Gladiator **** Chapter Eighty-Four

I stepped out of the shower, my hand still bled as I wrapped the towel around me and stormed out of the bathroom with my phone in my other hand, I texted Troy.

I didn't know what to do and told Nikki to be quiet.

The beating continued, the doorbell rang ever so often for about 10 minutes, Troy hadn't responded. I couldn't see a car through the bedroom window and Nikki looked scared as hell, "Why did u say anything?!" I whispered angrily. "I'm sorry!" she said like a scolded child. "Is it a man?" I asked. She didn't know. I could have kicked her ass. My hair was wet and dripped onto the carpet, I didn't know what muthafucka was beating on the door but I was certain they didn't want no problems. "Is something burning?" I asked before Nikki struck out toward the kitchen. The knocking ceased, if I would have had a gun I would have shot through the front door but I still didn't know who was there and felt they hadn't gone. I didn't hear a car door, nor had I saw a car. WHERE WAS TROY?

I became somewhat worried, Trenton hadn't responded and I honestly didn't know how I felt about someone else setting out to kill him. I walked back and forth across the bedroom floor scrolling through the notifications to see if I'd had a missed message from Brown with no luck.

My mouth became dry, I needed to eat and was weak, I knew I wasn't well mentally or physically. Trenton had made me---better, I'd felt I needed him once upon a time. Since Troy hadn't responded to the text I decided he couldn't be looking at the monitor on his phone so I grabbed the mail and entered into the bathroom with the door open. I felt the visitor would angrily return and immediately got dressed.

I sorted the mail by postage dates, some dated back 2 years. Troy hadn't lived there but who maintained the bills? I hadn't seen any and concluded they would be electronic. I opened the first envelope and saw where money had been transferred by the thousands to investment accounts ending in 7879, from the account with Veronica Poindexter Griffin's name on it. That was also Troy's last name, but she had married---again. Where was Troy's father?

There were money market accounts with high balances and activity had stopped on them completely for months, but then had started back yet after she'd died, continuously to the investment account. I was confused, all I saw were numbers. I'd known it wasn't a personal account, and when I saw the transfers to Martin Poindexter as well as Pamela Carter, recent transfers, I decided nobody was loyal.

I took pictures of the mail, careful not to open too many pieces and entered into the bedroom. I could now see an idle car in the driveway. I silently listened for the doorbell and tiptoed to the kitchen. I didn't recognize the car but had known it hadn't sat there before I went to the bathroom. WHAT DID THEY WANT!

Nikki was making homemade garlic bread, at a time like that! I motioned for her to come from the kitchen, as I had the beating began again. I held my phone and told Nikki to silence hers, still no response from Troy or Trenton. I decided to dial Trentons number, as I had the tone played on the other side of the door. I panicked, ran into the bedroom and grabbed the sword that still leaned against the wall. Nikki's hardheaded ass was on her own! Trenton was angry and I expected him to do something wicked! I didn't know what to do, I texted Troy repeatedly! Nikki finally came in the bedroom where I was ducked down on the side of the bed with the mail strewn, I'd dropped it when I saw the car. The beating hadn't ceased, and when it did I heard the car engine start. It revved, I saw it go backwards through the sheer drapery, then I saw the headlights shining at a slanted angle. I didn't have time to think, and I knew he would drive inside as he had just texted, finally, and said. The glass shattered and the Steinway chimed, he destroyed it as he drove inside, the alarm sounded and the sprinkler system poured into the room. WHAT THE FUCK! I had held my belly and jumped backwards, the sword flew as I saw the car's front end and heard the glass, I yet laid on the floor praying for the only child I had, on my back a couple feet from being under the front end against the wall. Trenton now stood over me in front of the car, he had gotten out, kneeled down while holding his bloody shoulder and grabbed me by the hair, I saw blood soaking the thigh area of his khakis. As he dragged me across the floor I clawed his wrist, "Bitch I gave u too many chances, u think I didn't know where to find u?" I remembered when Sabrina had driven into Pam's home, briefly. "Stand up!" He said as he approached the door, I refused--he motioned stomping me in my face. I cried, Nikki screamed. "U better shut that bitch up!" She shut the fuck up on her own, "WHERE'S MY SISTER U FUCKING MURDERER!"

I pleaded with Nikki silently to stay quiet, but why wasn't he trying to harm her? She was a witness, what did he really want from me! Was he shot?

WHERE WAS TROY? I NEEDED HIM!

I had dropped my phone somewhere I knew I couldn't leave it! I had to fight! I wasn't no weak bitch, and I couldn't let him kill me! "WHERE'S TROY!?" I yelled as he limped down the driveway hastily, I'd only still worn one shoe, me toes were being skint as he dragged me. Where was he taking me!!!?? He headed toward the dead end, no sirens no flashing lights no nothing! The alarm yet sounded as we disappeared into the brush at the dead end circle. We were on a hill with a steep drop that overshadowed another subdivision. I could see TCBY to my left. Also to the left concealed by the trees a few feet away was the Chrysler 300, I feared the worst. My foot was standing on briers, HOW THE FUCK!! He saw me as I hesitated to get in, I begged him to let me go! Why was he bleeding? I knew I could not get inside, I had never saw the man I had married that upset, his distorted face was demonic and each word he spoke was like a knife. "GET INSIDE BEFORE I SNAP YOUR NECK!"

"Why are u bleeding? U need a doctor!" I said. I knew he had to pass back by Veronica's home, I hoped the police would have arrived.

His phone rang.

"When alarms sound, the police call first before they come. Hellooo. Yes, yes, this is Troy Griffin, uhn hunh, I accidentally triggered the alarm, I apologize, the password is Gladiator.

GLADIATOR?

"Yes, not a problem, I appreciate the security, take care."

DIAL 911 NIKKI! WHERE WAS MY MAN!!!!!?

" I told u, u won't get away that easy---and u know what else? Your sister, she offered me sex for food, shame on her---I mean I told her to look me in the eyes and tell me how bad she needed it, she couldn't HA! Her eyes, um, they're cocked like a four nickel!"

I HATED HIM, I HAD TO GET AWAY! We drove by the home, I could see straight inside. The alarm was now quiet! WHERE WAS NIKKI'S DUMB ASS? I couldn't understand anything that was happening at the moment, the fear of dying had never consumed me as it had then. "U are bleeding! U need a doctor!"

I prayed that bastard would bleed out as he climbed the freeway ramp. He put his left foot on the gas pedal and turned to the passenger side before backhanding me.

When I woke up I was tied to an unfamiliar bed and my hand was bandaged. I had the worst headache and the knot from the kitchen floor was still sore, my initial reaction was to touch it but when I tried to raise my hand it was restrained. I wanted him to just go ahead and kill me, where were my children! I wanted them badly. TROOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYY! Oh God, I knew it was over. I tried to drown out the voices they only became louder. FUCK TRENTON!

I screamed, the echo ensured me the place was empty, he had knocked me unconscious and my memory was fuzzy as fuck! I'd known I had left Nikki at the home, had she called the police? Surely she had, I'd discussed the what-ifs, she had known Trenton wanted to kill me!

"WHERE ARE U U FUCKING COWARD???!! I screamed for hours, SOMEBODY! ANYBODYYYY!" I could tell when the sun went down, day in and day out the dim lights on the floor would automatically come on other times would be dark. I laid in my own piss for three days until finally, I heard footsteps through the vacant home, there were no windows, and when the light from the hallway filled the room I could hardly see. I'd cried, I'd laughed, I had vomited while laying on my back. Trenton stood on a crutch with his right shoulder bandaged. I feared Troy was dead. But who had shot Trenton? "I am going to untie u, u fucking stink!" He said throwing a pair of pajamas in my face, "Look at your neck! U enjoy being abused? Huh? Is that what it is? Why do u bitches like it rough? GO FUCKING SHOWER!" I was so senile at the moment I laughed uncontrollably, my stomach growled so loudly, I laughed harder to stop the pain.

He'd become so disrespectful, "WHY WON'T U JUST KILL ME? U WANTED ME DEAD! U DON'T LOVE MEEE!" I laughed.

"We have unfinished business, and then I will kill u. Right now u have too many injuries, u can't go anywhere." I laughed and laughed. "U are fucking delusional," he said.

I was so hungry and as I sat up I began to throw up everywhere, the pain in my wrists was indescribable. My feet were numb, I fell to the floor as I stepped out of bed and spotted a syringe with its gauge halfway. This man was crazy as fuck and I knew I had to kill him, I looked around for something I could use for a weapon while he led me to the small bathroom---the whole place was small. Even the room I'd been in. As I stood up I could smell fresh sawdust and it seemed to have been something he'd built. I couldn't get the syringe, and didn't want to kill him. I would make him suffer, he had to pay, killing him was now too good for him. I had started over and he was interfering, he had threatened to kill my babies! "U miss your mother, don't u? Poor baby? Was she on drugs and u felt neglected? It can be quite traumatizing huh. U need milk that's all."

I laughed.

I watched the steam billow from the scalding hot water, he hesitated to not turn it down before saying "Our parents could have loved us both if they would have only stopped fucking each other."

WHAT? I laughed.

"U came across some bad milk somewhere down the line."

Was LaDonna Ellis his---

I laughed, and climbed inside of the shower with my back to Trenton, "I've wanted to drown lately, are u going to drown me Hun? Troy---Makil, sorry, drowned me, but he brought me back to life! Like Twan, u know he gave me life. Is money really that important to u?"

Who wanted money when it came along with so much pain. Death had followed Twan to Texas and if it was my time to die then it was my time. I had realized being without stable parents could really fuck u up and had promised God if I lived I would set the best example for my children. I prayed for their safety, all of their fathers were absent and the child that grew inside had a chance if it had a father left, he genuinely wanted a child, but also needed nourishment.

I could tell Trenton was in pain, he moaned as he moved. I saw a hospital band around his wrist under his sleeve. "U need to rest," I said before pulling the shower curtain. I had stepped inside with all of my clothes on, he watched as I removed them. I didn't believe he had killed my sister---something wouldn't let me. She still had time and I prayed for my nephew, where ever they were. A horrible thought consumed me, what if that wasn't Trena in the vault?

"Why didn't u bury her Trenton? She has been there for years!"

He sat on the toilet with his leg stretched across the narrow floor, my whole body ached as I prayed hard silently for the child I carried. I feared for its father, I missed him so much my emotions would assist with killing Trenton whenever I decided too, first though he would suffer! I'd been waiting on it but I had something else in mind, since he was above the law.

As he ignored my question I said, "She wasn't dead when she was put inside."

"U don't know that!"

"HER MOUTH WAS OPEN IN AGONY!"

I felt like whoever she was hadn't been physically harmed but---tortured! Maybe I was wrong.

He was angry, I saw his temples pulsating. I'd already known it was a touchy subject and what I'd seen was not grief but anger.

Her hands were curled inward at the wrists when she had taken her last breath. I had watched plenty forensics.

"I didn't know she was still alive! U don't know shit! He put her in there! Nobody knows what really happened! THEY ALL HAD FUCKED HER! When I went back a year later to visit them, I figured it all out ! SO I DID NOTHING WRONG! I SAAAAVED MY BROTHERS! I'd known she was pregnant, she didn't even know by who! SO SEEEEE BITCH! I TOOOLD U U DONT KNOW SHIT! HURRY UP! TAKE A FUCKING SHOOOWEEEERRRR! AND SHUT UP! SHUT UUUUUP!"

OK.

He was beating on the wall with his good arm but blood was soaking his shirt.

I laughed. He was desperate, I could tell.