Dictator s Daughter Page 4

  “Oh, there’s Sean. I’ll just go tie into those dishes.” She got up and hurried past him giving him a wink as she whizzed by. Sean couldn’t help but smile.

  He settled down next to Chandra on the couch and listened as she rattled off many ideas and plans for their wedding.

  “I was thinking of mini crepes topped with warm caramel apple sauce and a scoop of freshly made vanilla ice cream, and to drink I…” her voice trailed off as Sean entered deep thought mode.

  He was still thinking about his conversation with Ryan. He didn’t feel the same as Ryan, did he? No, he convinced himself, no, I help crossers and I enjoy doing it. I make that decision all on my own.

  “…favorite lemon-lime soda?” Sean registered she was asking him a question.

  “I don’t have a favorite.”

  “Sure you do. Just think about it for a second.”

  “Seriously, I don’t. You pick.”

  “Well, I think the punch would be better with…” she trailed off again and Sean wondered to himself if she ever got tired of talking. His thoughts went to Eli and his condition. He had been out of the room for a few hours and should probably be getting back to him.

  Chandra must have read his mind, “Sean, what is your new crosser like?”

  “He’s quiet, doesn’t say much.”

  “Why did he become a crosser?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “You said he was a young boy, how old is he?”

  “I don’t know his age, but he’s probably fifteen or sixteen, he might even be younger.”

  “Why do you think he crossed?” she asked sweetly.

  “He’s definitely running, probably from the dictator like everyone else. He sure was beaten terribly before arriving here.”

  “Oh.”

  Sean didn’t think much of Chandra’s questions even though she hadn’t been very interested in his business before. It was obvious that she wasn’t interested; why she would bother asking he didn’t know.

  Later on, Sean went up to his bedroom to find Eli still awake. Sean changed into his tank top and pajama bottoms in the bathroom. He climbed into bed, being careful not to bounce too much. He knew Eli’s pain still lingered. Sean lay on his back with his arms raised up and his hands behind his head.

  “Your fiancée came over tonight?” Eli asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “I could hear you two.”

  “You could?”

  “Well, she has kind of an annoying voice that carries through everything.”

  Sean agreed with Eli, but at the same time, he knew he should defend Chandra. Instead, Sean decided to change the subject, “How are your injuries healing?”

  “Good.”

  “Can you tell me about your family?” Sean pried.

  “No, I can’t.”

  “But don’t you have parents who would be worried about your safety?”

  “No.”

  “You don’t have parents?”

  “I do, but I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Oh, well, can you tell me why you had to leave your country?”

  “My life was in danger.”

  “I don’t suppose you can say why?”

  “I can’t Sean, I’m sorry,” Eli apologized and Sean felt like a heel for pressing too hard.

  “It’s OK, don’t worry about it.”

  “I haven’t thanked you and your family for helping me.”

  “It’s not necessary, Eli, it’s what we do.”

  “Still, it’s more than I expected.” Eli said in a quieter voice. “You have a good life here, Sean. Don’t ever take it for granted.”

  “I know, and I don’t.” Sean’s thoughts centered on the age of his crosser and his ability to examine and interpret his surroundings in comparison with other lousy environments. How does a kid this young come to understand these kinds of things?

  “So what does Chandra look like?” Eli asked.

  Sean was a little taken aback with this question. “Well, she’s pretty, blond hair, blue eyes, healthy body.”

  “She sounds hot.”

  Sean laughed, “Yeah, she is. What kinds of girls do you like, Eli?”

  “Not blond.”

  “That’s it?”

  “I personally like a girl with a brain.”

  “Hey, that’s not nice, Chandra has a brain.”

  “Sorry, I just mean if I had to take looks up against brains, I’d go brains any day.”

  “Oh, I guess I feel the same way,” Sean said in a yawn. He also thought a nice set of ‘cupcakes’ never hurt either.

  **********

  Dr. Randall stopped by the next day to evaluate Eli and Sara asked Sean to run some errands during the doctor’s visit. This gave Sean the opportunity to visit Chandra at The DoubleScoop.

  “What are you doing here?” Chandra asked him.

  “Good to see you, too.” It wasn’t exactly the response Sean thought he’d be getting from her.

  “Last time you stopped by, it was to invite me to come over because you were free. So is that it? Are you free?”

  “No, sorry. I wanted to see you and I was out on errands…isn’t it ok that I want to see you?”

  “Well, of course it is. Hey, I’m going on break in five minutes, can you stick around?”

  “You bet.” Sean sat in a corner booth giving him an unobstructed view of the parlor. He always seated himself in the best visual vantage point ever since his father taught him how to be observant. ‘Never put your back to the enemy,’ Paul had said. Chandra came over and joined him.

  “So, tell me about Eli,” Chandra blasted him with the question.

  “What? Whoa, where did that come from?”

  “Sean, we are going to be married in just a few months and you’ll be telling me all this stuff then, so why not now?”

  “Well, there isn’t anything to tell at this point. I don’t know anything.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “What’s not to believe?” His eyebrows came together as he questioned her motives in his mind.

  “There must be something you can tell me,” she said in her sickeningly sweet voice.

  Sean’s hair on the back of his neck stood on end. His pulse quickened and he couldn’t ignore the feelings of trepidation he was experiencing.

  “You know what? I’ve got to go; I forgot I needed to pick up some other supplies. Come over tonight and we’ll talk.” He hoped his sudden departure wouldn’t raise alarms, but her insistent questions put him into a tailspin. She never took this much interest in anyone else, not even him.

  Once Sean was back in his truck and driving through Slaterville, he allowed his mind to contemplate the possibility Chandra, his fiancée, might be a spy.

  After Sean left the parlor, Chandra exited out the back door and opened her cell phone. She dialed the number and waited for the other end to be answered.

  “Yes,” a low rumbling male sounded through the phone.

  “It’s me. I want to know why you haven’t done anything yet.”

  “Done anything about what?”

  “You know, I found her and she’s still there. No one has even tried to grab her. I want to know why.”

  “That’s not your job or your concern. You were paid for information, and that’s where your involvement ended,” he was losing patience with her.

  “There’s a new one, a teenage boy. Are there any rewards for a missing boy?” she asked hopefully.

  “None I’m aware of. I’ll keep you posted. Keep your position in the home and pass on any changes,” his voice exuded power and control.

  “You know I will.” She closed her phone and ended the connection.

  Sean knew Chandra wouldn’t miss dinner for anything. He informed his mother Chandra would be joining them and then went up to his room to check on Eli. He sat at the small table, reading the newspaper.

  “How did your doctor visit go?” Sean asked.

  “Good.” Eli stated.
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br />   “Good?” Sean was tired of all the one worded sentences.

  “Good,” Eli restated.

  Sean walked into the bathroom and splashed water on his face and wiped it off with the towel. Between Chandra’s suspicious behavior and Eli’s lack of volunteering up information, Sean felt out of control; not that he ever had control to begin with.

  This whole business of housing crossers was, for the first time, stressing him beyond measure. Here he was, twenty-four, engaged to a possible spy and caring for an abused teenager who rarely said anything; it was enough to make him crazy. Was this what his life had come to? Was Ryan so far off base about not wanting to become Sean?

  Sean stormed out of the bathroom and exited his bedroom. He bee-lined it to the wood pile in the back yard and picked up the axe. He’d take out his frustrations on the twenty-four inch logs; it had to be symbolic somehow.

  Log after log, Sean swung his discontent away. He piled the wood against the house according to size and chopped some more. After awhile, Sean took off his sweat-soaked shirt and threw it toward the back door. The crisp air froze on his damp skin, and yet it felt exhilarating at the same time. He swung the axe harder and with more power. His frustrations ebbed and muscle exhaustion took over. His breath was coming in pants and heaves. If nothing else, it was an excellent way to work out, Sean thought.

  Sean placed both his palms behind on his hips and arched his back, pushing his chest forward to stretch. His chin reached up toward the sky but stopped abruptly when his eyes met the pair staring at him from the upstairs window.

  Eliwese quickly moved away from the glass with her heart racing and a nervous flush rushing up her cheeks. She couldn’t believe herself for gawking at his body; what’s more, he caught her. She was determined not to let that happen again. She wrestled in her mind with what exactly she didn’t want to happen again; was it the gawking part or the getting caught?

  She admired his strength but worried about the anger he was clearly dealing with. She knew some of the frustration was directed at her, but she didn’t know where the rest of it came from. Perhaps his fiancée had made him mad. She wished she could talk more to him, but she always risked sounding too female.

  Eliwese sat down at the table and fanned her face with a magazine. The sight of his bare chest and rippling muscles glistening in the sunlight had her wondering if she would be able to lay in bed with him and resist the urge to touch him. Every night, when he climbed into bed with her, she couldn’t breathe. Now, she’d have a mental image of his masculinity in its full glory to battle with too.

  Sean didn’t know what to think. Why would Eli be staring at him? But, it was more than that; Eli’s expression was one of awe and longing. Sean shook his head to clear out his obvious misconceptions. He was working himself up over a misread facial interpretation he only saw for half a second. Perhaps Eli was admiring Sean’s muscular body, dreaming of one day having stacked muscles too. Yeah, right. That was not the look Sean saw. He’d seen lust.

  Sean showered downstairs and made himself presentable for Chandra. She arrived in a happy mood and behaved wonderfully all night. Not once did she ask about Eli, or why Eli might have crossed the border and it helped Sean relax. Now he only needed to figure out what to say to Eli when he went to bed. Catching Eli watching him was disturbing to say the least. But how should he handle it?

  Sean had escorted Chandra to her car and kissed her goodnight before climbing the stairs to his room. He found Eli lying on the bed, wearing the all too familiar high necked jogging suit. Sean walked past Eli and to the bathroom to change clothes.

  Once Sean settled into bed, Eli turned to him and asked, “Sean, can you tell me about some of the defectors you’ve housed?”

  Red flags went up all around Sean. This was a trademark question of a spy. Questions like these would give information of how long the safe house had been in operation and the people who had actually fled from Rendier. Sean’s hair on the back of his neck stood up and his skin prickled; that was twice in the same day!

  He proceeded carefully. “Well, most are on the run, most fear for their lives and they’ve usually done something to upset Victor Rawlings.” Sean felt he hadn’t given up any crucial information with the comment.

  “Well, that was vague.”

  “What were you expecting?”

  “A little more detail maybe.”

  “I guess you’re just as disappointed as I am,” Sean stated and looked over at Eli.

  “What?” Eli asked.

  “Well, I’d like to find out more about you and your life, but you have your reasons for not telling and so do I,” Sean said with the hope Eli would volunteer up something of his past, but no.

  Instead, Eli switched topics, “Do you like living in a country which has a democratic government?”

  “Well, sure. I mean, it has its own flaws, but for the most part it’s a good system.”

  “I have studied your government for some time now. It’s very intriguing to me that your people have a say and can voice their opinions without fearing for their lives.”

  “Yeah, I can’t imagine what it would be like to live under a dictatorship. It must be awful.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “No, I don’t suppose I do.” Sean figured the conversation would be over because this was about as far as any of their conversations had gone.

  He was pleasantly surprised when Eli continued.

  “Well, imagine only having a couple of choices of beverages only because Victor Rawlings doesn’t like the others. Basically, we’re forced to like the same things as him. The news reports are approved by him, the television shows are chosen by him, even the radio songs are picked by him. No one can voice their opinion without the danger of disappearing the next day. But I think the worst part about living under an iron thumb is having friends and family members disappear, never to be seen again. It’s one thing to know for certain they are dead, but when they only disappear it’s harder to cope with. That’s why I wondered who you have helped; maybe it’s someone I know. It would be wonderful to discover they’re alive.” Eli turned his head forward again and looked at the ceiling and Sean lay stunned.

  “As much as I would like to tell you about crossers I’ve met, I cannot. You should understand this better than anyone. Crossers usually use a false name to protect their identity. Sometimes they wear disguises to alter their looks, but all the same, it’s in an effort to escape their former lives and stay alive.”

  “You think I am doing that?”

  “It wouldn’t matter to me if you were, but that’s not the point. The point is, I could tell you about our crossers, but you probably wouldn’t even recognize anyone because the person I was presented with doesn’t exist. I deal with fake names and altered physical appearances. The real person underneath is someone I never get to know.” Like you, he thought.

  “I guess I knew that already. It was silly of me to ask.”

  “Well, Eli, would you want me telling future crossers about you?”

  “No, I wouldn’t. But then again, I won’t give you anything to tell,”

  “Just like everyone else, and that’s OK. My role here isn’t to be angry you have deceived me, but to help you make a transition into a new life. If you feel like you need to hide everything about yourself in a self-preservation effort, I will help you.”

  “That’s what I pay you for.”

  “But don’t think for a second I don’t wonder about your life or about your family you left, or why there was an order to have you killed,”

  “There wasn’t an order to have me killed,” Eli interrupted.

  Sean was shocked to hear this surprising revelation. “There wasn’t?”

  “No.”

  “Usually, crossers have a death order out on them.”

  “Well, I’m not your usual crosser.”

  “Yeah, I’m beginning to realize that. Let’s get some shut-eye.”

  Sean rolled on his side so his back f
aced Eli. He wasn’t tired at all, instead, he was in utter disbelief about what Eli had just revealed. Never had they housed a crosser who didn’t have a death warrant. What could this mean? What made Eli so ‘hot’? Maybe he’s a spy. Probably not, but all the same, Sean would be watching him closely for the next little while. And to think as Sean was making his way up to bed a little earlier, he was worried how to handle the earlier incident of Eli staring at him out the window.

  Eliwese rolled over and lay staring at Sean’s back. Their conversation had gone a lot further than she’d wanted it to. Talking to Sean had such a fluid feel, it made it hard to stop; plus he was so easy on the eyes. Even though he was a mere shadowed silhouette, she envisioned his muscular body and had the overwhelming urge to reach out to him. She was glad he didn’t bring up her gawking from earlier in the day.

  The next morning after Eli was situated following breakfast, Sean slipped into his surveillance room just off his bedroom. Both he and Lyndee had full length mirrors on their walls which were actually two-way viewers similar to an interrogation room at a police department. On the other side of the mirror was a small space with monitors, recording devices and a computer. Access to Sean’s dark room was obtained through the linen closet near his door.

  As Sean observed Eli, he also perused the daily newspaper for clues; once again, nothing worthy of noting. Eli’s questions from the night before and the lack of attention to his disappearance almost cemented Sean’s spy theory, but not quite.

  Sara entered the dark room and whispered to Sean, “Are you going to do errands today or shall I get Ryan to do them?”

  “Better ask Ryan. I need to watch Eli today.”

  “How come?”

  “I don’t know. My gut says to. There are some…wait,” Sean had a thought, “what do you know about Eli, Mom”

  “Not as much as you think I do. Your father is quite tight-lipped about this one.”

  “Can you tell me anything?”

  “No, I’m afraid not, son. Follow your instincts.”

  Sean nodded feeling a little disappointed she couldn’t or possibly wouldn’t tell him anything more.

  Hours went by of watching Eli basically do nothing. Around lunch time Ryan came into the dark room. “So, what’s the story with your crosser?” he asked in a low voice.