Page 24 of Gamble with Me
“Your savings, huh?” he repeated, and the tone of his voice suggested he was pissed like hell. “Since when is it only yours?”
“It’s for Zara’s education,” I whispered, backing away from him, but behind me was only the closed door to the walk-in closet.
“Of course,” he spat, cornering me. “You give her everything while I get nothing!”
“It’s for her future,” I cried out, tears streaming down my face, but I saw in his empty eyes he didn’t care about his daughter. He only needed something to stick into a slot machine.
“Oh,” Chester whined mockingly, leaning his bloody hand against the wall. “You don’t understand, do you?” He roughly grabbed the back of my head, and I whimpered because of the sharp pain. “She won’t have a future if you keep acting like this.”
He harshly pushed me into the wall, and I hit the side of my head. Stars danced before my eyes, the pain paralyzing me for a moment. Slowly, I bent my knees, and when I felt my butt hit the ground, I burst into tears.
My head hurt, but it was nothing compared to my heart. There was a light at the end of the tunnel for a moment, but Chester erased it, destroying that tiny pinch of hope Malin gave me like it never existed.
I didn’t know how long I lay on the carpet, crying out my helplessness, but I looked at the clock on the nightstand just in time to realize I should pick up Zara at school. But when I looked at myself in the mirror, I knew it wasn’t possible. I had a big purple bruise on the side of my forehead, my eyes were red from weeping, and my whole body shook violently. I couldn’t let my girl see me like this.
With guilt holding my heart tightly, I called my mother-in-law and asked her to take care of Zara for today. She never said no to me, and this time, it was no different. She told me she would also drive her to school tomorrow, so I had the entire day to pull myself together.
I sat on the chair in front of the mirror for many minutes. My head was completely empty; no thoughts swirled, but no ideas popped up. I could only hope Alice would call me with a side job again.
Dragging myself to the kitchen, I poured a glass of water and refreshed my mouth when my eyes landed on the newspaper. A giant advertisement for quick cash stared back at me, and I looked closer. It was some shady business with loans, yet I didn’t hesitate and found information online.
Of course, it was a scam, but what was real was the money. They charged high interest and fees yet didn’t require any information about the employer, and the loan could be repaid sooner without additional cost.
Forcing my brain to devise another solution, I spent another hour thinking about my options. Still, this was the quickest one. I could get the money and pack suitcases, and tomorrow after school, I could take Zara away. She wouldn’t need to see Chester ever again.
With a thick fog clouding my brain, I roused, sitting on the bench in front of the low yellow-green building with a neon signQuick-Cash.It was almost nine o’clock. Weirdtypes started showing up in the streets. I wiped the tears that fell from my eyes and inhaled deeply, still unsure if signing my soul to the devil was the answer to my problems. However, when I turned to the right, and the throbbing pain in my head reminded me of what waited for me at home, I made up my mind.
The darkness surrounded me on my way to the front door. A few people stood outside, reading the conditions glued to the dirty window.
“What is a rich girl like you doing here?” a fat, bald man with glasses and a blue jacket asked, roaming my figure with a lecherous glint in his eyes. The light from the street lamp made his face look devious, and when he moved toward me, I quickly backed away, glaring at him.
“Her wealthy lover probably didn’t give her money for a new fur coat.” Another guy showed up. This one was younger, maybe forty, with missing front teeth and a ripped sweater covering his sickeningly malnourished body.
Fear overcame my every thought. I abruptly turned around, quickly walking down the street to my car. However, they walked behind me, chuckling and shouting sexual remarks.
All I could think about was getting safely home when I realized I had made a wrong turn. There wasn’t a free spot before the Quick Cash, so I’d parked behind the building, but now I was lost. I didn’t see my car anywhere, and those men were getting closer.
Quickening my pace, I ran next to the trash containers and into another street when someone grabbed my elbow and embraced me from behind. A hand with a cloth covered my mouth, and another arm held me tightly in place.
My heart almost collapsed from pure fright, and I tried to kick and punch but couldn’t do anything. The person holding me was much stronger than me.
I inhaled deeply, instantly feeling off-balance. The weird smell stung my nose, and my vision blurred as my body weakened. The last thing I saw was the face covered with a skull mask and a hoodie thrown over my attacker’s head.
-14-
Valeria
The buzzing in my ears was extremely uncomfortable, and the throbbing headache worsened so much I didn’t want to open my eyes.
The screechy sound of the door opening forced a groan to escape my dry lips. I wanted to press my palm against the aching place on the side of my skull, but I couldn’t lift my arm. I tried to raise both arms multiple times, yet something held them down.
Exhaling deeply, I coerced my eyelids to open, but my vision was blurry, and my head spun. I noticed a silhouette dressed in black cargo pants and an oversized hoodie with a skull mask covering their face.
Still, it felt like a bad dream. I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to clear the image before me. But when I reopened them again, the person was in the same spot as before, with his head tilted slightly to the side, watching me.
Slowly, because the pain in my head became almost unbearable with every turn, I looked down at my hands, realizing my wrists were bound to the chair with an iron clamp attached to the armrest. They weren’t tight, but I couldn’t escape the hold.
It was the same with my ankles. The iron chair was designed to keep a person hostage. Large screws held the clamps in place, preventing any kind of movement. I could only lean back or forward, but nothing more.
