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.
Chapter 14
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.”
Ryan parallel parked directly in front and Sean jumped out and entered the bank.
“I need to transfer money between two accounts, please.”
The young female bank teller gave him the form to fill out with account numbers. He did so, but he didn’t know what amount to write down for the transfer. He knew Eliwese had cashed out her forty thousand and deposited it in his account earlier that morning, but he didn’t know how much her father transferred.
“Would you tell me the balance of this account?”
“One-hundred million and forty-thousand dollars, sir,” the girl replied calmly.
“Pardon? Did you say one-hundred million?” His stomach lurched into his throat.
“Yes, sir.”
Eliwese was right when she said his family wouldn’t ever worry about money again. No doubt she imagined the Cutlers basking on the pristine beaches of the Caribbean, but Sean had another idea.
It took about ten minutes to complete his banking. Due to the excessive dollar amounts being transferred and withdrawn, the bank manager was called for approval. He immediately recognized Sean from earlier and approved the withdrawal. However, the transferred money would remain pending until the next morning.
Sean tucked the envelope of cash in his pocket and turned toward the exit. His eyes nervously scanned the area for black suits or Riley or anyone who might be looking for him. He exited the bank and was on his way to the car when he heard a nearby voice say, “Steve! Hey, Steve!”
Someone touched his forearm and he jumped. It was Jacquline. He had forgotten he’d given the name of Steve at the lounge the night before.
“Hi, Jacquline. What are you doing here?” Sean’s eyes glanced up to the rooftops; no snipers, yet.
“Robbing the bank,” she stated jokingly. “I’m kidding. I thought you were from out of town.”
“I have an account here.” Sean looked nervously to the right and the left as if at any second he expected Riley or Victor to approach him and force him to transfer the money back.
“Are you alright?”
“Sure, I’m just a little pressed for time.” If not already, he would soon be hunted by the entire army of Rendier once Rawlings figured out his money was gone. Sean had to figure out where to hide his family, and he had to figure it out straightaway. An idea came to him as if someone switched a light bulb on above his head. “Jacquline, see that car over there?”
“Yes.” She followed the direction of his finger.
“That’s my family and we need help.” Sean noticed Ryan was wearing his disguise; a blond wig, short & straight, large designer sunglasses and bright pink lipstick. His mother and sister were not dressed up yet.
“What kind of help?”
“We need a place to hide,” He leaned closer to her ear and said, “our lives are in danger.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened with apprehension. “Who’s after you?”
“Victor Rawlings and Riley Stone.” He saw the doubt flash in her eyes as he’d expected. She’d never known either of those two men to be anything other than gentlemen and other than being rather disgusted with the thought of going out with Riley, she had no other reason to dislike him.
“Come over here and meet my mother.” Sean led her to the car all the while his eyes searched the area. He knew he didn’t have much time to get his family out of sight. He opened the back door and watched the horrified look spread across Jacquline’s face as she took in Lyndee’s and Sara’s injuries.
“Oh my! What happened to you?”
Sean was about to introduce them but before he could say anything, Lyndee said one word in answer to Jacquline’s question.
“Riley.”
Sean watched realization blossom in her expression. “J
acquline, we need to hide and we need to do it now. Can you help us?”
“Yes. There is a private entrance to the hotel in the back alley not monitored by cameras. I can get you in and up to my room without anyone knowing better.”
Sean was genuinely surprised. “Alright.”
They both climbed in the car with Jacquline in the back and Sean in the front.
“Everyone, this is Jacquline. She is going to help us out.”
“My name’s Ryan.” Ryan said over his shoulder. “Which direction do I drive?”
Jacquline’s eyes widened again with the shock of hearing a man’s voice from the cute blonde driver. “Um, take a right at the light.”
Sean turned in his seat to face her. “Just so you know, my real name is Sean; this is my mother, Sara, and my sister, Lyndee.” Sean saw blankets stretched over their legs. They’d obviously chosen to simply hide versus altering their looks.
She nodded to everyone. “So, how do you know Riley Stone?”
No one answered and Sean took pity on her for being in the awkward situation. “We had a run-in with Riley and Rawlings over at the mall.”
“He beat you up at the mall?”
“No,” Sara replied, “My boys picked us up there.”
“Ryan, up on Reeser Ave. take a right.” Jacquline advised him and turned back to Sara. “Where have you been and what happened?”
Sean turned around and spoke before his mother did. “Jacquline, I can’t begin to tell you how much we all appreciate what you are doing for us. But before we go in the hotel with you, you must understand your life will be in danger because of helping us. If any shred of information gets out that you are assisting us,” he nodded toward Lyndee, “you’ll be lucky if that’s all Riley does to you. Do you still want to help?”
She considered carefully and, one at a time, looked at each family member, she nodded her head and said, “Yes, I want to help. Ryan, turn right into the parking lot and drive to the other side where the alley runs along the backside of the hotel. About halfway down is a door without a handle.”
Dictator s Daughter Page 20