Page 46 of For Now

She forced another sip down my throat as I racked my brain for a plan. I could barrel into her, tackle her down. I could do it even with my hands cuffed. I could knock her out and get help. Could I really do that to a pregnant woman though, even as crazy as she was? It wasn’t the baby’s fault. What if I harmed the baby? I shook the idea off. Perhaps she could be a monster but Icouldn’t.

I could run. I could wait until she was farther away from me and run down the hallway into a room and lock myself in. I could run out the front door screaming. She couldn’t get to me faster than someone could hear me. This late at night, people around here were bound to come investigating. What if she had a knife or a gun though? Who knew what she had in that little bag ofhers?

Mare tilted my head back without saying a word. She left me alone with my thoughts and gave me two more large gulps of vodka. Admittedly, I was always a lightweight, so I was already starting to feel foggy. And then the doorbellrang.

We both snapped our heads into the direction of the door.Who the hell was it? Oh, thank god, it didn’t even matter. Someone washere!

“Delilah?” The voice came muffled through the door but it was Samuel. I knew his voice well enough to know that. There was a secondknock.

“Delilah, listen to me right now. I have a gun and if you care for him, you will get rid of him as quickly as you can or he will die, too. Do you understand?” Marewhispered.

I nodded. She un-cuffed me quickly and I stood and straightened myself up. I cracked open the front door and Mare stood behind it, right at my side, with a hand on me. I peered out with a sort of smile on my face, the best one I couldmanage.

“Hey there.” Hesmiled.

“Hi,” Isaid.

He seemed to be waiting for an invitation in and when it didn’t immediately come, he spoke again. “So, um, I was just coming by to check on you and stuff. I saw yourtexts.”

“Oh, yeah, everything is fine. I was just bored and seeing if you were awake, no big deal,” I said, faking a yawn. I tried to keep my face neutral,alert.

“Have you been drinking?” he asked, sniffing at the air and raising hiseyebrow.

“Oh, yeah, you know, just a little night cap. I just wanted to relax alittle.”

We stood here silently for a moment, Samuel still waiting to be invited in. Mare dug her nails into my skin. I flinched only slightly and stared atSamuel.

“Well, okay. I guess I’ll just get back home then. I’ll see you tomorrow?” heasked.

“Sure.” I managed a smile. Not a see-you-later smile. A goodbye smile. A goodbye forever smile, the kind that sagged off your face, the kind that was no smile atall.

“Okay then, see you later,” he said. He backed away from the door scratching the top of his head. You could see the confusion written all over him. I didn’t blame him. I was acting completely out ofcharacter.

“Goodbye, Samuel,” I said as I closed the door. I heard the click of the door and sobbed. I turned back toward the couch,defeated.

“Good job. For a moment there, I was worried,” Mare said, standing with her back to the door as she started to put the cuffs back on me. I stood here swaying from side to side already. Whatever she had crushed up in that vodka was really starting to affectme.

Just then, the door burst wide open. Samuel barged in. The look of sheer concern on his face was enough to startle me. I stood here, wide eyed. Mare kept her back to him for a few moments. She swiveled around slowly, her mouth dropping open, panic setting into hereyes.

“Marilyn?” he said. His eyes were as big as I’d ever seen them. He was in complete shock staring at this woman in front of him, this woman he seemed to recognize, toknow.

“Hello, Samuel,” she said, voice cracking as she returned a greeting ofrecognition.

I stood here, head spinning, trying to catch up. I looked back and forth from his face to hers, trying to piece this together.How the hell did they know eachother?

“What are you doing here? How do you know Delilah? What the hell is going on?” he snapped. He looked down at the cuffs she washolding.

I was starting to feel dizzy. The alcohol, the pills, the adrenaline, and the confusion were starting to break me down. I leaned against the back of the couch. Mare, rather Marilyn, had her eyes fixed on the floor now. She took a deep breath and walked over to me. She finished putting the handcuffs back onme.

“You wouldn’t understand, Samuel. You never did. It’s best if you just leave,” she said, staring athim.

“Like hell. What are you doing with her?” hesaid.

“She has to die,” Marilynsaid.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” heasked.

“Samuel,” I managed, “this is Jeff’s new wife. She is pregnant with his baby,” Isaid.

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