Page 141 of The Devil's Heir

"Zita, come in. I want you to meet Liliana," Joey rushes to the woman.

Confusion passes through me, and then anger replaces it when I remember that this woman is Rossi's daughter—the same Rossi who caused all of this.

"What is she still doing here, and why isn't she locked up?"

"Lily!" Jackson hisses.

"No. This is all her father's doing! If he retaliated, why isn't she back where she belongs?"

The machine beside me starts beeping faster, and I faintly hear Dr. Owens trying to get me to calm down. I continue to glare at the woman, who now stares at me guiltily.

"Where is Jarek?" I ask her, but all she does is look at Joey.

"Lily, Zita did not approve of what her father pulled with you. She's disowned him, and she's no longer in her cell because she's with me now." Joey states, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"So, my friends can't know I'm alive, but our enemy's daughter can? That's a little fucked up!" I know I don't know this woman, but I won't trust her until I have Jarek back home or know what has happened to him. "Get her out of my sight!"

"You're not the boss around here, Lily," Joey states angrily.

"Oh, no? Last I checked, I'm the one carrying the future boss, so it falls on me until he can make the decisions! Now, get her out of here…"

I don't know what's come over me or why, but suddenly, I feel the need to take a stand—something I've never done before. Given the circumstance, I have only one priority: keeping Jarek's and my son safe until the threat has passed.

Zita is a Rossi. That name alone is the reason why I've missed two months of my life, why my memory is full of holes, and why Jarek is missing. Right now, I trust no one—especially not anyone Jarek himself, wouldn't trust. That includes his best friend's little girlfriend.

SIXTY-THREE

Liliana

After waking up from the coma and learning about the events that took place, I vowed to do everything I could to get better as soon as possible. I needed to find out what happened to Jarek. Deep down, I could still feel him—he was still alive—and I'm going to find him. Jarek may be the devil, but he's my devil, and I'll be damned if anyone steals my son's father from him.

It's been a little over a month since I woke up, and Dr. Owens has finally taken me off bed rest. My child is strong and a fighter, so I will do whatever is needed to be just as strong.

Leaving my room for the first time, I close the door softly behind me and take in the hardwood floors and walls. Joey told me they have me hidden in the mountains, about four hours away from Rushwood. Being so far from home, I'm feeling unsettled, especially when Jarek isn't here.

I'm not sure when I became so dependent on being near the devil, but he's all I've had for so long that nothing feels right without him nearby.

The place we're at is enormous, more like a lodge than a cabin as Joey called it. It belongs to Lonzo, yet despite the whole time I've spent here, I've never once seen him. He's taken care of business on the outside. Because he was Jarek's uncle's underboss, Carmen wanted him to stay on until she could replace him. The bitch thinks he's loyal to her. However, she's yet to reveal anything about Jarek to the older Lonzo.

As I walk slowly through the hallway, I stare at the portraits on the walls. They must all be Joey's ancestors because the resemblances between them are uncanny.

When I reach the stairs, I descend into a quiet foyer. The only sound is a clock in the distance. There isn't even any staff moving about, which is odd. My stomach rumbles, reminding me why I left my room to begin with. I start my search for the kitchen.

Opening all the closed doors as I pass them; I can't believe the number of unused rooms in this place. There are a couple of sitting rooms, two libraries, a small study, and some bedrooms that look like they would belong to staff members.

When I finally come to the kitchen, I gasp at the sheer size of it. It's almost three times the size of the massive bedroom I've been staying in. I don't know why they need such a large kitchen in the mountains. I'll never understand rich people.

I hobble towards the fridge, hoping there's something I can make that will satisfy my hunger. I'm as large as a whale now; the little guy can come in the next few weeks, so my cravings are outrageous. I've made Jackson go out and get me pickles, peanut butter, and mint ice cream quite a few times in the last month. I feel sorry for him, but he's all I got right now.

I'm still not comfortable enough around Joey since the day he introduced me to Zita. He doesn't understand why I feel like I do, so he's stayed away from me as much as possible.

I rummage through the fridge, finding eggs, bacon, and ham. I then pull out hashbrowns from the freezer and set them on the counter.

"Please, let me do that for you. You shouldn't be on your feet too long," a heavy-accented female voice says from behind me. I'm startled and spin around, holding my chest.

"Jesus! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!" I frown at Zita but feel bad when she flinches from my rudeness. "I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone was home. I've been walking around for fifteen minutes trying to find the kitchen and didn't see or hear anyone."

Zita smiles softly. "We're all here, but we've been in Lonzo's office going over a few things."