Page 11 of The Devil's Heir
"We wouldn't want any of those swimmers falling out, would we?" Carmen winks at me.
Clara yawns and informs me, "I'm going to nap a little bit, and then we can go again. I've cleared the weekend, so I'm all yours."
"What? I have plans! I can't stay tied up in this room all weekend!" I growl, but neither care as they ignore my outburst.
I tug on the ropes, but it's no use. All it does is cause them to dig into my skin. Carmen inserts the gag into my mouth once more and grins.
"You two have fun; I have some entertainment arriving for the rest of the guests since you're going to be tied up for the weekend."
I murmur with the gag in and glare at the fucking bitch, but she only laughs and reminds me, "Only a few months left, Jarek. Be a good boy and take it like a man."
Her last words as she walks out the door make up my mind. It doesn't matter what Carl has to say about my inheritance; Carmen's time has come to an end, and as soon as I get the chance, she'll be taken care of.
SEVEN
Liliana
I wake up to a beeping noise all around me and realize I'm in a hospital bed. My body feels like it's been used as a punching bag repeatedly, and something tickles my nose. I reach up and feel an oxygen tube is the culprit for the itching, so I leave it in place as I glance around the room. I don't know what I expected, but an empty room isn't it.
I press the red button, and a speaker crackles above my head, "May I help you?"
"Y-Yes," my voice cracks, and I have to clear my throat before continuing, "May I please speak with a nurse?"
"Yes, someone will be there momentarily, dear."
The room goes quiet once more, aside from the machines' beeping. A moment later, a kind-looking nurse comes in carrying a tray. "It's so nice to see you awake, Liliana. Are you in any pain?" she asks as she sets the tray down on my side table.
"Yeah, a little." I try sitting up, but the pain is too much, and I lay back. "Can you tell me how I ended up here?"
The nurse pushes a button on the handrail, raising the head of my bed. I give her a smile of thanks and take the cup with some pills inside it and the cup of water. The nurse waits until I take the medications, takes the cups from me, and tosses them in the garbage can.
"You were hit by a car, dear. We were told you were walking to school in the rain and didn't see the oncoming car as you crossed the intersection."
I tryto think back and remember, but my head hurts too much, "Who told you what happened?"
"Your friend. He's been here every day since the accident. He usually sits with you, but I haven't seen him yet today."
"My friend?" I ask because I have no friends.
"Yes, he's handsome, with dark hair and eyes. I can't remember his name, but it's unique, something like Jarod." The nurse looks thoughtful as she tries to remember his name, so I help her.
"Jarek."
'Yes! That's it; such a sweet guy and so polite." She writes a few notes down. "Do you know that he felt so bad because he wasn't able to get to you before the car struck you that he's now paying for your hospital bill?"
"That doesn't surprise me," I say dryly.
"You are one lucky girl, not a broken bone, but you ruptured your spleen and had internal bleeding, so you had surgery. You will make a full recovery." The nurse smiles warmly.
"Have my foster parents been here to see me?" I ask, hopeful, but the nurse gives me a sympathetic look.
"They came on the first day but then informed us that since it was your eighteenth birthday, you had officially aged out of the system. They left after hearing that the bill was already being taken care of. They did say that you can stop and pick up your things once the doctor releases you, though."
I can only nod and try not to let the tears fall. I still have one more year of high school to go, and I have nowhere to live. I wish I weren't held back in school the year my parents died; I would only have a few months left. That, I could have managed, but having a whole other year yet, I'm not so sure.
I thank the nurse before she leaves my room and try to get some sleep. However, I'm disturbed when a knock sounds on my door. This time, it's the nurse carrying some balloons and flowers. A small box is attached to the balloons, and I have a small inkling of what is in it.
I wait until the nurse hands me the box and leaves the room before opening it up. I see that I'm right; the ID bracelet sits inside the box with another little note.
