Thug Love

5 - Shadows From the Past

It had been months since she had last seen Damon, months since she had felt the suffocating weight of his presence shadowing her every move. She had started to believe that she was finally free of him, that he had moved on and left her to piece together the remnants of her life with Troy. Together, they had built a new world, a place filled with warmth and peace. But even in the calmest moments, she sometimes felt a flicker of unease, a sense that her past could find her, no matter how carefully she tried to bury it.

That unease turned to reality one crisp autumn afternoon.

She was sitting on the balcony of their apartment, a light breeze playing with the ends of her hair as she scrolled through her phone. Troy had stepped out to grab some groceries, promising to be back soon, and she enjoyed the quiet solitude, thinking about how lucky she was to be here, how far she'd come from the life she had barely survived.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed up the stairwell. Her heart skipped, but she brushed it off, telling herself it was just a neighbor. But then she heard it—a voice she hadn't heard in so long, yet still recognized immediately.

"Ayanna!" Damon's voice was a low growl, sharper than she remembered, but just as chilling. Her entire body froze, her fingers clenching the railing.

She glanced over the edge of the balcony, seeing Damon at the entrance of the building, his gaze scanning each window, his face twisted in anger. A feeling of dread washed over her, dark and cold, rooting her to the spot.

He looked different, rougher around the edges, as if the months had not been kind to him. But his presence was the same—a looming threat that brought back a flood of painful memories. She felt her stomach twist as she watched him, memories of his cruel words and violent outbursts flashing through her mind.

"Come on, I know you're here somewhere!" Damon shouted, his voice carrying up the stairwell, drawing attention from neighbors who peered out from their doors.

Ayanna's pulse quickened. She darted back into the apartment, closing the door to the balcony behind her and locking it, her breaths coming in shallow, panicked gasps. She knew she had to call Troy, but her hands shook so badly that her phone nearly slipped from her grasp.

Before she could dial, there was a sudden, heavy banging at the door.

"Ayanna!" Damon's voice was louder now, filled with anger, the edge of a threat lingering in his tone. "I know you're in there! You think you can just leave me and run off with someone else?"

She felt her heart pounding in her chest, the walls seeming to close in around her. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way out. She wanted to scream, to yell at him to leave her alone, but she knew that confronting him would only make things worse.

Instead, she pressed herself against the far wall, her mind running through all the ways she could stall until Troy came back.

"Open up!" Damon's fists beat against the door, shaking it on its hinges. "You think you can hide from me, Ayanna?"

She swallowed hard, trying to steady her trembling hands as she quickly typed out a message to Troy.

Damon's here. Hurry home.

She hit send, praying that he'd see it in time.

Minutes felt like hours as Damon continued pounding on the door, his words getting angrier and more venomous with each passing second. Ayanna couldn't even catch her breath, her fear so intense it made her dizzy. She backed away from the door, retreating to the kitchen, hoping to put some distance between herself and Damon's furious shouting.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of keys jangling at the door, and her heart leapt. It had to be Troy.

The door swung open, and she saw him—Troy, his face dark with worry, taking in the scene in a split second. He stepped inside, his gaze hardening as he looked from Ayanna's frightened expression to the figure of Damon, still pounding on the door from the other side.

Troy turned to Ayanna, his jaw tight with resolve. "Get in the bedroom and lock the door," he said, his tone firm and calm. "I'll handle this."

She hesitated for a second, her fear making her rooted to the spot. But one look at Troy's determined face gave her the reassurance she needed. She nodded and hurried down the hallway, locking herself in their room. She stood just behind the door, pressing her ear against it, straining to hear what was happening.

There was a moment of silence, followed by the sound of the door opening.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Troy's voice was low and cold, each word deliberate and cutting.

"Who do you think you are?" Damon snarled, his voice dripping with contempt. "This is between me and Ayanna."

"Ayanna doesn't want to see you. It's over," Troy replied, his tone unflinching. "You need to leave. Now."

Damon scoffed. "You think you can just take her from me? You think you're some kind of hero?"

There was a pause, a silence that felt like it stretched for an eternity.

Then Troy spoke, his voice steely and calm. "I don't need to be a hero. I just need to protect her from scum like you."

Ayanna could almost feel the rage radiating from Damon, his ego bruised by Troy's calm defiance. She heard a shuffling noise, and her heart skipped. It sounded like Damon had taken a step forward, maybe in an attempt to push past Troy.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Troy warned, his voice sharper now, carrying an edge that Ayanna had never heard before. "Leave."

"You're nothing," Damon spat. "Just another lowlife trying to play savior. She'll come back to me. She always does."

"She's never coming back to you," Troy replied, his tone final. "And if you come near her again, you're going to regret it."

There was another tense silence, and Ayanna could feel her heart pounding as she waited, barely daring to breathe. She could imagine the look on Damon's face, the anger simmering just below the surface, his ego bruised and his power slipping from his grasp.

After what felt like an eternity, she heard the sound of footsteps retreating down the hallway. Damon was leaving.

Her knees buckled in relief as she sank onto the edge of the bed, her hands shaking. She barely registered the sound of the door closing until Troy's voice called out to her, gentle and reassuring.

"Ayanna?" He knocked lightly on the bedroom door. "It's okay. He's gone."

She unlocked the door, opening it slowly to see Troy standing there, his expression softening as he looked at her. She threw herself into his arms, the relief overwhelming her as she held onto him, feeling the warmth and strength of his embrace.

"He's gone," Troy murmured, his hand gently rubbing her back. "He's not going to hurt you anymore. I won't let him."

The words settled over her like a promise, soothing the jagged edges of her fear. She closed her eyes, letting the tension drain from her body as she allowed herself to trust him, to believe in the safety he offered.

But deep down, a part of her knew that Damon wasn't going to let go so easily. She had seen the look in his eyes, the anger, the sense of possession. He would come back, and he would try to reclaim her, to punish her for daring to leave him.

For the first time in months, she felt a flicker of fear, a reminder that the past was not so easily escaped. She pulled back, looking up at Troy, seeing the determination in his gaze.

"What if he comes back?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Troy cupped her face in his hands, his eyes steady and resolute. "Then I'll be here," he replied softly. "I'll protect you, Ayanna. I promise."