Page 2 of My Broken Bodyguard 2: Ritchie & Tori

Her phone rang. A recording said, “The person you called hasn’t set up the voice mail yet.”

My heart lurched in my chest. Where was my cousin? And my woman? Why would she leave? Maybe she went to the grocery store. Cooking was her thing. I remembered the gumbo she brought to my hotel room. My heart squeezed in my chest at the memory. I fucking missed my woman.

Dropping the phone at my side, I pinned Arlis with a stare. “I want to know everything that happened while I was asleep.”

He threw his hands up. “Come on, Ritchie.” He looked like he wanted nothing further to do with my situation.

My eyes narrowed. “Don’t pretend you aren’t a part of this world, Arlis. Your family might be the brokers, but I’ve seen you and Uncle Callum handle men who needed to be taught a lesson.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Fine.” Arlis inched closer.

“I better get you walking around, then. Just don’t lose your shit out there.”

My brows rose. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He didn’t say another word as he guided me to my feet. A sharp pain slammed through my abdomen, leaving a stabbing sensation in its wake.

“Fuck,” I grunted as we slowly moved into the hallway.

My eyes roamed the spacious, tastefully decorated warehouse.

“Ezra’s in that room.” Arlis pointed at a door right before we approached the kitchen.

“No one’s here. What’s going on Arlis?”

“I’ll tell you what I know after we walk around two more times.”

My heart smacked my rib cage. Worry seeped into my gut.

After the painful walk, I sank onto the long wooden bench at the dining table, running my fingers through my hair. “Start talking,” I bit out.

Twenty minutes later, I pondered on my uncle’s words, ready to pull my hair out.

“So you weren’t downstairs when Tori left? But you heard Catch lose his shit?” I asked.

“Yup,” he sighed, taking a seat at my side.

My eyes squeezed shut briefly. “Ok, I’ll access Catch’s security system. We always give each other access.”

I glanced at my uncle. “Can Ezra move?”

“Yeah. He’s in a little better shape than you. I’ll give you both a special pain cocktail. It’ll help you maneuver for at least five hours with limited pain.”

“Thanks, Arlis.”

There was a beat of silence.

“For what it’s worth, I think it’s time Catch sat down with Uncle Callum.”

He tapped my shoulder lightly. “Thanks for saying that, Ritchie.”

THIRTY MINUTES LATER, Ezra and I climbed into Arlis’s rental SUV. It was best I drove, since Ezra still had limited mobility with his dominant arm.

Ezra was beside himself while we watched the rear entrance video footage. Tori and Simone left together. Catch and the others left the building shortly after.

Ezra shook his head while he loaded our weapons. “Why the fuck would Simone and Tori sneak out of the warehouse?”

I glanced at Ezra. “I’m guessing they had a lead on Man-Man.”

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