Page 1 of A Hood Wife And A Rich Goon 2

CHAPTER 1

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

Toni coughed, then gagged as her head spun, but she managed to sit up on soft carpet. Head hanging, palms pressed into the rug, she caught her breath and used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth. Finally, her eyes blinked open, but everything was kind of blurry, so she quickly shut them as her stomach turned. The last thing she remembered was being out shopping with the kids. Then… Frank. Something happened to him. Shaking away the images only brought back more, and suddenly, Chai’s smug face appeared.

“Oh, God. My babies!” Toni whispered, eyes shooting open as she tried to adjust to the fluorescent lighting in the room.

“They’re fine,” Chai huffed from somewhere in the soundproof room.

Toni knew it was soundproof because she couldn’t hear anything around them. Eyes flickering, she found herself on the floor beside a twin bed. Across from her, Jou Jou and Breeze slept soundly. She watched long enough to make sure their little chests were rising and falling before her head swung toward the door. Bitch. Arms folded in her black logo print two-piece Gucci suit, Chai examined her nails like she’d been standing there all along, waiting for her to wake up.

“When I’m done with you, you won’t be, bitch,” Toni growled, adrenaline coursing through her like kryptonite.

Throwing her head back, Chai erupted with laughter before pushing herself off the dresser.

“Cute. Where was this energy when you were playing Cinderella for me and Uma?” she mocked. “Or did Bull put that battery in your back?”

This time, Toni laughed. Chai was so bitter. Such a fucking hater. All that pretty, and she was still ugly inside.

“You’re such a fucking bottom feeder.” Toni sat up and moved to press her back against the side of the bed. She was starting to gain some of her strength back.

“Hmm, I think you’re forgetting to look in the mirror when you say that. You’re a bird, Toni. You ain’t even got the good sense to use what you have to get what you want. You keep thinking that meek, sweet act is going to get you what you somewhere⁠—”

“It got Bull,” Toni noted, smugly studying Chai, who suddenly had no words. “And that’s what you’re really mad at, am I right? You thought you would swoop in and be able to charm him with that whole exotic persona, but we both know that underneath that, you ain’t nothing but another hoodrat.”

“Bitch, I will kill you!” Chai stomped toward Toni, snatching her hair by the roots and dragging her to her feet.

The minute she did that, Toni’s fist rammed into her face with two staggering punches. Chai lost her footing in her heels, giving Toni the advantage. Chai couldn’t get a swing in because Toni used all her strength to spin her, tossing her into the brick, knocking the wind from her. The metal door clicked, then opened, and a handsome figure rushed inside to break them apart.

“Yooo, this ain’t no MMA shit. The fuck!” Arms spread between the two, his gaze gamboled between both women, out of breath and pacing as if they were ready to go another round.

Pausing, Toni studied his stature and mannerisms as his familiar eyes raked over her slowly. His face was new to her, but she recognized something in that voice and that stare.

“Midas, you better get this bitch before her kids bury her!” Chai attempted to charge at Toni again, but the six-foot-two stranger placed himself between them. She now had a busted lip, and a leaking nose. Meanwhile, Toni didn’t have a scratch on her as she stood there panting, waiting for the bitch to jump froggy.

“Go get cleaned up and let Boss know shit is secured,” he instructed.

Reaching up to touch her nose, when she saw blood on the tips of her fingers, Chai’s dark glare landed on Toni once again.

“This ain’t over, bitch. Don’t get comfortable,” she threatened on her way to the door.

Shaking his head, Midas watched after her until she secured the door behind her. He faced Toni, but contempt clouded her expression.

“What do you want?” she demanded.

His tongue swiped across his lips, and intrigue danced in his captivating irises. Throwing his hands up in surrender, he dragged his hand down his beard. She studied his lean, but muscular frame in all black with locs in need of a retwist pulled back in a low ponytail.

“I’m not your enemy, shorty.”

“Me and my kids are locked in a room God knows where. Please don’t insult my fucking intelligence.”

“Damn.” His neck jerked, and he revealed a smile with a bottom row of nothing but platinum and diamonds. “Spicy. I like that shit. No wonder Bull couldn’t resist smashing his brother’s bitch.”

Toni inched forward, and he backed up with his hands up again.

“Whoa, my bad.” He chuckled. “I don’t want no smoke, just what a nigga heard.”

“Well, you don’t know shit. Don’t speak on me, Bronx, or Bull. Everything ain’t what the fuck it seems, and it’s a hell of a lot more to the story than anybody fucking knows or even has the right to know. All that matters now is Bull is my fucking husband, and his opps are my opps. So, who the fuck are you, and what do you want?”