Her eyes widened. “I mean can you believe she cooks him dinner and offers to wash his laundry?”
Looping an arm around Tori’s, I chuckled. “Yeah, T, I can see that. That’s kind of what you did.”
“No, not at first. I just insisted on cleaning his room,” she trailed off.
Tori laughed again. “Shit, I guess I did the same thing.”
Asia smiled. “Tori, but you got him.”
“Yeah, girl, you got him.” Her arm hooked around Tor’s neck from behind.
Tori snuggled into her embrace as we continued down the glitzy strip.
Simone sipped her drink. “Just think if you didn’t flirt with Ritchie these two bitches wouldn’t have their men.”
“Oh, don’t pretend you’re so fucking unhappy, Simone,” I bit out.
“We see how you stare at Ezra. You gaze into his eyes like he’s your world.” I smiled.
Simone stepped away from Tori and returned to my side. “Once upon a time Ezra was my world.” She shook her head. “We’re not here to talk about my traumatizing relationship with Ezra. We’re here to celebrate you tying the knot.”
The girls hooted and hollered.
There was some deep, dark shit, happening in Simone’s life and I could tell she wasn’t ready to share. We’d chisel away at that wall after we got her good and drunk.
“Hold on. Hold on. Tori, what happened this morning?” I asked.
While sipping my cocktail, I waited for her response.
“Ritchie and I went to the playhouse to pick up Reaper and Slasher.” Her eyes followed the pavement as she told us what happened.
“Ritchie said he’d check the house out first. I agreed. There was a pile of mail on the floor at the front door. I picked up a few pieces then I noticed a box. The message read: Tori, this package is just for you. I’m delivering a little bang. From you know who.”
My fist curled around the plastic tumbler so tight I thought I’d crack it. “That fucking bitch,” I roared.
Tori continued. “I glanced across the street cursing at her under my breath. Then I shoved my anger aside and shouted, it’s a bomb,” she whispered.
She couldn’t yell those words on the strip. Those words would’ve caused chaos.
“Next thing I knew Brock threw me to the grass covering my body with his as the playhouse exploded.” Tori shook her head. “Just another fucked up situation to add to my mental house of horrors.” Her eyes squeezed shut as we came to a halt in front of Planet Hollywood.
“I thought the best man that came into my life was dead. Honestly, I hadn’t had time to wrap my mind around my feelings at that moment. It felt like a piece of my heart exploded in that house.”
We sat on the stairs, still grossly enthralled in our best friend’s story. Brock’s lurking nearby didn’t go unnoticed. A part of me felt relieved we had a bodyguard. Didn’t matter if weweren’t in danger in Vegas. That fact remained that someone still wanted to kill us.
“Through a cloud of smoke Ritchie walked toward us holding the dogs’ leashes.” She smiled as a tear slipped down her cheek.
“I ran to Ritchie, kissing him like a crazy woman. He said he decided to get the dogs ready for transport first. Reaper and Slasher saved his life.”
We wrapped our arms around Tori, squeezing her tightly.
“It might be difficult to be here.” Tori smiled. “But being with my best friends feels good.”
We held each other a beat longer.
“Was Tyra across the street at her cousins when the bomb went off?” I asked.
“I believe so. Bet she got great joy out of almost blowing me to fucking pieces,” Tori growled.