring to his bonds, shares, and whatnots, not that he’ll be able to use them anytime soon. When everything looks so clean, it raises my suspicions. Makes me wonder where the dirt is. Don’t you agree? When Finch’s assets are frozen due to the investigation, I’d be curious about what isn’t on the books too.”
On that, they were on the same page. “It’s going everywhere. I need to get my mind around it. I’ve worked in the Gang Unit, so I’m used to complicated cases. Once all the facts sorted and straightened, it’ll be easier to figure out what he’s up to and what’s happening.”
“Numbers aren’t my forte, either. And as I suspected it would cause you a headache too, I reached out to a friend. After a talk, it seems that we’re not the only ones digging into Jamieson Finch’s assets. And I have to be honest, apart from Archer, and maybe even Isabel, we aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. And I can’t ask your brother to do more than he already is. He’s done so much, and he has his own family to protect.”
Liam snorted. “Not when it’s this deeply detailed. That’s when I reach out to a specialist within our department.”
“And that’s what I got you.”
Liam sighed and leaned back on his seat. He didn’t need a specialist. This Irish boy needed a damn miracle.
Distracted by the chiming of the front door, he looked up and saw an angel.
It was a cliché, but he could hear bells ringing as the woman glided inside.
Her tawny hair was tied in a loose chignon with tendrils falling around her oval face, framing it to perfection. Pale skin and full lips, with curves that were enhanced by her pantsuit. In response, his trousers started to feel way too snug.
Gabrielle turned to follow his glance and shouted with joy. “Catriona!”
Liam almost jumped, and Chewy barked in echoing surprise.
The angel smiled back and hugged Gabrielle before kneeling in front of an excited Chewy who emerged from under the table to beg for a rub. “What a handsome boy you are!” She fussed over him before smiling up at Liam. “Sorry, I love dogs. I didn’t mean to be impolite.”
Gabrielle seemed amused. “Liam Harker, Chicago PD, may I introduce you to someone who has a magical touch with numbers. In fact, she’s been handling money for as long as I can remember, before becoming a key investigator and consultant for the Vatican police department. You want Jamieson Finch’s assets found, or any other shady dealings in line with money, she’s the lady you need by your side. And the bonus is she’s Irish too.”
The apparition was smart, sexy, and had a smile to die for, and Liam knew it would be hell accomplishing anything if he didn’t focus.
Catriona extended her hand. The touch was electric, and he could see in the warm caramel of her eyes that he wasn’t the only one who’d felt it. “Enchanted to meet you.”
“A pleasure, Liam. I’m Sister Catriona Walsh. But you can call me Catriona.”
Chapter One
Liam knew when he was the butt of a joke, but this time, he was certain it came from higher above, which was even worse. The elation he’d experienced at meeting Catriona was so quickly squashed that he felt dizzy and frustrated by the divine way of tricking him.
Although he should have been used to being smacked in the back of his head by destiny, it was the only end possible for Finch’s bastard sons.
Bracing himself, and most importantly, curbing any inappropriate thoughts, he decided that the faster the job could be done, and Finch was behind bars, the quicker he could go back to his life of sinful thoughts. Not that he was a complete dog, but he was male, and this situation was weird.
Gabrielle had snuck out, almost guiltily so, but Catriona didn’t seem to mind. On the contrary, she had that unwavering angelic smile on her beautiful face. Liam knew that he was now in hell.
“I did read the documentation that was available on the plane, but I’m sure there are loads more that we’ll need to look into. In my experience, when you start digging, it’s like a bottomless pit.”
Gabrielle had said she was Irish. Her accent was soft, with the warm lilt diluted with many travels. His own had mostly disappeared since he’d arrived in America an eternity ago. “When did you arrive?”
She smiled, looking up at him. “An hour ago. As soon as I landed, I hopped into a rental car and came here, as per Gabrielle’s request.”
Liam frowned. “Just like that, because a friend told you she needed help, you get on a plane and fly to the other side of the world without question?”
She laughed. “I was already in Washington D.C., so definitely not the other side of the world. Gabrielle is a friend, and when she told me people she cares about needed my expertise, I didn’t have to ask anything else.”
Liam turned his coffee mug in his hand, shaking his head. “Did she tell you that it might be dangerous? We’re not just dealing with numbers here, but men with guns.”
Still nothing in her face wavered. “I guess each and every one of us must act according to their conscience. I’m at peace whenever my end arrives because I’m trying to do good.”
Something settled into Liam’s belly. Those words rang true with him because he felt the same way. His entire life he’d wanted to be a cop and knew very well what the risks were. His latest knee injury was the proof of those risks. A couple of inches higher and the bullet would have hit his femoral artery and Liam Harker would’ve been a memory.
“Yeah, it’s the best outlook to have.” He gestured at the papers strewn on the small table. “I don’t know exactly where to start with all this. And I guess it’s not the best place to discuss this. What are your plans?”
Catriona started to gather the papers in a neat pile. “I haven’t thought about that yet. I was too impatient to find Gabrielle and to meet you.”
Liam blinked. “Meet me?”
If possible, her smile grew even wider. “Yes. Gabrielle told me how hard you and your brothers were working on the case. She wasn’t keen on telling me the details, but she said it was important to you. And also, she told me you were an officer in the Chicago Police Department. If I could’ve taken that road, I think I would’ve liked being part of the police force.”
Was that regret that he saw blinking in her eyes? Her golden amber eyes. It reminded him of butterscotch caramel, his addiction when he was a kid. Now too, as a matter of fact.
“If you’re as good as Gabrielle said you are, you could enter the financial brigade even if you’ve never held a gun in your life.”
The smile returned and Liam was glad. “Thank goodness. I don’t think I’d ever been able to shoot someone, even in the leg.”
Liam sat back, arching an eyebrow. “After being shot in the leg myself and with all the pain and trouble it’s brought, I don’t recommend it. I should’ve been asked to be shot in the heart.”
The look of utter dismay on her face was too fun to pass, but only for a minute. “It’s okay Catriona, it was only a joke.”
“So you haven’t been shot?”
/>
“Oh, I’ve been shot in the leg, but I’m not ready to die yet. I have something important to do and that’s why you’re here.” Not interested in lingering any longer on his war wounds, Liam opened his pack to put the papers back in. “Where are you planning to stay?”
“I thought to stay with Gabrielle, but as she’s moving and her house is already rented out, I need to check out what’s available.”
Liam paused as he grabbed his coat. “The holiday season won’t make it easy. What about I make a few phone calls? A couple of my brothers have connections, they may find you something. Some place safe.”
Catriona frowned. “Are you insinuating that we’re in some kind of danger?”
Chewy pushed at Liam’s hand, a sure sign he needed to go outside, although there was a much more pressing matter on his hands. He realized he was stuck with a beautiful, inaccessible woman, who had no experience with dangerous situations, who’d probably never been directly involved in one, who despised violence and could become more of a liability than an asset. Just his luck.
“What did Gabrielle tell you when she asked for your help?”
