Page 189 of Shâhzâdeh

“There’s nowhere else I would want to be.” She hugged my father before he turned at the sounds of my mother’s voice.

“The guest of honor has arrived.” My mother clapped her hands excitedly and even Vanya smiled at her joy.

When Quentin and an older man walked in with a gun to the back of his head, I had to put a hand on my father’s chest to make sure he didn’t lunge at him.

My mother clucked her tongue at my father and waved her hands in front of her. “No, no, no, Bijan. This is almost thirty-five years in the making. Don’t ruin this for me, please. Dr. Seawell, won’t you sit down at the head of your table?” Ever the gracious hostess, my mother nodded to the head of the table inviting him to sit down.

“What is going on?” The old man was looking around petrified and my father wrapped his arm around mama’s waist as she grinned. They looked like two exceptionally dressed, attractive people getting ready for a night on the town. Only instead of dinner, my parents were going to enjoy an evening of murder for their date night.

“Don’t you understand what is happening? This is an auspicious meeting of my family and yours.” My mother waved out her arms like the well-mannered southern belle she was and Dr. Seawell’s wife flinched.

Their entire family, including their children, were all at the table bound to the chairs beneath them. They’d been invited over for dinner by their mother, but hadn’t realized who the invitation had actually come from.

Babette Henriette Mahdavi Cannon.

A few carefully crafted words into cloned cell phones to discuss something serious and blocking them from being able to call or ask questions had created the sense of urgency they needed to get their asses here. Her oldest child, there were three, had thought it was a good idea to come over early. They were quickly subdued and placed at their seats to await their fate.

Dr. Seawell was standing there shaking, trying to figure out why any of us were here.

“Vell, go ahead and sit down, Dr. Seavell. Your place is at zhe head of zhe table vith your family.” My father motioned to the head of the table with the gun he now held in his hand and the good doctor seemed unable to move.

Dr. Seawell was pale, looking around at his family and then back at us. “If it’s money you want—”

Everyone in the room that was with us burst out laughing even Vanya. It was insulting to think that anyone who could orchestrate something of this magnitude would want his money. Judging by how deeply leveraged he was, there wasn’t shit to steal.

“Dr. Seawell, my husband is a prince and so is my son. My family is wealthier in this generation than your entire bloodline has ever been. You think that someone who wanted the pennies that you have in the bank could pull off orchestrating your demise like this? I’m offended.” My maman had her hand pressed against her chest, grasping the literal pearls that were at her neck. In true genteel Babette fashion, she was wearing a 1950s style dress that tied around the neck and was navy with white polka dots and a wide belt. Since she didn’t like these people, she was wearing shoes in their house and tracking dirt everywhere.

“Then what is it that you want? What have you done?”

“Did you tell your wife why you’re home early? Of course you haven’t. No matter, your husband has been suspended without pay pending an investigation of his misappropriation of funds from the clinic he runs. There, we’re all caught up.” She clapped her hands in delight as she aired out this man’s dirty laundry.

“I’ll have to remember to zhank Adam for putting zhe extra information into his report. Ruining his reputation before we murder him will be far more sweet zhan simply ending his life.” My father had immediately asked me to look into the man who had been there and had taken care of my mother. The file I’d gotten had given me everything I needed to know and more.

“Murder? I’m a doctor, I heal people. Why would you want to kill me?” He looked at my parents as though they were deranged, which wasn’t too far off. But their madness had a purpose.

“Do you not remember me, Dr. Seawell?” My mother was never vain but she was truly playing up to it so that Dr. Seawell was still on edge.

“Surely you aren’t insulting my mother-in-law by saying she’s aged. It can’t be that. Especially not in front of her very overprotective husband and son.” Vanya’s head shook side to side as though she pitied the doctor for his misstep.

“An action he vill soon come to regret,dôkhtar, I promise.” Bâbâ walked from where we were moving close to my mother, ensuring that Dr. Seawell was further away from her. He was in protective mode despite the man having a gun to the back of his head.

“Are we ready to begin?” She looked around the room and smiled. “Bien!” She turned to Mrs. Seawell and bent to hear face. “If you scream or spit, please know I will cut out your daughter’s tongue and instruct my men to remove her teeth.” With that warning, she removed the woman’s mouth gag and all she could do was sit there silently and weep.

“Please don’t hurt them. I’m going to pay the money back. I’ve been speaking with people all afternoon!” He was standing there begging and I wondered when it clicked with him that shit was going to end poorly for him.

“You were? It was funny that you put a hit out on your wife’s life today so that you could collect the life insurance on her.” My mother stood there placidly and she continued to ruin his life.

“What?!” The woman who had looked so afraid was now incensed as she looked at her husband.

“Barbara, do you believe the people who have you tied to a chair?”

“Would she believe you who has her in this mess in the first place because of your selfishness?” My mother was making too many good points and Barbara looked as though she would kill her husband if she weren’t tied up.

“What did he do?” She was trying to turn around and look at my mother but she couldn’t.

“Thirty-four years ago I was a young wife in Tennessee and wanted to go to the best doctor in the area when I found out I was pregnant. Little did I know my father-in-law, bitter, disgusting man he was, found out who my doctor was and gave him an offer he didn’t refuse.” My mother’s voice cracked slightly but she took a deep breath and continued.

“It wasn’t like that!”

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