Wild Bastard: A Dark Sparrow Novel

by Kells, India

  Kai reached into his inner pocket and retrieved Gabrielle’s tracker he had picked up earlier. He tried to find a piece of fabric strong enough to pin the swirl of flowers, but the satin was too thin.

  “Pin it in my hair.”

  Isabel turned her head sideways as he found a spot by her chignon. When he was done, he touched his lips to her neck, like a butterfly’s caress.

  Her fingers found the stubble of his cheek and stayed there for a while. It was an incomplete embrace, she wanted to express so much more, but too soon the car pulled to the curb and the mission beckoned.

  “I love you.” They both said it as the exact same time before a second later the car came to a complete stop.

  “Stay safe. Don’t play the hero. Don’t follow him wherever he may lead you.”

  Sam exited the car to open the door. And she knew that their time was up. Panic simmered but she was determined to see this through. Refusing Finch, especially at this stage, would put everything the brothers had worked for on the line.

  Even if her heart wasn’t light at the prospect of this encounter, she now had the same determination as Kai had to end this. And she would show the world that inside her also stood a warrior.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Kai felt like he was trapped in a bad dream. In the backseat, he had seen the toll this entire evening was going to take on Isabel, and even if he wanted to snatch her away to safety, he couldn’t help but admire how she faced Finch. When she exited the elevator, the apprehension he had seen in her had vanished and instead, a sensual and confident woman walked out. Rolling her hips, making the red satin shimmer like fire under the dim lights, Kai didn’t have to look to know that every male eye was glued to her curves with wolfish hunger.

  The maître d’ led them to a smaller section of the restaurant, and opened the door to a private dining area. Finch was there, standing by the window overlooking the night sky of Chicago. It looked planned for maximum effect. Kai’s father, who was wearing a dark suit, didn’t even glance in his direction, all his attention and smiles were for Isabel.

  “My dearest, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

  Finch took both her hands in his and kissed them several times. As he expected, Isabel giggled. “Please, any woman on earth would look gorgeous in this dress. You have great taste and are way too generous. This wasn’t necessary.”

  “No doubt, but there is no way you shouldn’t be the brightest light in Chicago tonight.”

  He led her to the table, and it was then that his frown fell on Kai. “She’s quite safe with me, Mr. Keaton. You can wait outside. And close the door.”

  Kai’s first instinct was to snarl at the man, but careful to stay in character, he glanced at Isabel who dismissed him.

  When the door clicked closed, Kai worked at keeping control and not focusing on the fact that the woman he loved was alone with the most dangerous and manipulative monster he had ever known. And for a soldier who had seen the most perilous regions on earth, that said something. Facing the private dining room so he also had a good view of the main entrance as well as a partial view of the rest of the restaurant, Kai took out his phone while he connected his earbud to Isabel’s mic brooch.

  The conversation was light as Finch started serving champagne. Dimming the sound, he dialed Gabrielle’s phone. And keep his voice as low as possible. “I’m in position. What’s your status?”

  “You know you’re gonna get heat about the fact that you didn’t tell her we were planning to get into Finch’s office and hack his computer.”

  “May I remind you that you didn’t tell her either.”

  Gabrielle snorted. “Sorry, buddy, but this one is on you. I’ll play innocent that’s for sure.”

  Kai had made the call to keep that piece of information from Isabel. Not that he didn’t trust her, but she already had enough on her mind as it was. When Isabel had returned to the guest apartment last night, the entire team agreed that they had to accelerate the pace, and not only rely on Jenny’s potential information. If that didn’t pan out, they needed another source.

  Liam had reached out to a cop friend who specialized in sexual abuse crimes against children, and he had said that one hundred percent of the time, the culprit had compromising pictures and videos in his possession. That’s when Lazarus and Gabrielle had come up with the plan of breaking into Finch’s office. The reason was two-fold; they already knew the layout of the entire floor, security system, and personnel movements, and it was probable that Finch would have his personal and professional computers linked. He was known for working from home, and could access his files from anywhere through a secure connection. If there was a way out, there was a way in. The trick was in a small USB key, so small it almost disappeared from view when plugged in. The problem was that none of them could stay long enough to hack the computer. Everything except the installation of the key had to be done off-site.

  “Are you in position to enter?”

  Kai heard rustling in the background. “I’m already out and I’ve called my hacker. He’s already hard at work, and if there is something on that motherfucker’s board, he will find it.”

  Kai once again was blown away by Gabrielle’s skills. “Good. So it’s the waiting game now.”

  “Unfortunately, yes. How is she holding up?”

  “They are in a private room, and from what I can hear, Finch is trying to woo her with everything he has.”

  A strange sound scratched his ear before Gabrielle answered. “Wait, I’m back with Oz, I’m gonna put you on speakerphone.”

  More rustling before Lazarus’s low voice was heard. “Bad news, Kai. We finally got news on who the low-lives were who shot at you on the street the other day. No luck with the faces, but money talks. The trail led us to a bank account linked to one of Finch’s subsidiaries.”

  Before he realized it, Kai had taken a step toward the dining-room door. The laughter in his ear told him that Isabel wasn’t in immediate danger and he returned to his spot. “Did Aleksei get anything on the men? Why they tried to kill her?”

  “That’s the problem, brother. Their instructions weren’t to kill her, but to kill you.”

  Kai glanced at his phone like he hadn’t heard Oz correctly. “Me? Why me? I’m only the bodyguard. There is only one reason for Finch to contract a direct hit on me, and that would be because he knows who I am. Does he?”

  Gabrielle was the one to answer his question. “No, Kai. Aleksei made sure he got everything he could from the men, and the instructions were to only kill you and leave Isabel unharmed. When asked why, one of the thugs said that it was so Finch could put his own men on Isabel.”

  It was more proof that Finch had set his sight on the woman Kai loved, and it twisted his heart, filling his gut with fear. “What’s the plan with that newfound information?” Kai could work with a sensible plan, especially as it would distract him from thinking about what could happen if he left Isabel one more minute with the man.

  “I know what you’re thinking, but we can’t move yet. Isabel is as safe as she can be. The plan is in motion and we are still waiting to hear from our hacker. Until then, we mustn’t raise suspicions. I don’t want her within Finch’s reach either, Kai, but if we move too fast, everything Isabel has achieved will be over and Finch will be in the wind again.”

  It was a sensible plan, and one that Kai hated with every part of his being. The only solace he had was that he was only one door away from getting to her if need be, and he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Finch if he laid a hand on her. “Are our men in place?”

  Lazarus had been in charge of making sure that despite the fact there was only a few of them, everyone was positioned optimally in case of trouble. “Yes, Sam is the closest to you and only one floor down. Aleksei and a couple of his friends are checking the exits. Liam is in a car at the back.”

  Kai stayed silent as a waiter passed in front of him to enter the room with a large, covered plate. The service was swift
as he exited less than a minute later without a sound apart from Isabel’s laughter.

  As the waiter left, Kai looked around and frowned. “Have you seen any of Finch’s bodyguards? So far, I’ve seen none. Normally they keep their distance, but never this much. I should at least have one annoying me with his face now.”

  “Wait, I’ll check with the others.”

  Even a quick look around didn’t show anybody he knew. There was a possibility that he’d hired people the team hadn’t seen before, or decided to let go of the close protection while inside the building.

  “We have located his car and driver on a side street. Aleksei and Liam are keeping an eye out, but they haven’t seen anyone yet. We are guessing that there may be a couple of them close by waiting out of sight.”

  That wasn’t something Kai was happy to hear. Not when he knew that Finch had sicced his goons on him. Something felt out of place, he could feel it burning in his gut. It was like driving on the road in the desert at night when the moon was high and the enemy nearby. The attack was certain, only the exact time was unknown.

  “Sam is silent, Kai. I can’t get him on the comms.”

  And there it was, the blindside attack. “What was his last location?”

  “He had come to stay at the restaurant’s entrance. Last time we spoke was when he left the elevator.”

  “On my way.”

  “Kai, stay in place. Aleksei should be there in less than three minutes.”

  The ongoing conversation he could hear between Finch and Isabel reassured him. “I’ll only be a minute. And if he’s not there, you can start searching the other floors too.”

  Kai strode across the restaurant and pushed the door open. The space wasn’t that big, there were people coming in, but Sam was nowhere to be seen. “Oz, Sam is not there. Check his phone and try to locate him, I’m returning to my position.”

  As he said the words, the fire alarm started to ring. Kai looked around, before heading back inside. The customers coming out of the restaurant acted like a current, pushing against him as he tried to make his way back to Isabel and Finch and their private dining room. Over the noise of the alarm, it was difficult to hear any noise from the tracker’s mic.

  His eyes scanned the fleeing crowd and he didn’t see Isabel or Finch. When he returned to the private dining room, the door was open, and nobody was there.

  In panic mode, Kai rushed to open all the doors, all the while contacting Lazarus. “Fire alarm! Isabel has disappeared. Finch is gone too, and they didn’t leave through the main entrance. Locate her, dammit!”

  Kai ran to the kitchen, but it too was empty.

  “We have eyes on most exits. I see her dot on the screen, Kai. She’s going down the emergency stairs on the west side.”

  Kai sprinted to the opposite section of the restaurant and located the emergency door. Gun in hand he pushed the door and started running down. Could it be that easy? Was it just a fire drill and they only took another door? He hoped it was that simple.

  Gabrielle’s voice rang in his earpiece. “They are not running, but still going down.”

  “They are five floors below you. I’m running to the ground-level exit as we speak.” Lazarus was breathing hard, clearly running. “Sam is back in place. His comm had been disconnected and he was trying to find a way to contact me.”

  If he could jump down the staircase, Kai wouldn’t hesitate. As he ran, Kai hoped for an update on Isabel’s location as it was impossible to know if they had taken any of the doors.

  Kai’s nightmare came to reality at the next words over the comms. “The tracker is down. I don’t see Isabel on the screen anymore.”

  Panic felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest. Despite the lack of air and tight chest, he pushed until he arrived on the ground floor and opened the last door, only to be welcomed by Lazarus’s gun barrel.

  “Shit!”

  Lazarus looked around and only saw an empty underground parking lot. Isabel was gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Isabel held her broken brooch in her hand with dread.

  Finch touched her hand as they were being driven away in his limousine. When the alarm went off and they had to evacuate, Isabel thought she would faint when Kai was no longer by the door. Where was he? Was he okay?

  She knew at that moment she had a decision to make; break cover or carry on and see how long she could hold up. The choice was easy, too bad it had to be so hard.

  Finch led her to the closest emergency staircase and when he took her hand to lead her toward a side hallway her brooch fell from her hair and broke into two pieces on the tiles. It was impossible to know if it still worked or if she was on her own. If only she hadn’t forgotten her clutch with her cell phone at the restaurant.

  “I will have it repaired. I know the best jeweler in the city.”

  The more he touched her, the more her stomach clenched in pain, and she had to draw from very deep inside herself to offer him a smile. “Thank you, Jamieson. I shouldn’t worry about it. I hope that everybody got out of the building safely.”

  He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “I am sure they are all fine.”

  “I should contact Mr. Keaton to tell him I’m okay. Where are we going?” With the tinted windows, seeing where she was going was a challenge and added another level of danger.

  “I’ve told my men to notify your bodyguard, so don’t worry. I’m sorry we couldn’t fully enjoy our meal and were cut short. I want to make it up to you.”

  Oh crap. What did he have in mind? Apart from offering what she hoped was an adoring smile, there wasn’t much she could do. Her watch indicated midnight and she hoped this whole thing wasn’t going to turn her into a bloody pumpkin.

  Galant as ever, Finch hopped out the car, and offered his hand. As soon as she stepped on the sidewalk and looked up, Isabel immediately knew where she was. Jamieson Finch had brought her to his apartment building.

  Heart hammering, stomach cramping, she elegantly took his arm as he led her inside. The concierge offered them a huge smile and fussed a little as he called the elevator.

  Isabel held on to Finch’s elbow as they rode up, but the man had other intentions. His arms came around her waist to pull her into a feverish kiss. Channeling all her skills as an actress, Isabel kissed him back. If he could believe what her body told him, it was all that mattered.

  Breaking the kiss as they arrived in the lobby of the penthouse, he led her inside and made her sit on the sofa. Kneeling before her, he removed her high heels and rubbed the soles of her feet. “I’ve made you walk way more than I expected in those shoes. You must be in pain.”

  “Not anymore.”

  If she didn’t know the darkness of his soul, Isabel would have easily fallen for the man. Unfortunately, everything that he presented was a veneer, a trickery.

  “Would you like a drink?”

  A bottle wouldn’t be enough for her.

  “With pleasure. I’ll have what you’re having.”

  “Rum then.”

  Crossing her legs, Isabel watched him as he removed his vest, rolled up his sleeves and opened a cabinet bar in the corner of the living room. So far, this apartment that was full of expensive furniture, mirrors, and gold trimmings reflected its owner. All show and dangerous substance.

  “It’s a dark rum I discovered in Hawaii years ago. One taste, and I couldn’t get enough.”

  At his reference, her heart seized in her chest, but the way he moved and talked didn’t convey any underlying tone. “Aren’t rums mostly made in the Caribbean’s?” She accepted the glass he offered as he settled close beside her.

  “True, but I’ve been to Hawaii a couple of times, and discovered it on one of my trips. Fell in love with it and I always have a bottle with me.”

  Isabel forced herself to taste. “Warmer than I expected. A stronger taste.”

  Finch smile as if he approved. “The unexpected is a nice touch. Like you.”

/>   The lust in his eyes was back. “And I have to admit, you were quite unexpected too. Do you have such close relationships with all your partners?”

  His hand went to her knee and started playing with the satin covering it. “There can be an attraction, of course. But with you, I sense something more. What about you?”

  Wetting her lips, she tried to find a witty repartee. “You surprised me. As you said, there’s always an attraction, but I feared after what you’ve been through, you wouldn’t want another woman in your life. Even for a night.”

  He frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you are a widower and it must have been painful to lose your wife. It’s been all over the news. Your children. And I’m not even talking about the strain of a campaign. Sorry for being blunt, but what do you want from me? A quick fuck or something more?”

  His hand stilled on her. “Isabel, if you want a ring, I don’t think I’ll be up for that again. Not at my age.”

  “No, I don’t want anything from you. Apart from your time. I don’t care how old you think you are.”

  Downing the rest of her alcohol, letting it burn a path down her throat, she kissed him. “It’s what you make me feel that matters in the end, Jamieson. I just don’t want to be tossed away like an old rag.”

  He touched her hair before taking her lips again. This time, the gentleman was gone, and it was his harshness that made an appearance.

  For an eternity they made out on the couch, his arousal pushing against her hip in a dreadful reminder. When they both came up for air, Finch swooped her up in his arms. In the background, something buzzed in the living room and Isabel turned her head. “What’s that noise?”

  “My phone, don’t mind it.”

  Isabel realized that the opportunity for delay or escape had slipped by. Her smiles were getting more and more difficult to maintain, so was finding a way to get out of this. It was felt like, because she had found true love, life was making her pay it back.