CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

TORI

THE FIGHT TO SURVIVE

O ne minute I stood in front of a seething Tyra who bolted along with the guy holding the detonator. The next Ezra snatched me off my feet and carried me like a rag doll, his heart pounding against my back as he sprinted towards the double doors. Without warning, we crashed to the ground, my bones rattling with the impact. The pain was excruciating. I could feel my previous injuries throbbing beneath the surface from last week’s explosion.

In the blink of an eye, chaos erupted. The ground trembled beneath us as a deafening explosion ripped through the air. We hurtled backwards, crashing into the glass door and shattering it to pieces. Despite his own injuries, Ezra stayed protectively draped over me as we were pelted by shards of broken glass. The screams of terrified guests blended with the cacophony of destruction around us.

That crazy bitch blew up the hotel. My safe place. I can’t wait to kill her.

The sound of my name echoed faintly in my ears amidst the deafening ringing caused by the explosion.

Ezra sprang into action, drawing his Glock. Brock ran towards us, pointing across the parking lot. My eyes followed his pointed finger and landed on a scene of destruction. The SUV we had been driving in was now a smoldering wreck of flames and black smoke rising to the sky.

With the help of Ezra and Brock, I managed to stand on trembling legs, covered in shards of glass from head to toe.

My eyebrows rose and my heart plummeted to my feet. “Oh, shit, my manager.” Without hesitation, I turned towards the entrance, where only the frame of the door remained standing.

“Mattie,” I yelled.

Ezra grabbed my arms and held me back. “Tori, no,” he said faintly.

From what I could see, the lobby appeared intact.

Brock shook his head as he marched inside, shards of glass crunching under his boots. He reached over the counter and pulled Mattie up by his shirt, causing him to scream.

“It’s okay!” I yelled desperately.

Gunner appeared next to me. “We need to move,” he shouted. His voice sounded distant and muffled. “The police are on their way.”

I knew we needed to leave quickly. I wrapped my arms around Mattie before pulling away. “I have to go. But I’ll pay to have this cleaned up since I can’t do it myself.”

Mattie looked confused but didn’t ask any questions.

Ezra exchanged some words with Mattie before I was ushered towards a gray SUV by Gunner.

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER , we arrived at a parking garage.

Ezra told Gunner to drop us off at the side entrance of the garage. My bodyguard noticed I was hugging myself, wincing in pain. He cradled me in his arms and carried me toward a fleet of black, gray, and charcoal gray Suburbans and Yukon Denalis parked in the garage.

Ezra explained that the warehouse’s location was a secret until I completed my weird initiation with the brothers. He was right, and I didn’t argue.

Once Ezra, Brock, and I walked through the warehouse door, Arlis stalked toward me.

“How bad is she hurt?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Ezra stated. “But she’s in pain. We hit the ground pretty hard.”

A smirk hit my lips. “I’m fine. I’ll be ok.”

Arlis stretched his hand out. “You know the routine.”

I strolled toward my bedroom.

“Tori,” Ezra called out just as I approached my bedroom.

I glanced at him and winced due to the pain throbbing through my body.

“I’m calling Ritchie.”

My throat bobbed at his statement.

Shit, my husband’s going to lose it.

I nodded before stepping into the bedroom.

Arlis entered the room and immediately began the exam without delay.

Using tweezers, he removed small shards of glass from my hair before checking my limbs for any signs of sprains or fractures. As he pressed on my chest, I struggled to stifle a cough.

“Remember what I said in Vegas? You need time to rest in order to heal properly. But instead, you returned to Chicago and went straight back to work.”

What was I supposed to say? Arlis, it feels like the walls are closing in on me and the demons are trying to attack.

“I’ll stay in bed for the rest of the day,” I said with a grin.

“You should really stay in bed tomorrow as well, but I know you have to go to Jersey City. Just remember to rest while you’re there. I don’t want to have to explain your re-injured bruised ribs to Ritchie. I kept it from him during our trip in Vegas, but I won’t keep lying. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I sighed, placing my hand on his arm briefly. “No more keeping secrets from my husband.”

He nodded. “Just remember the way he protected you when you weren’t his wife. He’ll be ten times worse now that you’re a Toscana.”

Ritchie said he’d like it if I’d go to Jersey City this week. I didn’t take that as I had to.

“Arlis, I got the message loud and clear. Thanks for everything.”

“You’re welcome. Now let me see about your bodyguard.”

I kicked off my sneakers as he exited the room.

Fear swept through my body as I pulled the blanket over me. My thumb skated over the platinum wedding band. Ritchie wouldn’t be too upset, right? I wondered.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and my heart banged against my bruised rib cage. I stared at Ritchie’s name on the screen briefly before tapping the green button.

“Hey, baby,” I said sweetly.

“She blew up your fucking truck,” he growled in a low voice.

It wasn’t a question; it was a statement hanging in the air.

“Ezra assured me the bomb wasn’t there before we entered the hotel,” I confirmed.

“And that’s supposed to make it better?” he gritted out.

I figured he must’ve been somewhere where he couldn’t yell and shout like he wanted to, since he kept talking in a whisper.

That was probably why he hadn’t FaceTimed me. He couldn’t reveal his location.

“Ritchie, there’s nothing I can say that will make you less angry.”

“Good thing I sent the jet back to Chicago a few hours ago. Rider, the pilot, will be there to take you home today.”

My back stiffened. “But I wasn’t supposed to leave until tomorrow.”

“Tori Toscana, I want your pretty ass on that fucking jet in two hours.”

Fuck! Well, so much for my initiation with the brothers tonight.

Silence filled the line.

“Tori,” he growled.

Just like Ritchie had shit to do, so did I.

“Test me if you’d like. I’ll fly there myself tonight and bring you home,” he bit out.

“Ritchie, I’ll be on the jet.”

“Good. I might be home late. I’m in the middle of something important. Ezra knows what to do.”

“Okay,” I replied.

“I fucking love you, Tori.”

My heart squeezed in my chest. “I love you too.”

He ended the call.

I had never been loved by a man the way Ritchie loved me. Was this really my life? It felt like a dream to be loved so unconditionally.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Even though I had business to attend to, I couldn’t wait to see Ritchie.