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I rummaged through my bag at a panicked pace, knocking out its contents to the ground. Then I realized my keys were in my bra and dug them out.
“Here.” I tossed the keys to him.
He dropped the pillow, which made me cringe as it fell to the floor and bounced. Completely naked, he ran to the door, slammed the keys into the lock, and wrenched the door open.
It was in that moment it hit me that letting Troy in the apartment might not be a good idea.
Troy yelled. “You’re dead, motherfucker!”
Yes. Definitely a bad idea.
A boom sounded up ahead.
I rushed in and spotted Vivian first. Swollen purplish skin surrounded her right eye. Blood dripped from her nose.
Tears and snot covered her face as she waved her hands. “No. Troy!”
Noc’s earsplitting shrieks filled the air.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I rounded the corner into the living room right as Troy charged him.
Oh no.
Troy’s head slammed into Noc’s bony chest.
Both guys crashed into the coffee table. Broken and splintered wood shot up. I rushed toward a screaming Vivian and hugged her.
She looked like she was going to try to pull Troy back, but it would only get her hurt. I’d learned the hard way many times that once Troy began a fight it was impossible to stop him. And maybe I could have figured out a way to stop him— hitting him in the head with a pan had worked once.
But another glance at Vivian’s face forced me to pause and root for Troy to kick Noc’s behind.
“Are you okay?” I held her to me with shaking arms. Grunts sounded from the floor as both men struggled to get on top of each other.
Vivian wiped her face with the back of her arm. “Y-you’ve got to stop Troy. He’ll get in trouble and—”
Troy flipped Noc over like he was a ragdoll. His biceps bulged and flexed with the move. It was over for Noc. Once Troy got on top, no one had a chance of survival, unless there was an extra weapon around.
“You like to hit women?” Troy’s fist collided with Noc’s jaw so fast it was a blur of movement and then a bang as the fist made contact. Soon after a crack sounded so loud, I flinched and Vivian jerked back in my arms.
Holy shit!
Noc’s eyes closed as he slumped back on the carpet. Blood spilled out of his mouth. He mumbled something.
“Hit me!” Troy reared back with a bloody fist and pounded on Noc’s face. “Hit me!”
“Troy, stop!” My whole body shook.
Tears streamed down my face.
I guided Vivian back and tightened my grip on her. She couldn’t go to Troy when he was like this. His mind drifted far away from us.
I’d asked him once where he mentally went when he beat someone so badly in a fight. He’d confessed it was to our home in South End on those nights when he’d watched our mom be beat and hurt, and he’d simply stood back as a defenseless kid unable to do anything.
“Arberbanm,” Noc mumbled. More blood leaked out of his mouth and streamed from his eyes as he coughed and tried to wag his hands.
Troy punched him again.
