Page 113 of Merciless Monster

“Working on a Sunday?” she asks with a smile.

“Yeah. Doctors never rest, I guess.”

“Your usual, to go?”

“Uhm, no. I’ll have a double cappuccino, thanks. I’ll have it here.”

“Sure. A sprinkle of cinnamon?”

“Thanks.”

She walks away. I check my watch. I’m a few minutes early. My stomach is in a mess. I think a quick trip to the bathroom is wise. The deli is pumping. It’s the perfect meeting place for brunch, especially on a beautiful day like today.

There are a few ladies in the bathroom. I wait for a stall and go inside as soon as one opens up. I’m cold even though it’s warm out. Must be the stress. There’s a beautiful blonde at the basin when I come out. She smiles at me.

“Isn’t it great out?” she comments.

“Yeah.”

It’s one of those awkward moments when you find yourself alone in a bathroom with a stranger who’s trying to initiate small talk. The last thing I feel like doing right now is shooting the breeze, so I keep my head down while I wash my hands, hoping she’ll get the hint.

“That’s a gorgeous top,” she gushes. “There’s a loose strand though. I hate it when that happens. Let me just get that for you,” she says with too much chipper for my liking.

“No, that’s okay. I’ll…”

A sudden sharp pain to the back of my neck sends me reeling. What the hell? I look at her in horror.

“What are you doing? What was…”

I can’t seem to focus. Everything around me is spinning. An intense wave of nausea overtakes me and I stumble. There’s no time to stop myself. I don’t know if I could even if I tried to. The last thing I remember is the woman’s voice.

“Okay, she’s out. Quick, get her feet…”

* * *

I can hear myself moaning. My head is fuzzy and my tongue is thick and heavy. And dry! It feels like I’ve been sucking on cotton balls. The metallic taste isn’t helping any.

I open my eyes but I’m finding it difficult to focus. Everything is blurry—objects have a halo around them. Where am I? What happened? My last memory is sketchy. I was in the bathroom, talking to the blonde. I felt a sharp sting, like a needle…

A needle! The woman stabbed me with a needle. That’s what happened. That explains my sudden tanking. I try to sit up. The world is still spinning far too quickly. This is possibly the worst hangover I’ve ever had.

I sit up—considerably slower this time and touch the spot where the needle entered my skin. There’s a nasty welt. Who was the woman? Where is she now? Who was she talking to?

Fuck! They tricked me! They’ve taken me. But, why? What good am I to them? I’ve already agreed to go along with their plan to lure Dante to the US. What do they want from me this time?

I have to get out of here. My purse must have stayed behind in the bathroom. It’s a good thing I had the presence of mind to hide my cell phone in the car. If they find it and somehow manage to unlock the screen, they know that Dante is in fact here already. That would be a fuck up of note.

Where am I? I gaze around the room. It looks like a room in a house. It’s very basic. I get up very slowly as my legs are still unsteady. The earth is spinning. It must have been some strong shit they gave me. I look at my wrist. My watch is gone. I have no way of knowing what the time is or how long I’ve been here.

There are no windows and one door, so I figure I must be in a basement. Great. How long before my host shows up? What will he want from me?

Angelo! Oh, hell. I hope they haven’t been to the house. Then again, I know Dante will protect our son with his life. He also has his men there so I put that chilling thought right out of my mind.

Come on, Mia. Keep it together. You can figure this out. There must be a way of escaping. Stay calm.

The door is locked. Obviously. All I can do now is wait and pray. I’m sure I’ll get my answers soon enough. There’s a jug of water on the nightstand. I’m so thirsty I could drink it all in one go. Is that a good idea? Oh, hell. I’m here, what good would it do to drug me some more? Right?

The water goes down like a fat kid on a swing. Thankfully, I feel fine after ingesting it. There’s nothing much for me to do at this stage but contemplate my fate with as much optimism as I can muster.

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