Fighting Love

♦Chapter Nineteen

Certain secrets are never meant to be told

TROY'S POV

It crushed my heart to see Trisa's face stained with tears. The only thing I could do was keep open arms for when she ran into them. I could only imagine the pain she was feeling. Losing all her family at once was so unfair. Nobody deserves that. The worse part was I couldn't tell her things would be okay because I knew they wouldn't.

After we showered and had breakfast, Marlon and I played Brandon's PlayStation, while Trisa napped on the couch. She was half asleep and half awake the entire morning. How she did that was beyond me. She looked so calm in her sleep and so beautiful too. 

"Told you I'd win this time." Marlon wore a triumphant smile after winning two races in a row. 

"Dude, please, you know I let you win." of course I didn't let him win on purpose, I just had other things on my mind. I couldn't help but worry about Trisa. Her family must've been mixed up with some bad people to be killed in such a brutal way. "Bro, who do you think that guy was?" I turned to Marlon. "The one who left the box."

He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "I don't have the slightest clue but I have a bad feeling about him."

"I don't think we should take the threat lightly," I said, picking up the phone to call mom again. I didn't want to bother her again, but I couldn't see another way out. 

"Wow, good morning, son." She chirped. I could tell she was smiling.

"Hey, mom, I maybe need another tiny favor." 

She chuckled, possibly at my bad choice of words. "Troy, don't be nervous, I'm your mother." She asked what I needed and I told her everything.

"God, that's awful. My condolences to her. Her voice was soft and laced with worry. Son, this is a tough time for her, she needs you? And listen, I will send someone to watch over you."

"Thank you." I let out a breath glad she offered before I asked for help. 

The line went silent for a few seconds then she spoke again. "Hello, sorry about that, son. I just phoned the head of security and informed him."

A wide grin came across my face. "Thanks, mom. I really appreciate it."

"Of course, son. Just text me the address."

"Okay." I didn't expect her to be so giving, considering all the trouble I gave her. She must've been glad to not hear from me the past few months. If it wasn't for Trisa, I wouldn't have realized how much of an asshole I was. I treated people badly especially those who didn't deserve it. The only person I was good to was Marlon, and that was because he could see right through me. He tore through all my walls and I couldn't be mad about it because he loved me.

"I have a meeting in a few minutes so I have to go, okay. Be safe, son."

I hung up the phone and turned to Marlon, who shamelessly eavesdropped on the call.

His face held a mischievous grin. "Look at you, going from fuck that bitch, to mom, she's scared, please help me." He laughed. "You're so whipped."

"So what? She's gorgeous. Haven't you seen her?"

"Seen who?" Trisa's figure emerged from behind us.

"My mother," Marlon and I blurted simultaneously. The marks from her face being pressed against the teddy bear were noticeable in a way that drew a smile to my face.

"Oh." She looked at Marlon then back at me before closing the space between us and resting her head against my chest. 

I tensed for a moment, then held her tighter. "Mom's security will be here later. Whenever you're ready, we'll go to the morgue and sort things out." 

She perked up at me and nodded. "Thanks."

"It's okay, I got you," I said, planting a kiss on her crown. She fit perfectly into my arms with one of my hands resting at the prime of her back. The house was quiet, so quiet you could hear if a needle fell on the floor. It was a peaceful silence that enveloped us, and her beautiful curves reflected from a tall mirror in front of us. It was placed beside the door with a sign above it that said I am beautiful. "You're beautiful," I murmured.

"Hmm?"

"You're beautiful." 

She blushed, and she nuzzled further into my chest. The ringing of the telephone startled us and she pulled away to answer it.

"I'll be upstairs when you're done," I told her. 

She went into the kitchen, and I marched upstairs and into her bedroom. Her bathroom was small but very tidy. She was one of those persons who read while using the toilet. A pile of magazines sat on the tank of the toilet. I picked out one and opened it. "Sixty percent of women and ten percent of men say they have faked an orgasm before." It surprised me to know magazine companies published this stuff. I was a culprit among the ten percent of men who faked it. I pretended to cum many times when I hooked up with Gretchen until the sex became for her alone. I started to do it for her pleasure only because I wasn't into it anymore. 

After about five minutes, I found Trisa and Marlon sitting on the bed with troubled expressions. "What?" I asked, breaking their stares from space.

"It was the lawyer," Trisa said. her face was laced with worry and fear.

"What did he say?"

"Pops was working for a gang; he stole from them." Tears filled her eyes as she spoke. "He confided in the lawyer and made a will with everything he stole going to me and my brother. When They found out he was stealing from them, they killed him. The rest of my family wasn't supposed to be there."

I felt all the life drain from my face as I watch her force out the words. It made sense why they were threatening her now. They wanted their money back. "Fluff, you have to give them what they want, okay. It's the only way they'll leave you alone."

"There's one more thing," Marlon said, "I found this in Brandon's room." He handed me a journal. "I was looking for my phone under the bed and it was there."

 I could tell it was a journal but since we didn't have a key, we couldn't open it.