Dictator s Daughter (26 page)

All went silent. Sean was both proud and
frightened at the same time. He knew some of those Senators.
Senator Stevens was from his region. The silence which ensued
alarmed Sean. Victor Rawlings must be unnerved by what he’d just
viewed. But what would his next move be?

“I don’t understand you, Eliwese. You
endanger so many innocent lives just to stand on your soapbox and
scream lies. Your determination to defy me is exhausting. You know
nothing of what you say, and now you’ve named individuals who will
have to be terminated, and by the look on your face, I can tell you
aren’t even one-hundred percent sure they are involved with me. How
does it feel to be responsible for so many forthcoming deaths?”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

“Really Eliwese, if you hadn’t spoken their
names just now, they wouldn’t have to be eliminated.”

“Is this how you convince yourself you’re a
decent man? By telling yourself the death of others is always
someone else’s fault? Well, it’s not going to work on me this time,
father.”

“Oh really, how about this death, you can’t
tell me this one is not your fault.” He took a photograph out of an
envelope and laid it in front of Eliwese.

“Oh no, Dr. Randall.” She gasped trying to
hold her composure. “What did you do to him?”

“Riley took this picture of your companion
this morning. He didn’t even put up a fight. He probably thought he
was a martyr or something. But I know better. I would’ve killed him
myself, if I’d had the chance. He and I go way back.”

Ryan cut in, “Is Dr. Randall...what is he
talking about?”

“Later, Ryan,” Sean said on top of Eliwese’s
voice.

“Someone who commits cold blooded murder
cannot blame his actions on someone else. Listen closely father,
all five of us have to reach the checkpoint by five o’clock this
afternoon or our courier will deliver a copy of this video to the
Associated Press television station. By five fifteen, you’ll have
to go into hiding.”

“No one will be going into hiding, especially
not me. You will remain with me and I’ll give this traitorous
family a head-start run.”

“Sean,” Ryan said, “up on the second floor,
it’s Lyndee.” Too weak to stand on her own, two men held her up.
Ryan cursed Riley through the phone and Sara let out a sympathetic
moan for her daughter.

“I have to be with them also, or the video is
released,” Eliwese continued.

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do, or your dirty laundry gets aired
to the world.”

“I assume you are talking about this
video.”

“Where did you get that?” Eliwese sounded
breathless.

“Ryan, what he is talking about?” Sean
asked.

“He’s holding one of the courier’s video
copies,” Ryan said sadly.

Victor set the DVD down in front of Eliwese.
“Riley tracked down the courier. It wasn’t too hard for him; after
all, he is my best guy. You underestimated my power, again.”

“So, you feel I am too stupid to outguess
you?”

“Eliwese, honey, you’ve never succeeded with
any of your foolish attempts.”

“Did Riley get the second copy as well?” she
asked carefully.

“You don’t have a second copy.”

“Well, you’ll have to believe me when I tell
you there is another copy and it will be delivered if I am not with
the others.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Come on Daddy, you taught me better than to
only have one copy. So let’s get down to business now. You can take
a gamble and put your chips on the assumption I only had the one
video, or you can listen to me and my offer. If you don’t do what I
say, your plan becomes public knowledge tonight.”

“What is it you really want, Eliwese?”

Ryan cut in, “He’s sounding impatient.”

“I want you to transfer five-million dollars
to my account. I want all five of us to leave safely and not be
followed. I want to be able to leave the country with my companions
and not be tracked across the world. If these things are too hard
for you, then we will send in the video.”

“Why only five mil? You could ask for unheard
of amounts, yet you ask for a mere pittance. Here, give me that…”
Sean heard typing. “What difference does it make if I give you five
mil or ten mil; I still have to wonder every day whether or not you
will turn in the video, if in fact you do have another one, which I
don’t think you do. So here’s what I’m going to do… this is how
confident I am you don’t have any backup video.”

“Wow, you
are
confident! You’re losing
your mind in your old age. Are you even worth that many zeros?”

“Oh, the naiveté of youth. You and your
‘child prostitutions’ as you say have made me four times this rich.
Anyway, it is irrelevant. I’m in a generous mood as you can see by
my wire transfer. I will let you choose how this will play out.
Option one: You leave, but my first wife stays. Option two: You get
to leave, but the sister stays. Option three: You remain with me
and everyone else leaves quietly.”

“So basically, I have no choice in the
matter.” The fight left Eliwese’s voice.

“There is always a choice, my dear.”

“And you are making a bad one, daddy.”

“Oh, I think we both know who made the wrong
choice here. You thought you could run away and tattle-tale on me,
leaving me to try to explain your whereabouts to your billionaire
husband who’s threatening to pull out of our arrangement. Anyway, I
tire of this little game we’re playing. Make your choice or I’ll
make it for you.”

Eliwese remained silent for a long while.
Sean wondered what she was thinking. Finally she said, “I would
hope the family will be left alone.”

“Oh, they will be fine,” he said with a false
high-pitched voice. “So long as no stray copies of this video make
it out and, by the way, you can tell them as long as they obey me,
I won’t kill you, sweetie. You see, you are my insurance in an
unsure world.” His voice was calm, but he was deeply pleased with
himself for finding her weaknesses. Only someone with his genetics
would have the gall to take a stand against him. “Now, get up, and
go inform them of the deal. You might want to emphasize the part
about ‘no other copies being released’ and if there is in fact
another courier they had better stop the delivery. Your life
depends on it.”

Sean watched as two suits attached a wire to
her blouse and allowed her to walk to Sean.

He saw the dark circles under her eyes giving
away her exhaustion and pain. He rose to his feet and walked toward
her closing the distance.
She will have a solution for this
,
Sean thought confidently,
this is not over; she’ll know what to
do.

They embraced each other and Sean felt her
whole body trembling. He supported her weight so she could relax.
They held the embrace while she spoke in his ear, “Did you hear all
of it?”

“Yes.”

“You need to leave with your family.”

“What? No, not without you!” He pushed her
away to arms length

“I got your mother and sister back, like I
promised. He won’t kill me, so don’t worry.”

“No, he’ll just torture you…I can’t let that
happen.”

“There isn’t anything you can do at this
point. He knows he can’t kill me or else he risks you submitting
the video.” Her voice was so soft and strained. “He doesn’t believe
you have another one but he’s not going to risk it by having you
killed. You need to leave before he changes his mind.”

“How will I know if you’re ok? I mean, I
can’t call…you won’t be able to…” Sean stumbled over his words. He
couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t telling him what he wanted her
to say. He wanted her to tell him everything would be ok, that they
would all be escaping, and she had a new plan up her sleeve.

“Sean, this meeting worked out far better
than I imagined. Follow the plan, please. You and your family will
never have to worry about money again.” She pleaded with him and
gripped his forearms firmly.

“It wasn’t supposed to work this way.” Sean
lost the last bit of control over his emotions. “I won’t leave here
without you!”

“I’m sorry, Sean, but you have to.”

“There has to be something we can do about
this!”

“Sean, please go! Take your family to the
place I always wanted to go. Do you remember the place, Sean?” He
picked right up on her cryptic talk.

“The one with many places?”

“Yes. Go there. Someday I’ll find a way to
join you. But for now, you have to go without me.”

“No, please don’t say that. I will find a way
to save you. I won’t stop until I do.” He had difficulty talking
with his constricted voice.

“Sean, please don’t waste the rest of your
life on me. In the end, it wouldn’t have been worth it.”

“No, Eliwese.” Sean whispered.

Eliwese tried with every last effort inside
to sound happy. “At least I have been privileged enough to know
you; the one man in my whole life who’s been a true gentleman. I
love you deeply for that.” She kissed his cheek lightly, pulled
away from his grasp and turned and walked with her head held high
and tears pouring down her cheeks, back toward her father, back to
the world she had vowed never to return to.

Sean’s world swam around him, everything
echoed and nothing made sense. His brother and mother supported
Lyndee’s broken body and tried to drag Sean down the long hallway
to the exit. At some point during Eliwese’s final meeting with
Sean, Lyndee had been brought down to Sara. Ryan had joined them
also. But Sean hadn’t even noticed. All he knew was he’d lost
Eliwese, he couldn’t save her. There was nothing he could do for
her. She was his crosser, his responsibility, and he’d failed
her.

The greater the distance from Eliwese, the
harder it was to see her face. Many heads of happy shoppers blocked
his view. Sean had to stop walking backward. He reluctantly turned
and walked forward. It was the hardest thing he had ever done.

Eliwese gingerly sat back down in her seat
across from her father. The Cutler’s had successfully been
reunited, but Dr. Randall and a courier had perished. She hoped the
other courier would escape without harm. She stared at her father
who currently spoke on his cell phone. Riley pulled a chair up to
the table and sat beside her, his face scrunched in an angry
grimace. Why would he be upset with the results of the meeting? Oh,
she remembered, he had some kind of business with Sara Cutler and
now she was gone.

Victor closed his phone and addressed Riley.
“Did our eyes get a make and model?”

“Yes.”

“Spread the word for everyone to be on the
lookout. I want the women alive.”

Eliwese was beside herself. They would be
captured, Sean and Ryan killed and the women subjected to further
abuse. She’d seen the condition Lyndee was in, she’d recognized the
attempt to cover her markings and she realized under the clothing
were additional injuries. She felt sickened on a whole new
level.

Her father focused his piercing gaze on her.
“You almost cost me the financial funding of your husband. He’s
ordered that we remain in Northtown tonight until he can bring
Elaine in the morning.”

“Elaine, why?”

“Because you started this by placing her in
your position and I’m finishing it. She’s been playing the part of
‘ailing Eliwese’ very well, but unrest is circulating because she
hasn’t made a public appearance yet since her kidnapping. Prince
Vasilios has done all he can to appease the people, but he can only
do so much without your face to calm the masses. He has come up
with an acceptable ploy though; you are about to leave the palace
to attend a court hearing in Northtown where your kidnappers are
being arraigned. Once he gets here with Elaine, we can leave.”

Eliwese thought about Sean, wondering if he
would follow her instructions. For this to turn out in their favor
it was imperative he do so.

Riley spoke up with a sharp edge to his
voice. “So, we leave now?”

“No.”

“Victor, this location has been iffy at best
from the get-go. Staying any longer than we need is risky.”

“We stay ‘till I say! If you’re worried I’m
in danger, get out there and nullify it.”

Riley abruptly left the area in a huff.

Eliwese followed him with her eyes until he
was out of sight. She turned to her father. “So, why are we really
waiting?”

“I want word they’ve been captured.”

“You’re positive they’ll be found?”

“No one ever gets the best of me,
sweetheart.” He turned to the guard to his left. “Dennison, go get
me a soft pretzel.”

**********

After exiting the mall, Sean and his family
hurried to the vehicle Ryan had driven previously. Ryan helped
Lyndee in the back and climbed in the front to drive. Sean helped
his mother in the back by Lyndee, and then he sat up front with
Ryan.

“He killed Doc, he killed Suzzette,” Ryan
slammed his hands on the steering wheel as he drove out of the
parking lot. “Son of a bitch!”

Sean turned and looked at his mother. She had
her arm around Lyndee supporting her. The two of them had been
through a horrific ordeal, Lyndee more so, and seeing them in this
condition renewed his determination to move forward. Eliwese would
want him to finish this for her.

“Ryan, drive to the storage shed. We need to
switch cars.”

“Right, our disguises are in the other car
too.”

Sean watched for tails until they reached the
sheds. After a quick maneuvering, they had piled in the alternate
car with the other one safely out of sight, and no apparent sign of
followers.

“Ryan, drive to the bank by the hotel.”

“Why do you need to go to the bank?” Sara
asked Sean.

“Eliwese instructed me to. While I’m inside,
you three should work on your appearances.”