Pregnant with the Prince's Child (13 page)

But right now, he needed some sleep. Surprisingly, despite his anger, he began to drift off quickly.

He heard a sound at the door and looked up, hoping to see Janis. But it was Kylos. Disappointment flared, but he nodded a welcome to his brother.

“Hey,” he said coolly. “What’s happening?”

“Not much.” Kylos looked nervous, his gaze jerking about from one part of the room to another as though he were looking for something. “You still don’t remember the last two years, right?”

Mykal frowned. “Right. So what?”

“Nothing.” He came all the way into the room. “So, how are you feeling?”

“Okay. Hey, I meant to write to Mom and Dad, but I didn’t get to it. Can you contact them for me? Can you tell them I love them and want to see them, but that they should stay in Florida until I tell them otherwise? Okay?”

Kylos stared at him for a minute, then jumped as though he’d just realized he was supposed to answer. “Oh. Sure. Listen, I’ll take care of that. No problem.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want them to worry.”

“No. Of course not.” He grimaced. “Okay, sorry to do this to you, Mykal, but I’ve got some bad news.”

Mykal groaned, not sure he could take any more right now. “You, too?”

“Yeah. I’m afraid you’re not going to like it.”

He shrugged. “Fire away.”

Kylos started, then stopped and fumbled in the pocket of his jacket. “Hey, listen. I forgot.” He pulled a little white pill cup out and handed it to his brother, then turned to pour him some water. “The nurse asked me to have you take these. Some kind of vitamins, supposed to make you heal faster.”

Distracted by all the confusion, Mykal downed the pills without a second thought. “And the bad news is?” he reminded him.

Kylos grinned, as though he’d suddenly heard good news himself. “Oh, yeah. Your little friend, Janis Davos? That’s not her real last name.”

Mykal looked at his brother and almost smiled. “No kidding?” he said, expecting to find out Kylos had heard that she was his wife.

“No. I know what her real last name is.”

“Marten?”

Kylos looked at him blankly. “Huh? No.” He made a face. “It’s Gorgonio. Max Gorgonio is her uncle. She’s a Gorgonio. What are the odds, huh? A name our family has hated for fifteen years.”

Mykal stared at him. “What?” he said, not really believing it. “Kylos, if you’re just trying to pull my chain…”

“No, I swear. Leland, my lawyer, got the goods on her. Andre Gorgonio, Max’s brother, was her father. He died when she was a little girl and she was raised in Max’s house.”

“No.”

“I’m just telling you for your own good. I could tell you liked her a lot. So I thought you ought to know. I had my suspicions about her so I had Leland look into it. I’m surprised they didn’t pick up on it here at the castle. If they had, they never would have let her in the door.”

“No.” Mykal was shaking his head, feeling stunned. He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe it.

“Funny thing is, Leland knew the family. So when he was here to give me the info this morning, we met in the coffee shop and he identified her right away. She was meeting with her brother Rolo, who I guess is a well-known crook himself.” He shrugged. “You never know, do you?”

Mykal didn’t respond, and Kylos glanced at his watch. “Hey, gotta go. I’ll catch you later.” He started off and turned at the door. “Don’t feel bad, Mykal. You can see why she’s a lying little cheat. She was born to it.” And he was gone before Mykal could muster up his sluggish outrage.

And he was outraged. He was enraged at his weakness, enraged at his brother, enraged at Janis. He didn’t want to believe it and if it were true he was enraged that it was so. This was just too much. It was as though Janis had purposefully come into his amnesia-damaged life to ruin it further. What the hell!

CHAPTER TEN

J
ANIS
had cleared out her room. Everything she owned was back in her satchel. She was wearing slacks and a jacket that Pellea had given her, but she had no choice. Her blue jumpsuit had disappeared. That was a good thing, she supposed. But she was leaving as lightly as she possibly could.

She had a plan. She put her hand over the slight bulge in her belly and smiled.

“Don’t worry, sweet thing,” she told her baby silently. “By the time they know we’re gone, we’ll be on a ferry to the continent. They’ll never find us.”

No one was manning the nurses’ station and she was glad. At some point soon, they would begin denying her entry to places like this. But she had one more lucky chance to see Mykal without interference. She slipped into his room. He was sound asleep, his free arm thrown over his eyes. She stood very still and watched him breathe, loving him so that her throat choked and tears swam into her eyes. It was hard to have to lose him again.

“Mykal.” She put a hand on his arm. She needed to tell him goodbye without actually saying it. “Mykal.” Bending down, she kissed his lips, then drew back, puzzled. He was sleeping very heavily. She’d never seen him so out of it before. “Mykal.” She shook him, beginning to feel a touch of panic, and he moved his arm. His eyes opened slightly.

“What?” he said, slurring the word. He didn’t look as though he’d recognized her.

She looked down, stunned. He was drugged.

“Mykal, are you okay?”

“What? Oh, sure. I’m okay.” He fought to keep his eyes open, his face contorted in the effort. “Why are you still giving me pain medication?” he asked.

“I’m not.”

“Someone is. I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“How long have you been like this?”

“I don’t know. Come back in about an hour. I should be okay by then.” He yawned widely and was back to sleep in no time at all.

She stared down at him for a moment, furious. Turning on her heel, she rushed out to the nurses’ station. It was still empty, but the log book was there and she turned it to see who had been in to see him most recently. Her own name was jotted down twice, and Queen Pellea’s. King Monte had come by earlier. And the only other name was that of Kylos. He’d been there almost two hours ago.

“Kylos,” she breathed, shaking her head as anger surged through her body. It had to be him. But why?

The nurse came in and didn’t smile. Janis tried to get her interested in checking Mykal, and she reluctantly agreed to go over his vitals, but at the same time she had a warning for Janis.

“A man from the palace guard came by just a little while ago,” she said. “He told me to let him know when you showed up. So I’m going to have to call him.”

“Oh.” So it had begun. Someone had told the authorities about her and suspicions were beginning to swirl. Her heart sank, but she had expected it. “I wish you wouldn’t. I want to come back and check on him in an hour or so to make sure whatever someone gave him is working its way out of his system.” Her gaze sharpened. “Did you give him the medication?”

“Me?” She looked horrified. “No. It wasn’t me.”

“Has any physician been by to see him today?”

“Only the surgeon, but that was early this morning. Oh, and the physical therapist.”

“But none of them gave him anything?”

“There’s nothing in the notations.”

She sighed and glanced at the young woman sideways. Would she call the guard? Maybe yes, maybe no. It would probably be wise not to be here if she did. “Fine,” she said at last. “I’ll just go then.”

She had to leave so as not to be kicked out, but she didn’t plan to go far. She found the most inconspicuous seat she could in the waiting area, situated right behind a large fig-leafed plant, where she could keep an eye on both entrances. And there she planned to stay, boiling with anger, until she caught Kylos going in again.

Kylos had been intent on keeping Mykal drugged from the first. She hadn’t been able to figure out why exactly, but she was pretty sure it had something to do with his trying to sell the Marten estate without Mykal knowing it was happening. Mykal couldn’t defend himself, so she was going to have to do it for him. And so, she sat.

Mykal was moving slow motion in a dream. He could see Janis and hear her, but he couldn’t seem to get through to her. It was as though a misty barrier stood between them and no matter how much he waved at her and called to her, she didn’t know he was there. She began walking and he ran after her, trying to make his way through the fog to get closer. Every now and then he could reach through and touch her silky hair or catch the hem of her shirt, but that was as close as he could get, and even then, things slipped away. Frustration was building in him. He wanted her to look over and see him but she just kept walking, her head in the clouds.

And then he saw the cliff ahead. She was walking right toward it. She wasn’t looking. He ran, he yelled, he threw himself against the misty barrier, but she just kept walking toward the abyss. Closer and closer. His breath burned in his throat from trying so hard to reach her. She was going to go over. One more step…

“No!” he screamed.

But she went over the edge of the cliff. Certain death!

But then he remembered—he could fly! He could still save her. All he had to do was jump after her and use his flying powers. He ran as hard as he could for the edge and leaped over. He could see her plummeting toward the rocks below. He spread out his arms and arched his back to fly. But it didn’t happen. He’d forgotten how to do it. Below, she hit the rocks. In a moment, he would, too. It was the end. No more happiness. Just…nothing.

It was after ten when Kylos finally showed up. Only a few stragglers were left in the halls. The coffee shop had closed. Most people on this floor had gone to their rooms. Janis heard him coming down the hall and shrank back even farther behind the plant that hid her from view. And there he was, looking furtively to right and left before ducking into the medical center. The moment he vanished into the offices, she jumped up and followed him.

Anger at Mykal’s brother threatened to surge in her but she forced it back. She didn’t want anything to shake her concentration from the job at hand. She was certain he was the one drugging Mykal, and she was determined to catch him in the act and stop him cold.

Once again there was no one manning the nurses’ station and she made a mental note to file a complaint against the lax security situation. But she couldn’t think about that now. Kylos had just disappeared into Mykal’s room and she had to stay focused. Stepping quietly up to the door, she stopped and listened to what was going on inside.

“Hey, buddy,” Kylos was saying. “How are you feeling?”

“What’s going on?” Mykal’s voice was bleary, startled. It was obvious he was mostly still asleep.

“Not a thing. Take it easy. I’m glad you’re still groggy. That’ll keep you quiet for a while.”

“What? I don’t get it.”

“No problem. Just stay cool.”

“Where’s Janis?”

“Janis? She’s gone. No one knows where she is.”

“What?”

“Listen, the nurse gave me a couple more of those vitamins she wants you to take. Let me get you a cup of water. Okay, here you go… .”

Janis thrust the door open, rage consuming her. “Drop the pills, Kylos. And get your hands off my husband.”

“Your what?” He stared at her, thunderstruck.

“Do what I say. Now.” She’d trained for months to give her voice this sort of authority and it was coming in handy now. Kylos looked downright terrified. “And give me those pills.” She grabbed them out of his hand while he was still off balance, glaring at him. “How could you do this?”

She leaned over Mykal and pressed the nurse’s call button. Glancing at him, she saw that his eyes were closed. Could he possibly be asleep again with all this going on?

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kylos said, but he was backing toward the door. Then he stopped and a crafty look came over his face. “You may think Mykal is your husband,” he said. “But that won’t last long. I told him about your background, that you were a Gorgonio. He pretty much came right out and said that was the last straw as far as he was concerned.”

She looked down at Mykal, telling herself to ignore what Kylos was saying. He was obviously using any weapon he could think of to shake her. But at the same time, she knew Mykal’s reaction to her background would not be good. And that was why she was leaving.

“Come on, Janis. You know the royal family will never accept a Gorgonio.” He shook his head. “Game over, baby.” He gave her an evil grin. For some strange reason he didn’t seem to be anxious to get out of the room any longer.

The nurse came in and looked at them all, wide-eyed. “What is going on in here?” she demanded.

“Hey,” Kylos said quickly. “I just caught her trying to give my brother those pills she’s got in her hand. I think she should be arrested.”

Janis turned to the nurse, never dreaming she might believe him. “Actually, it’s the other way around,” she said calmly. “I caught him trying to drug Mykal. Please call the castle guard.”

The nurse looked from one to the other, put her mobile to her ear and called the guard.

“Someone’s lying and I don’t know which one of you it is,” she said testily. “But you,” she said, pointing to Janis, “are the one the guard was looking for earlier, aren’t you? And the patient is his brother. So I guess I’m going to have to take his word for it.”

“What?” Janis realized, to her horror, that Kylos might just get away with drugging Mykal. And not just that, he was going to have free rein to do it again. “No, you can’t believe him.”

“You’re the one with a record, babe,” Kylos said with a grin. “We know all about you now. Did a little time in prison camp, didn’t you?”

“On the Granvilli side.”

He shrugged. “Once a con, always a con, that’s what they say, don’t they?”

“Please listen to me,” she said to the nurse, desperate now. “I was not the one doing this. You may not believe me. Okay. But please, please, make sure there is better security so he can’t do this again. You’ve got to put a guard on Mykal. Please.”

The castle guard had arrived, eyes beaming as he saw Janis. “We’ve been looking for you, lady. You’ve got some questions to answer.”

“I’ll answer anything you want. I’ll go anywhere you want and do anything you want. But please, please, just put a guard on Mykal. And don’t let his brother get anywhere near him.”

No one gave her any promises. She could only hope for common sense to rule. Two guards marched her through the halls to the little old-fashioned jail cell they kept for situations like this. She was thinking that this couldn’t be happening, that it was a nightmare scenario, and yet, she’d been through it before. So it could happen. And it was.

There they were again—the bars. The clang of metal on metal. The scrape of the key in the lock. She was back, but for how long?

She sighed as she settled in. At least she’d alerted them to Kylos. That was the most she could do at this point. If she could just talk to Pellea…

“Can you ask the queen to call me?” she asked her young, gum-chewing jailer.

“Are you kidding? At this time of night?” But he relented a bit. “Listen, here’s a pen and paper. Write her a note. I’ll make sure her maid gets it in the morning.”

And that was the most she could do. Her first goal was to make sure that Mykal was safe. And her second was to get out of the castle before Pellea realized she was pregnant. Once the royal family knew that, and knew she and Mykal were married, they would never let her go. Even if they would scorn to make her royal, they would certainly want her baby to be one of them.

Royal—hah! Here she was with a cot for a bed, one thin blanket and nothing much else. She’d left her satchel with all her worldly possessions in Mykal’s hospital room. So she had nothing with her. It would be a long night.

Janis got a plate of soggy scrambled eggs in the morning, and then Pellea arrived.

“What on earth is going on?” she asked sharply.

Janis looked up and the first thing she noticed was the queen’s demeanor. Her eyes were lacking the usual warmth and affection she was known for. She was holding back a bit, staying well out of reach beyond the bars.

“Please explain this to me.”

Janis rose and faced her resolutely, trying to explain. She told her about her suspicions of Kylos and his motives. She described finding Mykal’s parents’ death certificates though Kylos refused to tell the truth about them while he seemingly tried to sell the house, about how he’d been pushing to keep Mykal drugged from the first, so that he couldn’t ask any questions or really get his mind around what his brother might be doing.

“When I realized that he was drugging Mykal again, I had to do something. I watched him go in and I caught him at it.”

Pellea’s gaze hadn’t warmed a bit. “Only he says he caught you.”

“Yes. That’s not true.” She looked at Pellea, wishing she knew a way to convince her. “Your Majesty, I know you are caught in the middle.”

“Tell me this.” Now her eyes were cold as winter ice. “Is it true that Max Gorgonio is your uncle?”