Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Emmerdale aired an ominous cliffhanger for Marlon Dingle as he sought to protect April Windsor from the villainous Ray Walters. But with Ray and Celia Daniels’s criminal operation taking hold, will Marlon’s escape plan work?

Ray and Celia have been yielding an uneasy influence in the Dales over the past few months, with the pair using April and Dylan Penders – amongst others – to line their pockets further by carrying drugs.

Furthermore, the villainous duo are also running a manual labour camp, where Bear Wolf has been working. Dylan recently spotted Bear, further complicating matters as Marlon and Rhona sought to get April out of the work.

Tuesday’s (9 December) episode of the ITV soap began with Marlon reminiscing over his past with April as he pledged to free from the pair’s clutches, and he explained to Rhona that he had been considering paying Ray off.

Rhona, however, explained that the plan wouldn’t work as villains tend to have shifting goals and morals, though she did suggest to Marlon that they could call on Cain to help them out of their plight.

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Marlon, however, thought Rhona’s suggestion was “dangerous” due to Cain’s temperament, though she implored him to consider the possibility that his demeanour may prove advantageous given their situation.

After running across Ray, who had cosied up to Laurel, Marlon attempted to get some quick cash by selling his car to Cain, though the latter saw through the story. Marlon stormed off, though this hardly quelled Cain’s suspicions.

Marlon then got a shock as Ray was already in his house as he arrived, and then got a bigger one as the villain said that he was owed £20k. He offered work to Marlon, though Cain walked in at an opportune moment.

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He promptly told Ray to “do one” as he had a conversation with Marlon, though the latter still didn’t reveal the whole truth. He was later greeted by Ray again, who said the previously-stated sum of money was a “limited time offer”.

Marlon explained the situation to Rhona, though he admitted that there was nothing to say that Ray would keep his word. With Cain sniffing around, could there be another way to clear the debt?