Dictator s Daughter Read online

  “I don’t know, get out,” Sean answered.

  “What do you mean you don’t know? You always get to the bottom of these things. So, why do you think Eli ran?” Ryan asked with a wicked kind of smile across his face.

  “You know, there is a reason you aren’t privy to sensitive information.”

  “Oh come on, I can keep a secret.”

  “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”

  “Why not?”

  “What do you care, anyway? I thought you hated everything about this family business.”

  “I do, but a good mystery is always stimulating. This is the first time we’ve taken in a new crosser without P.I.’s combing the neighborhood.”

  “Get out, Ryan, and go do your job. Find Eli a name and a home.”

  “Who says I haven’t already?”

  All Sean had to do was tilt his head slightly to the side and throw a nasty glare in Ryan’s direction. Ryan knew he wasn’t going to be fooling his older brother, so he got up and headed to the door grunting obscenities.

  Everything seemed to quiet down over the next few days. Sean hadn’t had any more strange moments with either Chandra or Eli; nothing to make him feel wary or nervous. He had even spent the whole evening in Chandra’s company deciding on the mundane wedding details only a woman could possibly care about. If Sean had his way, they’d elope.

  He went back in the house after walking her to her car and entered the kitchen. His mother was stirring some hot cocoa by the sink.

  “How was your evening with Chandra?”

  “Fine.”

  “She seemed a little out of sorts tonight, don’t you think?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I didn’t notice anything.”

  “Well, this cocoa is for Eli. Will you take it up to her?” Sara asked Sean.

  “Him,” he corrected her.

  “What?”

  “You said ‘her’; Eli’s a ‘him’.”

  “Did I say that? Oh, I must have still been thinking about Chandra,” Sara stumbled over her words.

  Sean made himself a cup also and took the two up to his room. He found Eli sitting on the couch with a light blanket wrapped around his shoulders and leaning back, all comfortable-like. When Sean entered the room, Eli sat upright quickly.

  “Oh, I thought your mother was bringing the cocoa,” Eli said.

  “Sorry, would you rather have her do it?”

  “No, of course not, I figured you were still with your fiancée.”

  Sean handed him the cup and he sat down at the table with his. Sean’s mind wandered to Chandra and the wedding. He wasn’t crazy about all the details like she was. He sipped his hot drink for a little while and then Eli spoke up.

  “It’s nice of Chandra to let you feel a part of the decision making process for your wedding.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “From what I heard, she made sure you felt like you were a part of it all, even though she basically made all those decisions herself.”

  “We made those decisions together. How do you know, anyway? Were you spying on us?”

  “I didn’t need to; her voice could permeate a solid lead wall.”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about, and what do you mean she made me feel I was a part of it?”

  Eli did his best impression of Chandra which, Sean thought, was pretty darn good for a boy, and at the same time, insanely disturbing. “Sean, honey, are you sure we want daisies? Wouldn’t you think roses would be more appropriate for a wedding? A rose symbolizes love, and aren’t we in love?” Eli’s voice turned into Sean’s. “Well, I guess roses would be better, but I really like daisies.” “But daisies are so…so… childish.” “Childish? I think they are simplistic in nature and I would think the fact they are white would make them ideal for a wedding.” “Oh Sean honey, you misunderstood me. Daisies are adorable. If you really want the color white, we’ll get white roses for the main bouquets and daisies for the flower girls.” “Well, alright.”

  Eli went back to his normal voice. “Don’t you see what she did? She manipulated you into thinking she compromised. She wanted roses and she got roses. Your daisies will be there too, but, at the most, maybe ten flowers.”

  “So what?! So she got her way, it’s her wedding. Guys don’t really care about these things.” Sean brought his cocoa mug down to the table top abruptly causing the liquid to splash out.

  “Well, it seemed to me you really cared about having daisies, and by the way, it’s your wedding also.”

  “I don’t think…why do you…you know what, I’m going to take a shower. Do you need anything before I do?” Sean asked gruffly.

  Eli shook his head.

  Sean got up and went into the bathroom and closed the door. Once he’d climbed in the shower and had water sprinkling over his head, he thought about the daisies. He decided he would put his foot down and demand an even amount of roses and daisies, which would be a real compromise. His thoughts turned to Eli. What was his deal? Why did he even care if Chandra manipulated him? How did a young man understand so much about relationships and compromise?

  He finished his shower and dried off with a towel. He wrapped it around his waist and walked out into the bedroom, quietly. Eli was lying on his back, asleep on the bed. Sean walked over to his dresser to get a pair of boxers and tank top. He dropped his towel and stepped into his boxers and put on his top. As he turned to pick up his towel, he thought he saw Eli close his eyes. Sean walked back into the bathroom, thinking to himself, was Eli just watching me change? It hit Sean like a ton of bricks; Eli must be gay.

  Chapter 4

  Sean’s state of mind demanded he get to the bottom of this right now. He walked over to the bed and sat down cross legged, facing Eli. The room was dark, but Sean could see Eli enough to know his eyes were open.

  “Eli, I need to ask you something.”

  Eli didn’t say anything.

  “Are you…do you…I mean…are you,” Oh, this was not going well. “Do you prefer men?” Sean spit it out quickly.

  “Are you asking me if I’m gay?”

  “Well, yes, I am.”

  Eli chuckled but reassured Sean, “I’m not gay.”

  “Why is this funny to you?”

  “I never thought I would be asked that question.”

  “Well, I don’t know how to explain your behavior in any other way.”

  “What behavior do you mean?” Eli asked innocently.

  “Well, you look at my body and that’s a little weird for me. You have an incredible amount of interest in my personal life with Chandra, and you are quick to give me tidbits of advice I didn’t ask for.”

  “Well, somebody needs to.”

  “Why do you feel that way?”

  “She treats you like crap.” Eli got up from the bed and started limping toward the bathroom.

  “Why would you care how anyone treats me?”

  Eli turned around, stopping dead in his tracks. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He started pacing back and forth in the bedroom and took a deep breath, “No one in a serious relationship should ever be treated like a doormat. No person should feel like they have the right to belittle the person they supposedly love, or elevate themselves above the other. When Chandra says, ‘Oh sweetie you misunderstood me,’ what she’s actually thinking is, ‘oops, I pushed you too far that time. I haven’t beaten down your self-esteem enough yet.’ She proceeds to rephrase her otherwise rude comment to be that of sweetness and gentleness. She plays with your mind until you don’t know which way is up, and then she makes you feel like an idiot for ever thinking she was being rude. And you sucker for it, every time, and apologize to her.” Eli stopped pacing and looked at Sean who was looking directly at him.

  Eli was out of breath and probably red in the face, but it was too dark for Sean to see. “Eli… wow… I don’t know what to say.” He didn’t know what to think. He paused for a moment looking back at Eli, and added, “You didn’t answer
my question.”

  “What question?”

  “Why would you care about how anyone treats me?”

  Eli looked away from Sean and walked over to the window. Without looking at Sean, Eli said quietly, “Because you are a good person and you deserve better.”

  Sean looked at the back of Eli’s head and wondered how a kid so young had so much wisdom. Eli had certainly put a lot of thought into Sean’s life and this still concerned Sean.

  “You must have been hurt by a girl like Chandra, right?”

  “No, I’ve never had a girlfriend.” Eli answered back, still looking out the window.

  “You’ve watched other guys get treated terribly?”

  “No.”

  “Have you read a lot of books about it?” Sean was grabbing for straws.

  “I’ve experienced it,” Eli said and turned to look at Sean. This comment perplexed Sean even further. What did Eli mean by it?

  “Look Eli, thanks for being concerned about my happiness. I know Chandra isn’t perfect, but what girl is, right? Besides, it’s not like there are a lot of girls around here to be selective over. I just need to learn to put my foot down, that’s all.”

  “Probably so.” With that, the conversation was over.

  Sara entered the bedroom the next afternoon looking absolutely radiant. Eliwese stared at her and admired her beauty. “How old are you Sara? I mean, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “I’m sorry; you look so young for having a twenty-six year old daughter. I only wondered.”

  “Forty-five and thank you.” Sara had to admire Eli for her manners and perceptive mind. Knowing Eli was female and precariously placed with Sean made Sara all kinds of nervous. She was sure Sean hadn’t figured out his crosser’s gender yet.

  “You had Lyndee at nineteen?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sean told me you defected when you were younger. Why did you cross?”

  Sara didn’t like where the questions were going. She had her own suspicions about Eli’s identity and the last thing she wanted was to be linked to Rendier or Victor Rawlings.

  “Eli, I’ve never become comfortable here in Baylend and neither should you. You’ll assume a new identity like I did and you’ll forsake the old, never talking about it again. The moment you let your guard down, you’ll regret it.”

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “I understand your situation Eli, more than you know, but please understand, I don’t talk about my past life, not even with my own children.”

  “OK. Well, I have a different question. I wonder if you could buy me some…supplies? I wrote a list.”

  “Certainly, I’ll get right on it. I’d like to invite you to join us for dinner, tonight. Sean can help you with the stairs, if you need.”

  “Do you think it’s safe?”

  “Yes. Besides, being downstairs puts you closer to an exit, if needed.”

  “Alright.” The thought of seeing how a real family operates and interacts excited her. In her childhood, dinner meant sitting at an extraordinarily long table and eating yucky adult food with an excessive amount of silverware. Talking was prohibited unless addressed and no one left the table until they were excused. This invitation from Sara to join her family would be cherished by Eliwese.

  Chandra joined them that night for dinner too. Chandra and Eli were seated directly across from Sean, with Sara and Paul on each end of the table and Ryan and Lyndee on either side of Sean. Chandra dominated the conversation, like always, and Sean saw the dislike in Eli’s eyes toward Chandra; he heard an occasional snicker from Ryan.

  Sean watched Eli as he sat properly and ate his food like he was royalty. Was Eli royalty? No, Rendier didn’t have royalty. Eli must have come from a very proper home with severe etiquette.

  “Sean, honey, have you thought about where we will live after we get married?” Chandra asked in a high-pitched pleasant voice.

  “Close by, you know, so I can work here with my family,” Sean replied and then thrust a fork full of food into his mouth.

  “Don’t you think,” Chandra asked carefully, “it would be better to leave this place and start a new life of our own?”

  “Sean, pass the potatoes please,” Paul asked.

  Sean grabbed the bowl and handed it to his father. This gave him time to think of what to say.

  “Don’t you like my family?” Sean asked Chandra. When she looked down at her plate, Sean darted a glance at Eli only to see him staring at Chandra.

  “What kind of question is that?” She smiled looking up at him.

  “In case you haven’t realized,” he spread his arms out wide disrupting Ryan who was trying to insert his fork full of food into his mouth, “this is my job. This is what I do, and it’s what I will continue to do until there are no more crossers to help.” Sean glanced at Eli who was looking directly at him admiringly. Sean looked away, back to Chandra.

  It was obvious Chandra was losing her patience because her sweet toned voice went lower. “I know, honey, there are plenty of crossers who can’t help themselves. But just because they can’t handle their own problems doesn’t mean it has to be your problem, too. Isn’t our new life together important to you?”

  Eli’s face paled and his mouth had fallen open. Sean noticed it right away to be the result of Chandra’s harsh words.

  “It has never been a problem for me to help crossers,” Sean stated in a low deliberate voice.

  “Well, only because it pays so well,” Chandra said under her breath.

  Sean angrily slammed his fork down, “You marry me, you marry my family and our business of helping others. I have honorably helped people in need since my earliest memory. These people are not helpless or spineless and they don’t run from their problems, they run for their lives. I will always be in this business until the day Victor Rawlings is taken down, with or without you.” When he finished, he stared at Chandra with his peripheral vision taking in Eli. Eli was looking at him. But then again, everyone was.

  “Here, here,” Paul held his glass of milk to toast.

  “Oh Sean, you misunderstood me,” Chandra said super sweetly. “That’s not how I meant it at all, baby.” These words echoed in Sean’s mind and he was reminded of Eli’s interpretation. He knew what Chandra was actually thinking in her mind. He was carefully formulating a response to Chandra and the whole table was silent and frozen in their places, awaiting the rebuttal.

  “I know what you meant,” Eli said to Chandra in a quiet stern voice. The attention turned to Eli and Chandra now. The powerful tension emanating from the two was scary. Sean thought about interrupting Eli but then thought better of it. “People from my country should just put up and shut up and stop burdening the overfed house cats, like you, with our problems. We should not get so bent out of shape, and just look away when our women are raped and beaten, and our men are taken from our homes and are strapped up with explosive devices just to see what happens when it blows.” Eli stood up, breathless, “Or how about the children…you wouldn’t be able to handle hearing what happens to them and you certainly aren’t capable of caring either.” Eli looked toward Sara and asked, “May I be excused?”

  Sara nodded and Sean watched Eli start for the stairs.

  Chandra’s mouth hung open for a few seconds and everyone else was in a general state of shock. Sean stood up and excused himself also; he knew Eli couldn’t get up the stairs by himself.

  “Sean, where are you going?” Chandra asked sweetly.

  “To clean up your mess. Good night Chandra.”

  Sean rounded the corner and found Eli standing at the bottom of the staircase. Sean gently grabbed Eli’s arm and helped him up the stairs. Eli’s whole body was trembling and Sean worried he might faint.

  “Let me carry you, Eli.” Sean scooped him up under the legs and behind the shoulders before Eli could refuse. Eli was so light! Sean was prepared for one-hundred fifty poun
ds but nearly tipped over backwards with the one-hundred fifteen measly pounds of Eli.

  Sean tensed his shoulders as Eli reached back and laid his arm behind Sean’s neck. Something didn’t add up and Sean knew just what it was. Even though the shape of Eli’s body was boxy and stout, he didn’t weigh enough to have the mass be muscle, which meant it was foam padding, couple that with Eli’s strange behavior toward Sean, the sound of Eli’s voice and it all equaled one thing in Sean’s mind; Eli was a girl.

  As Sean leaned forward to lay Eli on the bed, their faces were very close together and Sean inhaled the unique scent of Eli. Sean’s mind flipped into reverse; and upside down to boot. Everything he had thought about Eli as a boy was now Eli as a girl. The small nose, the brown eyes with copper shimmers, the long lashes and the now perfectly kissable mouth; Sean’s own imagination shocked him so suddenly he dropped Eli the last few inches on to the bed.

  He stood up quickly, “Sorry, didn’t mean to drop you just there.”

  “It’s alright, my broken ribs are only almost healed,” Eli stated sarcastically.

  Sean laughed and was surprised he was suddenly aware of the chemistry between them. He knew with a ninety-nine percent certainty Eli was female and it scared him.

  “I’m sorry Chandra was such a… well.” He pulled a chair over from the table and placed it backwards next to the bed. He sat down, straddling the back of the chair and folding his arms across the top. He liked the wall he’d built between them even if it was just thin spindles. Sean suddenly felt the need to keep a mild distance from Eli.

  Eli said, “Most people in your country aren’t aware of what we live with on a daily basis.”

  “Yeah, but she didn’t have to act like that. You sure put her in her place.” Sean smiled in admiration. He saw the color of embarrassment flood Eli’s cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, I was out of place. I need to apologize to your parents for ruining dinner.”

  “No, you don’t,” Sean reassured her. “If anyone needs to apologize, it’s Chandra.”

  Eli closed her eyes and Sean felt sorry for her.