And It All Starts To Fall Apart...
Finally, it looked like the years that Mary Connell had spent working as an assistant and gopher were going to pay off.
She was no stranger to working in the hospitality industry. The weekend job as a casino host at the Montecito Resort and Casino helped put her through the college at UNLV. A casino host was essentially a special concierge to the casino's high rollers, fulfilling their every need in order to keep them in the casino, spending their money. It wasn't easy, and a girl as curvaceous as Mary sometimes had to scramble when a client demanded services which went far beyond the ordinary comps.
If her foster father hadn't given her a receptionist job at McCoy Construction, she might not have been able to make it financially. It wasn't like the Connells had money to begin with, and Mary was pretty much on her own after her mother took off and her father went to prison for child abuse. Thankfully, the McCoys took her in and gave her the solid foundation that her own parents weren't able to provide.
The downside was that living under the same roof as her childhood sweetheart, Danny, only seemed to drive them further apart. Danny was her best friend, the first boy she ever kissed, and the knight in shining armor who beat the crap out of Mary's father when she confessed to the abuse that she endured at home.
But today, things were looking up. She had a letter from Danny, whose tour of duty with the Marines was almost over, meaning he might finally come home. The current special events director had run afoul of the Montecito's ownership after failing to recognize that Las Vegas wasn't so family friendly anymore, and Mary was one of the top candidates to replace her. This called for 99¢ margaritas at O'Sheas with her buddies Luis and Greg.
Everything was looking up for Mary, and it would all change in the next hour with the news that Frank Connell had gotten out of prison early.
He was waiting on his daughter's doorstep when she got home late from work.
Mary paused mid-step when she saw him. In one hand, she clutched her keys between her fingers, ready to use them as a weapon if he came near her. "Go away," she ordered. "I don't want anything to do with you."
"I'm your father, Mary," said Frank, holding his hands out to show that he was unarmed. "I just want to have a relationship with you. You're my little girl."
Mary felt her stomach turn over when he said "relationship." She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and hit the speed dial for Luis, a police detective. "You lost your right to be a father when you... you did things that you never should have done to a little girl," she said, her voice wavering. "You should still be in prison, as far as I'm concerned."
"I'm a changed man. I found God and quit drinking. I've turned my life around. The parole board could see that. Why can't you?" asked Frank, taking a step towards her.
Mary took a step backwards, about to make a dash for her car. That's when she heard the wail of a police siren and the squeal of tires. Luis Perez was on his way.
"I've paid my time, Mary. You can't send me back to prison again," said Frank, taking another step towards her. "You'll never get rid of me, little girl."
Over the next few weeks, Frank lived up to his threat. Despite a restraining order, he kept showing up at Mary's house. Luis and Greg took turns staying over to watch out for him, but eventually Mary gave up and moved back in with her foster father, Larry McCoy.
But it was like throwing fuel on the fire, since Mary had gone to the McCoys in the first place for help as a teenager. Frank took to scoping out McCoy Construction job sites, learning the work schedule so he knew when Mary would be home alone. In desperation, she got a room at the Montecito, the hotel where she worked as an assistant to the special events director.
Finally, Mary felt like she would be safe. Frank showed up there as well, but he quickly found himself in the black book and was escorted off the property every time he was spotted by surveillance and security. But the safety came with a price. Every time Mary tried to leave the hotel, Frank would follow her. It got to the point where she was terrified of leaving her room.
Finally, one day the Montecito's gruff director of security took her into his office and sat her down. "Listen to me, Mary. You know I tend to think of my employees like they're an extension of my family," said Ed Deline. "I have a daughter just about your age, and this is exactly the same thing I would tell her. I am more than happy to kick this jackass out the door any time he shows his ugly face around here, but he isn't in his right mind. Nothing is going to stop him from stalking you and as long as you stay in Las Vegas, he's going to find you. This is no way for you to live."
Mary could feel tears welling up in her eyes. "What do I do?" she asked, trying to hold back a sob.
Ed reached over and grabbed some papers off his desk. "You need to leave Las Vegas," he said. "We're going to sneak out out of town and put you on a plane to another part of the country. You're going to have to start over, but you're an enterprising young woman and I have faith that you'll be a success no matter what you do. It's the only way you'll ever manage to get away from him."
Within a few days, Mary was on the Montecito's private jet bound for New Orleans. From there, she took a cab ride to a small town. She didn't have much, but that was okay. She didn't have a lot either when she first ran away from her abusive father as a teenager, and somehow she managed to work two jobs to put herself through UNLV. Mary Connell was a survivor, and she would prove that once again.
She was no stranger to working in the hospitality industry. The weekend job as a casino host at the Montecito Resort and Casino helped put her through the college at UNLV. A casino host was essentially a special concierge to the casino's high rollers, fulfilling their every need in order to keep them in the casino, spending their money. It wasn't easy, and a girl as curvaceous as Mary sometimes had to scramble when a client demanded services which went far beyond the ordinary comps.
If her foster father hadn't given her a receptionist job at McCoy Construction, she might not have been able to make it financially. It wasn't like the Connells had money to begin with, and Mary was pretty much on her own after her mother took off and her father went to prison for child abuse. Thankfully, the McCoys took her in and gave her the solid foundation that her own parents weren't able to provide.
The downside was that living under the same roof as her childhood sweetheart, Danny, only seemed to drive them further apart. Danny was her best friend, the first boy she ever kissed, and the knight in shining armor who beat the crap out of Mary's father when she confessed to the abuse that she endured at home.
But today, things were looking up. She had a letter from Danny, whose tour of duty with the Marines was almost over, meaning he might finally come home. The current special events director had run afoul of the Montecito's ownership after failing to recognize that Las Vegas wasn't so family friendly anymore, and Mary was one of the top candidates to replace her. This called for 99¢ margaritas at O'Sheas with her buddies Luis and Greg.
Everything was looking up for Mary, and it would all change in the next hour with the news that Frank Connell had gotten out of prison early.
He was waiting on his daughter's doorstep when she got home late from work.
Mary paused mid-step when she saw him. In one hand, she clutched her keys between her fingers, ready to use them as a weapon if he came near her. "Go away," she ordered. "I don't want anything to do with you."
"I'm your father, Mary," said Frank, holding his hands out to show that he was unarmed. "I just want to have a relationship with you. You're my little girl."
Mary felt her stomach turn over when he said "relationship." She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and hit the speed dial for Luis, a police detective. "You lost your right to be a father when you... you did things that you never should have done to a little girl," she said, her voice wavering. "You should still be in prison, as far as I'm concerned."
"I'm a changed man. I found God and quit drinking. I've turned my life around. The parole board could see that. Why can't you?" asked Frank, taking a step towards her.
Mary took a step backwards, about to make a dash for her car. That's when she heard the wail of a police siren and the squeal of tires. Luis Perez was on his way.
"I've paid my time, Mary. You can't send me back to prison again," said Frank, taking another step towards her. "You'll never get rid of me, little girl."
Over the next few weeks, Frank lived up to his threat. Despite a restraining order, he kept showing up at Mary's house. Luis and Greg took turns staying over to watch out for him, but eventually Mary gave up and moved back in with her foster father, Larry McCoy.
But it was like throwing fuel on the fire, since Mary had gone to the McCoys in the first place for help as a teenager. Frank took to scoping out McCoy Construction job sites, learning the work schedule so he knew when Mary would be home alone. In desperation, she got a room at the Montecito, the hotel where she worked as an assistant to the special events director.
Finally, Mary felt like she would be safe. Frank showed up there as well, but he quickly found himself in the black book and was escorted off the property every time he was spotted by surveillance and security. But the safety came with a price. Every time Mary tried to leave the hotel, Frank would follow her. It got to the point where she was terrified of leaving her room.
Finally, one day the Montecito's gruff director of security took her into his office and sat her down. "Listen to me, Mary. You know I tend to think of my employees like they're an extension of my family," said Ed Deline. "I have a daughter just about your age, and this is exactly the same thing I would tell her. I am more than happy to kick this jackass out the door any time he shows his ugly face around here, but he isn't in his right mind. Nothing is going to stop him from stalking you and as long as you stay in Las Vegas, he's going to find you. This is no way for you to live."
Mary could feel tears welling up in her eyes. "What do I do?" she asked, trying to hold back a sob.
Ed reached over and grabbed some papers off his desk. "You need to leave Las Vegas," he said. "We're going to sneak out out of town and put you on a plane to another part of the country. You're going to have to start over, but you're an enterprising young woman and I have faith that you'll be a success no matter what you do. It's the only way you'll ever manage to get away from him."
Within a few days, Mary was on the Montecito's private jet bound for New Orleans. From there, she took a cab ride to a small town. She didn't have much, but that was okay. She didn't have a lot either when she first ran away from her abusive father as a teenager, and somehow she managed to work two jobs to put herself through UNLV. Mary Connell was a survivor, and she would prove that once again.