Dictator s Daughter (19 page)

Sean set up the tripod and unwrapped the mini
DVD’s. He watched Ryan and Eliwese through the bathroom doorway.
They spoke quietly to each other but Sean couldn’t understand what
they were saying. He wondered if Eliwese was ripping on Ryan about
being a moron. He had wanted to say stuff like that to his brother
for years. Ryan had such a conceited personality and it was finally
payback time to watch Eliwese bring him to his knees.

Eliwese put on makeup and styled her hair in
preparation for the DVD filming. Sean knew she must be feeling
utterly terrible because of her condition, but the stakes had been
raised, thanks to Ryan, and there wasn’t any time left to
recover.

She entered the bedroom, with the help of
Ryan, all fixed up like she was about to go out on a date, only, it
wasn’t so. Sean couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked.
She asked Ryan to help her to the armchair because she would be
recording from that location.

She asked Sean to reposition the camcorder
and when it was lined up with her face, she asked the boys to leave
the room.

“Why is it necessary for us to leave?” Sean
asked politely.

“With a little luck, the two of you should
never need to view this recording. There is information I am going
to put on here that neither of you know. You are safer not knowing.
So, please, leave the room while I do this. We don’t have time to
argue.”

The two guys left the room and closed the
door. They sat down at the table, opposite of each other with
nothing to say.

“I hate this.” Ryan finally broke the
silence.

“I know.”

“I mean, when does this end?”

“Are you just upset that she shut you down in
there?”

“What? No. I don’t know.”

“I think you hate being wrong. And you know
you did wrong and she called you on it.”

“I didn’t think it would matter.”

“’
Didn’t think’
being the operative
words.”

“Shut-up.” Ryan finished.

“What did you and Eliwese talk about in the
bathroom?” Sean asked.

“She said I am too cocky for my own good, but
she apologized. She made me promise I would do exactly as she says,
when she says. Believe you me, I will.”

“I’ve never seen that side of her before.”
Sean had been genuinely stunned when he watched the two of them go
at it.

The two of them sat at the table and stared
into nothingness, waiting for her to complete the video. After a
while, Ryan got up and poured some coffee in two cups and brought
one to Sean.

When she finished the filming she called them
back in. Sean entered the room and could see right away her
condition was worsening. Her face was moist with sweat and the dark
circles under her eyes were showing through her makeup. She seemed
to be short on breath, also.

Sean walked straight over to her and placed
his hand on her forehead. She was burning up again. Ryan came
forward with the thermometer. He scanned her head and showed the
reading to Sean; one-hundred four point eight. Sean crouched down
in front of her.

“Eliwese, you are burning, but you already
know that. We need to cool you off. Is there anything Ryan can work
on while I help you?”

“He can dub off three copies onto DVD.” She
turned to Ryan. “Please don’t watch it. Just check it for sound and
verify your copies are complete.”

Ryan agreed and started working on that
project. He took the equipment out to the table in the kitchen so
he wouldn’t disturb Eliwese. Sean helped her back to the bed. She
was weak and shaking. He raised her shirt to look at her wound. It
needed to be moistened. He retrieved the bowl of water and towels
and started cooling her off, once again. He wondered if she would
ever get over this fever.

Sean wanted to ask her more questions, but
decided against it; he wondered what was on the DVD. What was it
that she felt was so important, so damning, that they could get
their mother and sister back?

Ryan busied himself with the laptop and
burning DVD’s while Sean worked on Eliwese. The clock showed ten
o’clock PM.

“Sean,” she said quietly, “we have to leave
this place early tomorrow morning. We have to be ready. We can’t be
caught off guard or he’ll get the best of us. We need to arrive in
Northtown by eight in the morning. Make sure we make it there by
eight.”

“Where exactly do we need to be at
eight?”

“1st International Bank; you and I have some
banking to do. Promise me we won’t be late.” She sounded
desperate.

“I promise. You need to rest now and get
strong.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. She was
extremely warm. Her IV bag needed changing, so he left the room to
retrieve a new one.

“What are you doing?” Ryan asked.

“New IV bag. She says we need to be in
Northtown by eight am tomorrow.”

“Do you think we will be coming back
here?”

“Probably not. You best round up supplies for
us like medical and food for a few days. I’ll stay in there with
her.”

Sean took the IV bag into the room and Ryan
started packing items for the morning. Eliwese was lying on her
side and resting. Sean walked over to her and hooked up the new
bag. Then he checked her temperature, the same as a few minutes
previous.

“Sean, would you lie down beside me? I need
to talk to you.”

Sean carefully lay back on the bed; her fever
heat radiating into him.

“We must have a different vehicle before we
go to Northtown in the morning. You need to leave here and go find
us a white car. Do you know anyone from your neighborhood that has
a white vehicle of any kind?”

“Actually, yes. Dr. Randall has a white
SUV.”

“Perfect, and we can trust him?”

“Yes. Why white?”

“Because it’s the least likely color they
would suspect. Besides, your car is green and they know that.”

“You really think the color of the car
matters?”

“Yes. I’ve heard it said many times, the
guilty never drive a white car.” She coughed a weak effort.

“You should rest.” Sean wondered what she
meant by guilty.

“My father and Riley really underestimate my
knowledge and strategies. They will be looking for two men and one
woman, but we will show up as two women and one man.”

“You mean we will be disguised when we meet
your father?”

“No. We will be disguised tomorrow morning
when we enter Northtown. We will need to maintain the disguise the
whole time because his men will be everywhere.” She said.

“Where will we get these disguises from?”

“I’m not sure yet. You need to leave now. Go
get the white SUV, but be very careful. My father’s men may be
there already.”

“I need to help you; I can’t leave you like
this. Maybe Ryan could do this errand?”

“It’s Ryan’s turn to do your job. Sean, go
now and keep your head low. Tell him whatever it takes to secure
the vehicle.” She could barely speak because she was tired and
weak. He looked out the door at Ryan who had been listening to
their conversation. Ryan nodded his head and Sean got up and left
the room to talk to Ryan.

“Keep her cool and check her wound. Oh, and
help her drink. And—”

“Go already. Everything will be fine here.
You won’t be gone very long.” Ryan slapped him on the back and
walked away.

Sean finished dressing and left the
cabin.

It was eleven o’clock by the time Sean
arrived back in town. He pulled into the first open gas station and
parked around back. When the coast was clear, he walked to the
payphone and called Dr. Randall.

“Dr. Randall, this is Sean.”

“Who?”

“Sean.”

“Oh, Sean! Where are you, are you
alright?”

“First, I need to ask you a favor. Could you
come and pick me up?”

Sean told him where he was and hung up. It
took ten minutes for Dr. Randall to arrive; however, he wasn’t
driving the white vehicle.

“Where is your white SUV, Dr. Randall?”

“It’s in the shop, why?”

“My crosser Eli-”

“Eliwese, you mean.”

“Ah, yeah. She firmly believes we need to be
driving a white vehicle. I told her you had one, but I guess if
it’s in the shop then we’ll have to think of something else.”

“It’s only in for an alignment, and I think
we could get it out within the hour. Money talks, you know.” He
smiled and looked at his watch. “Of course, at this time of the
night it might take a bit more money than usual.”

Sean nodded.

Dr. Randall made a phone call to the
mechanic. Sean looked around at nothing in particular, but his
thoughts were on Eliwese. He hoped Ryan was doing his job and
helping her.

“Alright,” Dr. Randall said as he hung his
phone up, “Scotty will get my car out of the bay and call me when
it’s ready. It will be at least twenty minutes though.”

“Good. I need your advice on something;
Eliwese was shot when we fled and she’s not doing well.”

“Shot?”

Sean relayed the events, the treatments and
her reactions to Dr. Randall.

“It’s possible she has some major internal
health problems going on. I would not be able to tell you what
without seeing her with my own eyes; but just know that this could
be life threatening.”

Sean was afraid of that.

“I assume you heard about your father?”

“Yes, Ryan told me.” The dark cloud of
mourning passed over Sean.

“I have never met anyone like Paul, not
anyone in my whole life. Good man.”

Sean didn’t say anything.

“I don’t know if you have enough time for
this or not, but, would you like to see him?”

The question took the bottom out of Sean’s
stomach. He felt all the blood leave his face. He never imagined he
would have the opportunity to see his father’s body and say
goodbye. He looked at the doctor.

“Yes, yes I would.”

They drove toward the mortician’s residence.
On the way, Dr. Randall called and requested to see Paul. Sean knew
they would be driving past his home, or at least what was left of
it. Dr. Randal must have sensed his anxiousness and slowed the
car.

As they drove by, Sean saw that much of the
home was gutted out by the fire and it brought tears to his
eyes.

“It’s not a total loss, Sean. It can be
rebuilt. Lives are much more important than things, you know
that.”

Dr. Randall told Sean to wait in the car when
they arrived at the mortuary. After a few minutes, he came back out
and got Sean.

“I told Jack I would lock the door on my way
out and he went back to bed. We’re alone and no one knows you’re
here.”

The two of them walked in the house quietly
and down the stairs to the basement. They approached a closed door
and Dr. Randall turned to him and said, “You need to understand
your father took a bullet to the head and when that happens, it’s
not pretty.”

Sean nodded and imagined the worst. He had
never seen a dead person, let alone someone who was close to
him.

“I think a nice toupee or wig would be good
for him.”

“For the funeral?” Sean asked.

“What?”

“What?”

“Sean, your father is not dead.”

With that, Dr. Randall opened the door to the
room and Sean saw his father sitting in a chair on the other side
of the room. Sean ran over to him and carefully hugged him.

“I don’t understand. Ryan said he watched you
die.” Sean wiped his eyes.

“Ryan saw me take a bullet to the head. So
did your mother. Neither knows I’m alive. Dr. Randall’s ambulance
picked me up and he saved me.”

Dr. Randall jumped in with, “No, the metal
plate in your head saved you.”

Sean looked back at his father with question
in his eyes. “I didn’t know you have a plate in your head.” Paul’s
head was bandaged up turban style.

“When I was younger, I had an accident and,
anyway, I ended up with a plate. It’s a long story.” Paul said.
“Tell me about you. What have you been going through?”

Sean told his father about the shooting and
Eliwese’s injuries and how Ryan made it later to the cabin. He told
him how Sara and Lyndee were taken hostage and how Eliwese is to be
traded in exchange for them.

Sean watched his father’s face. Grief and
pain etched his weathered eyes. Sean knew the pain had to be
unbearable.

“It should have never escalated this far,”
Paul said with downtrodden spirits.

“You can’t blame yourself, Dad.”

“I knew she was Victor Rawlings’ daughter
when we took her on. My source informed me of it. I only agreed to
do it if she would be disguised as a boy. At first I agreed with
Eliwese that you shouldn’t know about her. I changed my mind later,
but she insisted you be kept in the dark. I’m sorry, Sean, for not
including you in the details sooner.”

“It’s ok, Dad.”

“No, I keep going through it in my head;
things I could have and should have done differently. I should have
told you, especially when the news reported her missing. We should
have moved
everyone
, I should have told your mother…”

“Dad, it’s in the past now.” He put his arm
on his father’s shoulder. “Besides, what has Mom always told us
about ‘should'-ing all over ourselves?”

Paul chuckled and Sean thought it a wonderful
sound, “Your right. Sean, what made you run?”

“Lyndee came to me and informed me that Beth
was Riley Stone’s mother and he told Beth that Eliwese was at our
house. I grabbed Eliwese and ran, not taking any bit of time to
tell you or Mom.”

“Sean, if you had, we’d all be dead now. Who
is Riley Stone anyway?”

“Victor Rawlings’ head of security,” Sean
said.

“So, the question is how did Mr. Stone know
where Eliwese was?” Paul asked no one in particular.

Dr. Randall wondered aloud, “He’s working
against Victor?”