Page 138 of The Devil's Heir

The bag is torn from my grip. Through blurry eyes, I watch the man rush over to Jarek, peel off his own clothes, and hurl them into a nearby fire. Now dressed in a police uniform, the stranger looms over Jarek's unconscious body.

Black dots dance in my vision. Before I know it, darkness consumes me, and I know no more.

SIXTY-TWO

Liliana

There are voices in my head. They're saying my name, but then everything goes quiet. Fluttering in my stomach wakes me a few times but then settles, and I find sleep again. Each time I become conscious, it's fleeting, and then I'm dragged back down into the darkness, and I sleep some more.

There are no dreams or memories, only utter darkness—and silence. I'm not sure what's put me in this state. Am I sleeping? Have I been drugged and taken yet again? It's too exhausting to think about, so I sleep some more.

Beeping close by stirs me and I'm startled when my eyes actually open. There's no more darkness or silence, but it's not all that bright either. My lids flutter as my eyes try to focus on what's in front of me.

I'm lying on my back, so the first thing that comes into view is an unfamiliar ceiling. I'm toasty warm—a little too warm—unlike the last time I was taken. When I try to move my hand, I'm surprised to find that it's not restrained.

A sigh of relief escapes my lips, and I jerk when I hear a gasp from somewhere nearby. Turning my head in the direction of the sound, I find an unfamiliar woman sitting beside the bed I'm on.

"Miss Sumner, you're awake! Let me call the doctor," the woman exclaims.

She stands, and I notice she's in scrubs—a nurse.

"Where am I?" My voice cracks when I speak.

"Let me go get someone who can explain everything to you, dear." The nurse smiles then leaves the room as she brings her phone to her ear.

My stomach flutters, and my hands fly to the large mound protruding out. I'm confused at first, but it all starts returning to me. I'm pregnant with Jarek Falcon's child! Another sigh escapes when I realize the baby is okay after whatever ordeal I went through. I can't quite remember what happened to put me here—whereverhereis.

The sound of rushing footsteps down the corridor reaches my ears, and my pulse races as they approach. Is it Jarek? Excitement streaks through me at the thought. I need to see a familiar face, so I know that I'm safe and that my baby is safe.

A looming form in the doorway has me gasping as I gaze at the tall figure. They stare at me, a look of relief passing over their expression before a smile graces their lips.

"Joey?" I ask.

"Lily! Thank God you're awake!"

"Yeah, I guess I am. What happened? Where am I?"

"You don't remember anything?" Joey asks curiously.

I shake my head as I try to think back. "No. The last thing I remember vividly is taking care of Heath. I thought maybe I had been drugged and retaken." I glance at my stomach, noticing how much bigger it is than I remember. "Joey, how long was I out for?"

The young capo furrows his brows and looks down as he fiddles with his fingers. I wait until he's ready to speak again, and when he lifts his head to meet my eyes, I swear I stop breathing. Something about the way he's acting isn't right. He's worried about telling me, but why?

"Joey?"

"You've been in a coma for two months, Lily."

I gasp. "What? How…I mean, why?"

"I'll have Jackson come visit you because he can tell you why you were there, but there was an incident at the bank. An explosion happened, and you got knocked out." Joey nods and looks at my head. "You split your head open in the process, and we almost lost you. The baby is fine. Dr. Owens comes to check on you daily."

There's something he's not telling me. Where am I exactly, and why is he here and not Jarek? Dread begins to fill me as I try to remember the event that Joey is speaking of, but the only thing I get is a slight throbbing in my head.

"Joey—where is Jarek?"

He sighs and comes into the room further, taking the chair the nurse had occupied just moments ago. I don't like the look on his face. Something is seriously wrong.

Joey runs his hand down his face, and now that he's sitting this close, I can see the exhaustion by the dark circles under his eyes. Not only that, but his cheekbones are more pronounced like he hasn't been eating much.