Page 137 of My Broken Bodyguard 2: Ritchie & Tori

Tyra’s scowl flickered into surprise as strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind.

“Of course, I came back,” Ritchie murmured, his voice low and soothing. He pressed a tender kiss to the top of my head, his lips melting against my blonde strands. “I had to make sure you were ok,” he whispered into my hair.

Tyra’s twisted laugh filled the room, her defiance flickering like a dying flame. “Ah, I see it now,” she said, her tone mocking. “You have a thing for broken black dolls...” Her eyes left his and fell on me. “...from the hood.”

She chuckled. “I get it now. The rich white savior comes to the South Side of Chicago and takes control of four women involved in the drug trade.”

Her eyes scanned the room.

I glanced to my left and saw Catch standing behind Bianca. To her left were Rémy and Romeo, hovering over Asia. My eyes moved to my right; Ezra stood behind Simone.

“Actually, Simone was the first to fall into the clutches of her sexy Italian man. And to think I held you down during the time Ezra’s enemies hunted him. You girls don’t even know Simone.”

She glared at Simone. “Do they?”

“We all have secrets, Tyra,” Simone bit out.

“Not like yours,” Tyra muttered.

“Ezra, have you found Dominguez yet?”

Silence.

“No, you haven’t. He’s protected by the Irish mafia. You’ll never catch him. And once I’m really dead this time, he’ll go after your little doll and kill her once and for all,” she chuckled.

Irish mafia. What was she talking about?

“Dominguez wanted to have a threesome with me and you, Simone. It hurt a little that he wanted you more. But you know me; I’ve always been about the money. I love it when men pay me - it gives me power. Even in death, I’ll still have power.”

“We’re not worried, Tyra,” Ezra stated in a calm voice. “When I finally find him, I’ll slice his skin off his body,” he gritted out.

I had no idea who Dominguez was. And who was my best friend Simone, really?

“Confused, Tori? Didn’t know your best friend was leading a double life? How does it feel to not really know who she is?”

“Shut the fuck up, Tyra,” Simone yelled.

“No, they need to know that you can’t be trusted. Honestly, girls, every one of us has secrets. Escaping the trauma of the hood was impossible, right?”

“Yeah, you’re right. But the difference between these three women and you, they ride for me. We ride for each other. Betraying each other is something we’d never fucking do,” I bit out.

“That’s right,” Simone, Asia, and Bianca stated, one after the other.

I stepped out of my husband’s embrace and walked over to a table where me and the girls’ gear awaited us.

“If your goal was to pull us apart, you failed,” I chuckled as I climbed into my gear.

“Over the years when Simone told me she would be staying with her aunt, I covered for her with Daryl. I promised him she would never rat us out.”

“And I haven’t and never will. Ezra’s family is part of the mafia – the Costa Crime family,” Tyra looked around, expecting some kind of reaction.

I was taken aback because I knew Ezra worked for Nick Pitucco, the boss of Ritchie and Catch’s family. But if his family was in the mafia, why wasn’t he working for them?

“So you see, there’s no fucking way I’d snitch or betray the girls for shit. Technically, Ezra and I have been apart for five years.”

I looked at her as she put on her gear. “What do you mean by ‘technically’?”

“Ezra and I have a complicated past that I’ll explain later,” Simone said while glancing at Bianca and Asia as they suited up.

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