Marilyn opened her eyes slowly, every bone in her body ached, even those she didn't know she had. Her head pounded, her mouth felt like sandpaper.
With a wince Marilyn tried to lift her hand to rub her temples, it wouldn't move....
"What the hell happened last night," she whispered, her eyes still closed, she tried to piece everything together.
She remembered being at the hospital and meeting up with Mr Tall Dark and Handsome, getting into his car and going to a bar and grill. She sipped on a vodka and lemonade....then nothing?
Through heavy eyes she looked down at her hands and gasped.
"Dear god I have been drugged and kidnapped," she cried out, tugging frantically at the ropes.
"Help, is anyone there, please help."
Marilyn's heart pounded, drowning out the buzz in her head that had been there when she first tried to open her eyes.
"Think, you got to think!" she told herself taking in a deep breath.
Cautiously Marilyn took in her surroundings. It was a small tiled room, in the darkness she saw shelves off to one side, which stored tins of food, beside it were big hessian bags full of potatoes. There were two exits to the room, one was a heavy silver door, which looked like it may be a cool room. The other door was an ordinary swinging door with a small round window. A dim yellow light cascaded through the small window, but was too high for her to see what lay behind it.
Food, she smelled food being cooked nearby, and she felt her stomach growl as she realized she hadn't eaten anything decent in longer than she could remember. She had to be in some type of commercial kitchen. It had to be the back room of that bar and grill she had gone to with the guy she met at the hospital, what was his name? God she couldn't even remember that.
Tied to the chair, she paused for a moment. She should be trying to understand why this happened or how she would ever get out of there and what would happen to her once her captors returned. Her mind kept going back to how she let Victoria down â again and how she would never get her forgiveness.
She imagined her daughter sitting in the court room abandoned and her reaction when she realized Marilyn hadn't been there for her again. Just the same as before.
Marilyn couldn't help but wonder if it was supposed to be like this, maybe she was never meant to be in Victoria's life. She wasn't good enough to be anyone's mother, she was unworthy.
Marilyn shook her head as a small sob escaped. Why hadn't she buried the newspaper article in her secret glory box of memories, pushed down the guilt that secretly consumed her and left things be. Life had been almost perfect in Adelaide.
Hearing someone close by in the kitchen she cried out.
"Please, help me."
There had to be someone in that kitchen who heard her, but nobody answered.
"Please God, get me out of here, I will change, no more drinking, no more swearing, none of the bad stuff, I promise... I'll get a job..." she begged looking up towards the ceiling.
As if in answer to her prayers the door to the kitchen opened, sending a cascade of light in the room.
"Please help me," croaked Marilyn.
The room went dark again as the door swung shut, footsteps neared and a large shadow cascaded over her. A bright light turned on bathing the room in a brilliant golden glow that made her wince she blinked hard a few times to adjust.
A short figure stood over her, looking up pitifully she whimpered.
"Gino, is that you?"
"Why Marilyn, why did you go and steal from me, ay, I would have given you anything, all you hadda do was ask. I trusted you, I was gonna marry you!" Bawled Gino throwing his hands in the air.
"Gino honey, please let me go, I'm sorry, my daughter was in trouble and I panicked that's all.
Marilyn hung her head, "I should have told you, I wasn't thinking straight, that's all honey. We can still get married you know, think of all the good times we will have, just you and me..."
Another person approached and Marilyn strained to get a glimpse. It was a woman, wearing red heels, a shimmering track suit that caught the light and she had seen that hairstyle many times before....
"It's a little late for that honey pie, since our lunch date, me and Gino really hit it off. And me...well I am the girl he wants to take home to mamma," she said and winked cruelly.
"Angie?"
"Oooh gosh, I wish I had a camera right now, the look on your face is priceless. Those little old eyes of yours are just about ready to pop right outta your head." she teased.
"You betrayed me, we have a history Angie!"
"Betrayal, don't you have a hide, we were friends once honey, but that was a long time ago, and I didn't like you much then. You're so goddamn fake, parading around like a movie star, batting your eyelids at anything that moves. Do you even remember why we stopped hanging out together - well do you?"
"I got married and we drifted apart?"
"You really are a blonde bimbo like they say. You stole my man from under me, married him for his money, after you sucked him dry you dumped him. You could have any man you wanted, but you took mine. Your only real friend in the whole world and you shit all over her....well consider this payback. You stole my chance at a happy ending, now I'm stealing yours!" said Angie shaking her head and scowling.
"I'm sorry Angie, I didn't realize how beastly I was to you...." Turning to Gino, who silently watched the two women Marilyn pleaded, "Gino please let me go, I can get you your money back, it's safe. I can go and get it for you, I will come back to Adelaide with you, and it would be like this never happened."
Gino shook his head.
"I will disappear, you will never see me again I promise, whatever you want Gino."
"Kill her already, we don't need the money that bad," said Angie as she poked Marilyn's chest making the chair grind against the floor, almost tipping it backwards.
"Oh she will go and get my money back alright," pointing his finger he hissed, "when I get my money, we will talk about letting you go!"
"Untie me and I will go right now, I will get it back for you Gino, I promise, I will come right back."
"You're not going anywhere, tell me, where it is, I will get one of the boys to get it."
"Oh well you can't Gino, it's at the hotel locked in their safe, I gotta go and get it out myself and sign for it."
"Angie go and get one of the boys."
"And as for you," Gino said digging a chubby finger into Marilyn's chest, "this is the rules, if you make a scene you will get shot right on the spot, if you warn anyone, I will kill you. Straight in, straight out, bam," he said hitting his hands together for emphasis, "just like that, you hear me!"
"Please don't kill me Gino."
"Get my money and no funny business!"
Marilyn nodded obediently as Gino untied her.
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