Dictator s Daughter

by Angell, Lorena

  She nodded.

  “If all three do not leave at the same time, I need to be told. I wrote my cell number on this piece of paper. Ryan, Mom and Lyndee, wait till Jacquline gives you the all clear, put on your disguises and then drive north to the border.”

  “That’s a sixteen hour drive.” Ryan complained. “What about Jacquline?

  “Jacquline, you need to make sure these guys are not seen leaving your room. There cannot be a trail leading back to you. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Ryan, here is a copy of the account numbers and the password, just in case.”

  “Just in case what?” Lyndee asked.

  “Lyndee, this whole operation is risky. You know what I am talking about. Ryan if you don’t hear from me in two hours time, log in and move that money. Keep your heads low and be safe. Ryan, give me your hat and sunglasses. I might need those. I love you guys.” With that, Sean hugged everyone and left the room.

  Chapter 16

  Out in the hall, Sean placed Ryan’s hat on his head and waited for the elevator. From what Jacquline had told him, the guards wouldn’t be paying attention to patrons leaving the hotel, and she was right. He exited out the main lobby door and proceeded to the library six blocks away.

  The walk was refreshing to his senses. The cool autumn air was crisp and Sean knew the snow level would soon drop to the valley floors, he could feel it in the air. Normally, this would invigorate him, but not today. His awareness was on high alert watching for followers.

  He arrived at the library and went in and signed onto a computer. He then went to the men’s room and retrieved one bag of clothes from the vent and added the glasses and hat to its contents. He took the bag back to his desk. Along the way, he noted no other library guests, only two older women at the librarian’s desk.

  Once Sean had the bank information pulled up on the computer screen, he took a deep breath and dialed the phone number from the caller ID.

  “Cutler, where is my money?!” the angry voice sounded immediately into the phone.

  “What? You lost some money?”

  “What have you done with my money?!”

  “Calm down, I haven’t done anything with it. It’s sitting in my bank account. I don’t understand why you’re so bent out of shape over this, aren’t you worth four times that much?”

  “I thought I was done with you and your despicable family.”

  “Now, now, insults will only cost you money.”

  “What is it you want, Cutler?”

  “Eliwese and five-million, no, make it six-million dollars because you insulted my family.”

  “And what elaborate plan have you drawn up this time? Are we to meet at the park? Will we negotiate over the see-saw? Maybe this is part of the first plan, get Daddy to transfer too much money and then blackmail him with it.”

  “You transferred too much money all on your own, buddy, and yes, now I’m blackmailing you with it.”

  “You won’t win, boy.”

  “Maybe not, but I’m still going to try.”

  “So, where do we meet?”

  “Who says we need to meet at all? Send Eliwese into the public library on Sixteenth Street. Once she’s here, I’ll transfer the money to you via the internet.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yeah, do we have a deal or isn’t she worth ninety-four million dollars?”

  “I’ll be there in three hours.”

  “You’re already here. You have ten minutes. That’s all the time it took me to walk here, you can surely drive faster than that.”

  “Ten minutes isn’t enough time.”

  “Sure it is. Listen, I leave here in ten minutes, either with Eliwese and six-million, or alone with one-hundred million dollars.” Sean hung up on him.

  Sean watched in both amazement and amusement at the flurry of men and vehicles swarming on the library. He could only imagine the chaos echoing through the private radios, the cussing, the stress of moving the equivalent of an army six blocks and positioning strategic snipers and intelligence officials in the best prime places. It brought a smile to Sean’s face. It also gave him an indication of how desperately Rawlings wanted his money back.

  Ten minutes to the dot, Eliwese entered the library wearing the same clothing as the day before. Sean stayed in his chair and waited for her to come to him as a safety precaution. No sense in walking into snipers’ cross-hairs. As she came near, he could tell she’d been beaten again. She had new bruises on her arms and face and one nasty looking black eye. Her walk was slow and pained. She hadn’t even recovered fully from her surgery before she was subjected to another beating.

  “Sean, why didn’t you listen to me? This will only get us killed. The whole building is surrounded. This won’t end well,” she said in a quiet, weak voice with moist eyes.

  He stood up and hugged her carefully and tenderly. He pulled his head away from her but kept his arms around her. “Look at you! He will pay for this.”

  “How are we going to get out of this? Why did you have to be the hero?” The pain in her eyes made it hard for Sean to swallow.

  He handed her the bag of clothes. “Go to the men’s room and change. Hurry as fast as you can.” He winked at her.

  His eyes followed her as she entered the men’s room. He walked briskly to the librarian’s desk where the two women busily checked books in from the drop box.

  “Excuse me,” he drew their attention. He pointed out the large picture windows to the mass sea of black vehicles. “Those all belong to Victor Rawlings. He has the place surrounded. Do you have a safe place you can go to right now? I’d hate for you to be caught in the cross-fire, should there be any.”

  The two frumpy librarians looked quickly at each other, their half circle reading glasses nearly falling off their noses.

  “What are they doing here?” The older one asked.

  “It’s a showdown and you two need to get out of here, now.”

  They scurried through a door into a back room and Sean’s phone rang. He took a deep breath and thought to himself, here we go.

  He answered the call with, “Did you think I would overlook your treatment of Eliwese? I would say Riley just cost you another four-million dollars for that beating you allowed him to do.”

  “Damn it! Transfer my money!”

  “Patience, patience, this dial-up connection is super slow. I need an account number to send this money to.”

  Victor rattled off a set of numbers and Sean entered them into the appropriate line. Victor then ordered forcefully, “Now, transfer my money!”

  Sean asked sarcastically, “So how many men do you have surrounding this place? Ten? Twenty? Ninety-million?”

  “Your confidence is outstanding; I’ll make sure your headstone reflects it. Transfer the money!”

  “You want to know what I think? I think you are running a little short on funds about now. I think you transferred all the money you own in the whole wide world and now it’s sitting in my bank account. You’re sounding like a broken record saying ‘transfer my money’ over and over-”

  Victor cut him off. “The two of you will not leave this library alive.”

  “I changed my mind, Vic. I am only going to transfer twenty-million at this time and the rest of the money will be transferred once I am safe and sound, somewhere else.” Sean entered in the transaction for twenty-million dollars and pressed enter.

  “We will storm the building and force you to transfer it all!”

  “Now, how would you do that? Kill me if I don’t transfer the money? I am the only one signed on this account. Killing me won’t get your money back, but I don’t have to tell you that.”

  “I have other ways to get you to comply.”

  “What are you going to do, hold a gun to your own daughter’s head if I don’t make the transfer? You’re too late for that. If you check the city records and blueprints, you’ll find a series of tunnels under the library. My brother sent her through
a tunnel as soon as she arrived here. She has a ten-minute jump on you already. In fact, she probably already exited the tunnel and is being whisked away in fashion to an undisclosed place. She’s long gone,” Sean said proudly. “Oh, and my mother and sister left town, so unless you captured them,” Sean really hoped that wasn’t the case, “and are going to hold them hostage for your money, I don’t see any other way to convince me to transfer all your money right now. Also, if you think using my brother would have an effect on me, think again. Ryan is ready to die to protect his family.”

  “Transfer my money and I’ll let you live.”

  “You are forced to let me live because I made sure the account password is sixteen characters long with numbers and letters. It’s unhackable. Kill me and you’ll never get your money back. How about this: you let me leave here with my brother and I’ll transfer you more money in forty-five minutes. The safer I feel, the more money I’ll send. I’ll keep doing this as I travel further away from you.”

  “How can I trust you?”

  “You are not capable of trusting anyone, so don’t exhaust yourself trying. I’m sure you know by now that I’m good for my word; I told you I’d transfer twenty mil and I did. Just sit back and wait and I’ll hold up my end of the bargain. But remember, no one else is signed on this account. If I am killed, your money will get held up in court battles for months, possibly years. Now, in a few minutes, we’re going to come out the back door and we sure do want to feel safe. Can you make us feel safe, Victor?”

  A long silence hung ominously before the defeated voice followed. “Yes.” Sean looked over and saw Eliwese exit the bathroom holding the sunglasses and hat and looking a lot like his brother Ryan.

  Now was the time to take Riley down. “One more thing, Victor, your number one guy, Riley, he’s not your friend; he’s been playing you. You know, my last crosser was a man who discovered your personal money laundering scheme and you ordered Riley to ‘take him out’. But I’m guessing you meant to kill him, not take him out of the country; yet, Riley probably told you he had completed the job. Isn’t he a good liar? Boy, I wonder what else he’s lied about. How about your personal secretary? You thought she was dead too, I bet, but she’s fine, thanks to Riley. In fact, even Eliwese knew Riley was the secret source for leaving your country. A couple of months ago, he discovered my mother, Sierra, was alive, but I bet he never told you. He kept a close eye on her and when Eliwese defected, he placed her with my family so he could watch over both of them at the same time; Riley knew where Eliwese was all along. He sure duped you, didn’t he? If you don’t believe me check into his banking; you’ll find more money than what you pay him, probably millions more. Perhaps he can reimburse you for the four-million dollar beating he gave Eliwese last night!” Sean hung up the phone.

  “Why did you do that?!” Eliwese was scared.

  “Just one last jab, that’s all.” Sean said casually, but inside he hoped for something else. He placed Ryan’s hat on her head. “Come on now. Put on the sunglasses to hide your black eye. You’re supposed to be Ryan, so try to walk like a guy.”

  Victor Rawlings’ eyes sought out Riley who stood nearby as Sean ended the conversation. Victor closed his phone and called Riley over.

  “What is it?” Riley suspected nothing and knew nothing of what had transpired on the phone. He was also unaware Eliwese had exposed him the night before as an opportunist in the quest for an heir.

  “The two Cutler boys are coming out and no one is to fire upon them. All guns are to await my orders.”

  Riley relayed the orders through his radio.

  “Riley, what did you do with my accountant?”

  “What did I do with him?” Riley wasn’t sure what the question was.

  “You killed him, right?” Victor’s face turned red with bottled up fury.

  “Yes, that’s what you wanted.”

  “It is what I wanted, but I don’t believe you did it.”

  “What, do you need proof?”

  “I do. But I also know you can’t get it for me because the son of a bitch is alive, living here in Baylend!”

  “I don’t—”

  “You hid my daughter here! You knew all along where she was! How could you betray me like this? After everything I’ve done for you!” he hissed.

  “How could I betray you, you ask? It’s because of everything you’ve done to me!”

  “Guards! Seize him! He’s nothing but a scumbag turncoat feathering his own nest!”

  Sean and Eliwese carefully exited the library and walked slowly toward the parked get-away car. Sean saw the snipers dotting the rooftops surrounding them. All eyes were on him and who they thought to be Ryan.

  Sean looked around cautiously, waiting for the big bang. They were almost to the car when he heard commotion and yelling from across the large lawn. He hurried Eliwese along to the other side of the car for protection as Riley shouted crude language and threats in their direction. He appeared to be restrained by other men. His ranting and raving wasn’t verbally understandable but for a few words here and there. He broke free of his bonds and started out across the lawn in their direction, and just as Sean thought he would, Riley pulled out a gun and pointed it at Sean.

  “I’ll kill you!” Riley had completely lost it.

  Sean pushed Eliwese down behind the car for safety and watched as all the snipers on the rooftops turned their attentions and aim down on Riley. Riley either didn’t notice his impending danger or he understood all too well what would happen and he shot his gun in Sean’s direction.

  The lone bullet missed them entirely. But the snipers were exceptionally trained with their aim. Their earpiece radios must have given them the command to take Riley out if he opened fire. A dozen rifles fired concurrently striking Riley’s head and chest in a three dimensional attack that made it look like Riley was exploding from the inside out. His body crumpled to the ground and he lay motionless. Dead. The grisly scene made Sean’s stomach flip and he held Eliwese down to protect her from the view.

  When the shooting stopped, Sean quickly opened the door for Eliwese to climb in the car. He hurried to his door and started the engine. The sniper guns had retrained their cross-hairs on them and time was of the essence.

  Eliwese stared out the window at the lifeless, bloody body in the middle of the grass. Sean cast a quick glance at Riley’s bloody body and a wave of hateful disgust washed over him. He got what he deserved, he thought to himself, one down, one to go.

  Chapter 17

  Many eyes watched the car drive away from the library; one pair was that of Victor Rawlings. As Sean drove past his car, Eliwese took off her glasses and made eye contact with her father. She delighted in seeing the whites of his eyes as he blinked and realized it was his daughter and not Ryan.

  “What did you do that for?” Sean asked in a panic.

  “One last jab, as you would say.”

  As Victor watched Sean and his brother drive by in what they thought would be a successful get away, his eyes met Eliwese’s glaring stare. She had removed the glasses exposing herself to him as if to rub salt in his wounds.

  “Damn,” he muttered and then he smiled. The sound of sirens began to fill the air as Northtown’s finest responded to the call of gunshots. Victor’s men all awaited his order to vacate. He pointed his finger up to the sky and circled twice in a tight motion that everyone understood to mean ‘clear out’ and he climbed in the back of his armored car.

  “Get me out of this country.” He ordered his driver in a low grumble.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Usually Riley would be in the back of the car with him on an occasion such as this, but that would never be the case again. Lying bastard! Victor thought to himself, undermining me every step of the way. I should have gotten rid of his dead weight years ago.

  Victor dialed a number on his phone. “I want Dennison in my car.” Immediately, the traveling group of cars pulled off the road and Dennison magically appeared by the side of t
he car. After he climbed in the back seat, Victor said, “You’re in charge now. I want a tail placed on the boy, and my daughter retrieved ASAP.”

  “Yes, sir.” Dennison immediately called someone else and gave the orders. One of the cars in the procession pulled a sharp u-turn and sped away in the opposite direction.

  Victor couldn’t help but think about the situation he now found himself in. His daughter missing, his money gone, his best bodyguard a traitor, many individuals knowing detailed information about his dealings at large and the possible existence of another copy of the tell-all video. Not good.

  Eliwese laid her head back against the seat and continued to stare out the passenger window. She said nothing; she just watched the buildings fly by. She figured Sean thought this escape seemed like it went without a hitch, but she also knew her father and the fact that he would not stop, ever.

  Sean headed out of town and kept a close eye on his mirror for followers. As they approached a gas station, Eliwese asked him to pull over.

  “We can’t stop yet.”

  “I’m going to be sick. Pull over,” she pleaded.

  Sean yanked on the steering wheel and pulled over barely in time. Eliwese opened the door and vomited out on the road. Sean felt horrible for her. He wondered if seeing Riley dead was too upsetting to her. Had he made the wrong choice? He took off his over-shirt and handed it to her so she could wipe her mouth. As she did, Sean saw the blood she’d thrown up.

  “What did he do to you?!” Sean already knew the answer but somehow it didn’t stop him from asking.

  “I don’t remember. I blacked out, thankfully.” She said with a faint voice and even fainter smile. She closed the door and laid her head back again.

  “Riley!” Sean was beside himself. He wanted to go back and kill Riley again.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “You need to go to the hospital! You are bleeding internally. After everything we’ve been through, I am not going to lose you now.” Sean whipped the car around and drove back to town. As he passed the library, he saw multiple police cars and authorities on the scene. Rawlings was nowhere around, of course. Sean turned a couple of corners and pulled up to the emergency entrance.