Page 166 of The Devil's Heir

ME: I didn't think so. I love you, too. Hurry home.

Ever since I talked with Jackson yesterday, I've been anxious to have Jarek back home. Hearing everything Jackson said has me in a whirlwind of emotions, and I need to tell Jarek how I feel about it. I won't do it over the phone, though.

A cry from the crib reaches my ears. I throw the covers off and climb out of bed. Walking to the crib, I pick Keirnan up to start our day. I must keep myself busy or go crazy waiting for Jarek to come home.

Zita comes over around lunchtime, wanting to have a girls' shopping day. I'm not feeling up to going anywhere while Jarek isn't home, so I invite her to stay for lunch. Of course, I call down to the cottage and invite Heidi and Fran up to the main house to join us. It's so nice having my friends around to help keep my mind off Jarek being gone.

I've just laid Keirnan in the bassinet I brought out to the back patio with us, when Jackson's radio goes off. He's standing just inside the sliding screen door, so we can hear Seth's voice come through.

"Louie is dead! Lock down the house, now!" Seth orders with a trace of panic in his voice.

"Lily, inside now!" Jackson commands as he comes through the door.

"What's going on?" I ask as I scoop my son up from the bassinet.

"I don't know yet, but I need all of you to get into the house now!" Jackson states, leaving no room for argument.

The four of us women hurry into the house, and Jackson slams the door behind us. Jackson initiates the lockdown of the mansion, and I can hear the metal closures slowly coming down to block the windows and doors.

We're just coming down the hall when we see Seth racing toward us. "Get back, get back—"

He stops suddenly before dropping to his knees and falling forward. I scream when I see the blood spreading across his back. When I look up, Carlos Greco stands in the doorway to the foyer with a silencer in his hand.

"Seth!" Jackson calls out but moves to stand in front of me and my friends.

Another sound echoes through the hall, and I see Jackson's body jerk. He stumbles backward before falling to his knees.

"Jackson, no!" I scream.

Keirnan is already crying from the first time I screamed. I turn toward my friends and hand my son to Heidi. I don't need to tell her to keep him safe; I know she will do it.

Dropping to my knees, I check on Jackson. Blood paints his shirt high on his chest, between his pec and his shoulder. I'm not sure how dangerous it is, but I still remove my shirt and press it against his wound. Luckily, I decided to wear a camisole under my shirt, not that I wouldn't have used it anyway.

"Don't die on me, Jackson! You're not allowed to!" I tell him.

"Move away from him, Miss Sumner, or my next bullet will be right between his eyes," Greco orders gruffly.

"Please, let me tend to him! He's in no state to fight you. I won't fight you—just let me try and staunch the bleeding!"

I've kept my eyes on Jackson so I don't see Greco move closer. It isn't until I feel a burn on my temple when something is pressed against it that I realize Greco's intent.

"Get the fuck away from him,puttana. Otherwise, I'm going to put a hole in this pretty little head of yours," Greco growls softly.

His command startles me. I stumble backward and land hard on my backside, then begin to slowly inch away on the floor.

"What do you want, Carlos? Jarek isn't here," I tell him.

"I know this. Why do you think we are?" Greco grins maniacally.

"We?" I ask, confused.

"Padre? Cosa fai qui?"Father? What are you doing here, Zita's question has me turning around.

Another older man now stands in the doorway where Greco had been standing. I look between Zita's troubled expression and the newcomer, who is now smiling at her.

Rossi.

SEVENTY-THREE