Dictator s Daughter (13 page)

Sean inhaled a deep breath and exhaled
slowly, “Riley Stone, your father’s number one guard, his head of
security, knew you were at my house and told his own mother she was
safe because you were there too. Do you know what comes to my mind
when I hear this?”

She didn’t say anything.

“Eliwese, I think he placed you at my home,
with my family, and you two are working together for whatever
reason. My ‘spy-detection’ senses are pinging off the charts. I
can’t quite figure any other reason why Rawlings’ head of security
is also helping crossers, not to mention Rawlings’ own daughter,
other than to root out half-way houses. So, Eliwese, until you
correct me, my thought train is going down a bad track.”

“I am not working with Riley Stone!”

Bingo. Sean had hit a nerve and at the same
time, he felt guilty he had to pressure her to get her to talk.

“How did Riley know you were at my home?”

“The answer is he placed me there. But before
you go off again, let me finish. I made the decision to flee and
cross the border. When I entered the Underground, I was shocked to
find out Riley operated it. He said if I tried to leave your
crosser home, he’d kill my mother and sister. He plans to take my
father down and move into the dictatorship, but the only way he can
do it is by having a son through me. Until his son is old enough to
rule, Riley would be the acting dictator. I have a hunch that once
Riley is instated as ruler, he’ll do away with me and his child and
rule on his own.”

“So, Riley would have been the father of the
baby, had you been pregnant,” Sean mumbled.

“How did you know that?” Her eye brows
scrunched together.

“I heard you speaking with my mother.”

“Oh, the mirrors. I forgot.”

“You knew about the mirrors?”
Incredible!

“Your father told me.”

“What? Why would he do that?”

“He understood the importance of keeping my
identity under wraps.”

“Why didn’t he tell me? I spent countless
hours in there watching you and you already knew?” He watched as
her cheeks turned pink.

“So, we did a fair share of watching each
other, huh?”

“Yeah, only, you got a show, and I
didn’t.”

“Well, you got your show cutting off my ace
bandage.”

“You were awake?” Now his cheeks were
pinking.

“I had to find out if you were like everyone
else.”

“Well, am I?” He had no idea what she was
talking about.

“No, Sean. You’re not. I haven’t ever met
anyone like you.”

“Is that a compliment?” He was genuinely
worried.

She laughed slightly, “Yes, it is. Sean lay
here beside me and I’ll tell you why I crossed the border. I feel
so comfortable talking to you and I’ve treasured our nightly talks
in bed together. I came close to telling you about myself, but I
knew once you found out who I was you’d look on me different.”

“I don’t understand. I know who you are and
I’m not running the other direction am I?” Sean joked.

“That’s not what I mean. Once you hear about
my past and my future plans, you may decide otherwise.

“Well, let me be the judge.” Sean carefully
lay down beside her. It was completely different being near her
when she was awake and coherent. She had an energy which heightened
all his senses and filled his mind with possibilities.

She began the highly anticipated, long
awaited story. “Most people know my father as Victor Rawlings, I
know him as the devil incarnate. Many of the crossers you’ve
housed, I’ve known personally. My father is ruthless and
diabolical, killing or ordering killings is second nature to him.
The people of my country understand this and therefore they know
better than to oppose him. Whenever someone defies him, the order
goes out for their ‘removal’ and that’s usually when they
disappear. The lucky ones, if they have enough money, make it
across the border. The not so lucky are never seen again.

“My father needs an heir to calm the
dignitaries of my country. Unrest is growing with the uncertainty
of our leadership’s future. If my father cannot produce continuity,
factions may rise up and oust him from his position. In fact, this
type of situation nearly happened two years ago when the leader of
the insurgents almost succeeded in overthrowing my father. A failed
attempt and the leader was arrested; smothering hopes of a change
of power. But the next day he disappeared; most likely crossed the
border.”

Sean knew exactly who she was talking about;
Brock.

She continued, “The first-born son is the
rightful heir. If a second son is born, he’s next in line; however,
in the case where daughters are born instead of sons, the oldest
must produce the heir. I am the first born, and a disappointment.
My mother quickly gave birth to another child, my younger sister
Elaine. I’m sure you can begin to understand the position this put
me in.

“At the age of twelve, I was secretly married
to my first husband and the quest was on for an heir. I’m not sure
why I wasn’t able to conceive with him, maybe I was just too young,
but after two years, my father ordered him killed. I was not sorry
to hear of his death,” she said coldly.

Sean was stunned to hear this.

“Another husband was found for me and I was
forced to marry him; it was horrible. This man let it slip to
others he was getting paid to produce an heir for Victor Rawlings.
I decided it was time for me to try to escape. I had no desire to
help my father, and my mother encouraged me to do what I felt was
necessary. I found help through the maids and servants. That’s how
I met Shawn.”

Sean interrupted, “You knew someone else with
my same name?”

“I did.” Past tense, Sean noted. “His name
was Shawn Whiting; he worked for the household of my second
husband. He was my friend and he tried to help me escape.”

“That makes more sense to me now. You were
delirious, saying my name; it was confusing.”

She continued, “He and I tried various escape
plans, all of which failed. I finally became pregnant at seventeen
years of age, but my husband discovered I had friends helping me
attempt to escape, and he beat me. I lost the baby at five months
along. Once my father found out I had been carrying a boy, my
husband turned up dead.

“My father wanted me to know it was my fault
his heir had died. I knew it was true, although I knew the real
reason, and he did not. I continued to see Shawn in secret and
continued to plan an escape. He knew people over here, but none
would consent to take on the dictator’s daughter.

“All the while, my father decided I didn’t
need to be married to conceive an heir for him. He was tired of
waiting. He also needed money to fund one of his many gruesome
adventures, so, I became his new source of money. Over the next
couple of years, and up until just about three months ago, men paid
him thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars, to be ‘with’
me. They liked the possibility of becoming the father of the
dictator’s heir and the inherent power.”

Sean realized this was the scandal James and
Janice had stumbled onto; a horrible use of Eliwese’s body and mass
amounts of money generated from it.

“Shawn supplied me with a few packages of
birth control pills and some ‘morning after pills’ and those got me
through a few months without becoming pregnant. But when my father
found out I had pills, he beat me and placed me in solitary
confinement so the only people coming in contact with me were his
top men.

“He accused me of liking the sex and by using
contraceptives it allowed me to have it with more men. But it
wasn’t sex as he would say; it was rape. Sex with someone who
doesn’t want it is rape; some of the men were brutal but most were
not. I prevented the pregnancies any way I could because I knew
that once I produced an heir, I would be killed. I endured hell to
try to save my own life; but once he placed me in solitary, my
prevention methods ran out.

“It became the luck of the draw whenever I’d
conceive. Would it be a boy or girl? As soon as the pregnancy was
far enough along to determine the sex, I’d be given an ultrasound,
and then usually an abortion because the sex of the babe would be
female…daughters I’ll never hold.

“I was carrying a boy once, but miscarried
naturally. I cried after losing that one. I was getting tired of
the whole process and I just wanted it to be over. I guess I
figured being pregnant with a boy was like being terminally ill;
once the child was born, I’d die.

While I was in solitary, Riley was assigned
as my personal guard; he assigned himself to the duty of becoming
the father of the next dictator. If my father is the devil, then
Riley is his twin brother.” Her voice was growing quieter. “He’s
one of the brutal ones. He made yet another attempt while I was in
the underground awaiting an opening at your home; I didn’t think my
body’s timing was favorable for conception, but I had to be
certain. You have no idea how relieved I was to see the negative
reading on the pregnancy test.

“One side note Sean; your father didn’t have
a clue he was dealing directly with Riley Stone, my father doesn’t
realize Riley is betraying him, and I couldn’t inform your father
otherwise or my mother and sister would be killed. Personally, I
think Riley wanted to put me out of the reach of Prince Vasilios to
keep me from conceiving a child. I have no doubt Riley would
assassinate him if the need came about.”

“Eliwese, I’m sorry I jumped so quickly to
the conclusion you and Riley were in league together.” Sean looked
at Eliwese and she smiled at him.

“Three months ago, my father accepted a huge
amount of money from Prince Vasilios Lampros for my hand in
marriage. He’s older than my father and that’s pretty hard to deal
with mentally, but he’s a kind man. Vasilios is from the island
country, Surrelia. He has an estate in Rendier and part of the
agreement of our marriage is I must remain in the country. An heir
born from him would form a link between his country and mine. I
don’t know if that would be a good thing or not. I used ‘morning
after pills’ with him because he only ever had sex with me around
ovulation, and only twice at that.

“Shawn found me again right before the
marriage to Vasilios with new information on a possible escape
plan. I would need to become a boy for it to work and my identity
would need to be guarded at all costs. Months went by and as I
waited for the opening to your home, I was discovered kissing
Shawn, and he—” she stopped and tears rolled down her temples.

Sean rolled over on his side and rested his
head in his hand. He grasped her hand in his and brought it up to
his mouth to offer comfort.

“He was killed, wasn’t he?”

She nodded with her face all screwed up with
the pain of loss.

“You spoke of a girl who was going to be
killed,” Sean said.

“My friend Aleese was murdered when I was
twelve. Maybe I was talking about my mother. My father had
threatened to kill her if I didn’t get married the second time.
Maybe it was the maid who would bring me notes from Shawn. She was
killed.”

Sean couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
How could any human being be so brutal?

“Your sister took your place in order to help
you escape?”

“Yes, Elaine looks just like me and we’re
only ten months apart in age. I figured where Vasilios only slept
with me once a month, I could have my sister pose as me. She could
feign sick or something if he wanted companionship; it would stall
him further and perhaps give me a couple of months’ head start. Of
course, I didn’t know at that time Riley operated the underground
and, frankly, I’m surprised I made it as long as I did before being
reported missing. I don’t know what happened but I hope my sister
is all right. It would not be like my father to kill her, but she
may be locked up somewhere.”

Sean didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think
saying, ‘she’ll be alright’ would be appropriate. “You said that
once you escaped you would bring him down. What would that have
meant?” Sean asked.

“I have information on my father that I
believe, in the right hands, would bring about his downfall. I can
imagine the look on his face when he realized I had escaped his
grasp. He’s aware of some of what I know and he is undoubtedly
anxious to find me, I’m sure.”

Sean figured it must be why all the bullet
holes were on the passenger side of the car.

“Eliwese, you are safe; no one knows we’re
here. This cabin is not registered in our family’s name. It’s
untraceable to anyone,” he reassured her.

“Except one thing; my father doesn’t use
public record as his only way to track down people. He has
satellites and spyware, but the fact he hasn’t raided the cabin yet
is a hopeful thought. Maybe we successfully escaped.”

Sean had one more question to ask her but he
didn’t know if this was the right time to ask her. “Eliwese, were
you in love with Shawn?”

She looked at him with surprise. “Why do you
ask?”

“Well, when you were in and out, you spoke to
me as if I was Shawn; it was confusing. I didn’t know if you were
talking to me or to someone else. Sometimes, you would gaze right
into my eyes and say my name.” He paused looking at her. “You
kissed me. I figured, by the way you did, that you must have loved
him. Plus, you actually said you loved me, well, him.”

“I loved him like a brother. He wanted more,
and perhaps it could have become more, but we didn’t have a serious
relationship together.”

“Oh.” Sean didn’t want to press it
further.

“Was it that good of a kiss?”

“It was a very good kiss, but it made me feel
guilty.” Sean said as he got up and stood by the bed.

“Why?”

“Well, it wasn’t really me you were kissing,
and I was kissing a girl who was delirious. That’s a pretty low
thing for me to do.”