Dictator s Daughter

by Angell, Lorena

  “The padding did its job for a real long time. I took a shot at you being gay rather than possibly being a girl. I’d say you got your money’s worth out of it. But Eliwese, why do you keep avoiding my question?”

  “I don’t want to tell you. It’s as simple as that,” she said with her eyes closed.

  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 halfway 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.

  Chapter 7

  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 t
hat 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.”

  “I don’t think any less of you. I’m sure it was innocent enough. Maybe my subconscious knew who I was kissing.”

  He smiled back at her and said, “You need to rest.” As he walked away, he could sense her eyes upon him.

  She watched him leave the room. She had awakened next to him in bed a little earlier and if it hadn’t been for the excruciating pain in her side, she would have thought she was in heaven. Then later, the cold blades of the scissors cutting off her wrap had awakened her again, but she faked sleep to see if her assumptions of Sean were right. He was gentle to the bone. No ‘accidentally on purpose’ contact with her bare chest and when there was contact, it frustrated him so much he abandoned the whole idea. Eliwese thought that to be so noble.

  She thought about some of the other men in her life. The other not so decent men and what kinds of things these men had done in her incapacitated states. She had formed an opinion of men in general and it wasn’t good. Some of the maids and counsel of hers had told her there were good decent men out there; they were just hard to find.

  Well, she dreamed she would find the fairytale man and now she had. The only question was would he want her? She was damaged goods.

  Sean went into the kitchen to get something to drink. The clock showed two-thirty in the morning. He wandered to the front room and turned on the radio. He scanned for the news channel but being the middle of the night, most stations were off the air or had pre-programmed shows.

  He turned it off and went back in the bedroom with fresh bottled water and a straw. Eliwese was asleep, and Sean sat down in the armchair and laid his head back. He thought about everything she’d revealed to him. It’s no wonder why she wouldn’t tell him anything about her life. He glanced over at her and thought about how strong of a person she was, even after everything she’d been through. Things made sense now for the first time. He knew now why she had to be so secretive. There were fiendish men in her life that would kill her and those around her if they had the chance.

  But not all men were like that. His father, his uncle,
and himself, were all courteous toward women. He hoped he would never become like the men she had just described.

  A few hours went by and her voice awakened him.

  “Sean, are you asleep?”

  “No, what do you need?” he sat forward and grasped her hand. It was warm to the touch.

  “I think my fever is coming back and I hurt.”

  He scanned her forehead and it read one-hundred three point eight.

  “Yes, you’re warming up. Let’s uncover you a bit.” He pulled back the covers exposing her legs. “I need to check your bandages.”

  He gently helped her roll on her side and pulled up her shirt to expose the tape and gauze. He tugged at the tape on her stomach and she winced. He apologized and removed the extra gauze to uncover the wound. It seemed alright to him so he removed the tape on her back. The skin around the wound was swollen and red.

  “What does it look like?”

  “It looks like it hurts. I think the infection is spreading.”

  He grabbed more gauze and tape and recovered the wound. “Maybe you should lie on your side, instead of your back, for a while.”

  “OK.”

  He found her some more pillows to prop against her back and poured out two more ibuprofen for her and helped her take them. He grabbed the bowl of water and the towels to start cooling her off then sat on the bed and moistened the towels placing them on her legs and forehead. He used the last washcloth to wipe her body, carefully moistened her cheeks and neck and pulled her shirt up a little to place the washcloth on her stomach; her whole body was immediately covered in goose bumps.

  He avoided looking at her breasts as he did not need the distraction. He noticed some scars on her back that he hadn’t seen before. They had an odd jagged design and he traced them with his finger.

  “Just some reminders of the life I left behind,” she tried to sound lighthearted.

  He quickly took his fingers off of her back. “I’m sorry, I—”

  “I don’t mind you touching me. You’re the first man who I trust completely.” She truly meant it.