Redemption Road (Vicious Cycle #2)(30)

“You did?” Annabel asked.

He nodded. “I knew you would need something to wear, so I borrowed some things from my girlfriend.” When Snake snickered, Chulo smacked him on the back of the head. “They’re probably going to be a little big on you because I like my women thick.” He then held out the bag to Annabel.

She took it and smiled at him. “Thank you. That was very kind of you. Please thank your girlfriend for me as well.”

Chulo grinned sheepishly. “If it’s all the same with you, I would prefer not to mention that I was giving some strange woman her clothes.”

Ghost nodded. “Lucia would beat his ass if she thought he was cheating.”

While I chuckled, Annabel murmured, “Oh.” Her face tinged pink. “Well, thank you anyway.” When she started off the bed, her face came to eye level with my chest. For a moment, she paused as she stared at my intricate tattoos. She even took the time to read some of the lined verses. The longer she remained pressed against me, the more convoluted my feelings became. I inwardly berated myself for even momentarily enjoying the feel of having her so near to me. What kind of sick * would I be if I was remotely thinking of Annabel in an intimate way?

Finally her gaze swept to mine. “I—uh—I’ll go get ready now.”

“Okay,” I replied as I was grateful for her to put some distance between us.

She hurried past me into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

“Sorry we scared her, Rev,” Ghost said apologetically.

“It’s okay. I should’ve mentioned you guys might be coming by.”

As the shower turned on, Ghost stared past me to the bathroom. “How’s she doin’?”

I shrugged as I reached for a clean shirt. “Good as can be expected, I guess.”

“I guess she knows to get the hell out of Texas, right?”

“Yes. She knows.” When I pulled my cut on over my shirt, Chulo whistled and shook his head. “What?” I asked.

“Don’t be wearing colors at the border. That’ll get your shit flagged.”

“Oh, okay.” I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of that myself. As I pulled off my cut, I asked, “You think we’re going to have any problems getting out of the country?”

Chulo’s dark eyes narrowed. “You doubting our paperwork ability?”

“Of course not. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say your comment about the cut spooked me a little.”

“Mendoza has no idea who it was who took his girl. Yet. You have that in your favor.”

“Thanks for the pep talk,” I joked as I thumped Chulo on the back.

“Just covering all the bases, man. We’re still waiting for any confirmation on whether Mendoza is alive.”

The bathroom door cracked open, and Annabel stuck just her head out. “Why is there hair dye in the bag?”

Ghost ran his hand over his beard. “Yeah, uh, about that. I forgot to mention you would need to change up how you look. You know, since your red hair would really stand out at the border check.”

Annabel’s green eyes widened. “Am I in that much danger?” she asked, her voice wavering in fear.

“It’s only a precaution,” I assured her while Chulo added, “And we made you a brunette on your passport.”

“Wait, how did you get my picture?”

“The less you know, the better,” Chulo replied.

While she didn’t seem satisfied with his response, smart girl that she was, she didn’t question him any further. Instead, she ducked her head back inside the bathroom and shut the door.

After I stuffed my cut into my bag, I turned back to Chulo. “Anything else I need to know about getting across the border?”

“I think everything should be fine. Once you’re through the checkpoint, I would advise burning daylight and not stopping until you get halfway across Texas.” He grimaced. “’Course you got a senorita with you who’ll probably start bitchin’ to stop and take a leak or something.”

I chuckled. “I think we’ll make it fine. Annabel doesn’t impress me as the high-maintenance type.”

“For your sake, I hope you’re right,” Chulo replied.

Ghost threw out his hand. “We gotta be going, brother.”

I smacked his palm and then drew him to me for a hug. “Seriously, I can’t thank you enough for all your help.”

“Sticking it to the Diablos was good f*cking fun,” he replied.

With a laugh, I pulled away. “We still owe you. Even though we’re going legit, we’re here for you guys when you need us.”

“Glad to hear it. Don’t hesitate to call us if you need anything.”

“I appreciate it.”

After exchanging handshakes and hugs with Chulo and Snake, the El Paso Raiders headed out the door. It was only a few moments later that Annabel emerged from the bathroom. I couldn’t stop myself from doing a double take. It wasn’t so much the baggy pair of jeans or the oversized, almost fluorescent, orange and lime green shirt. It was more about the fact that she looked completely different as a brunette.

At what must have been my lengthy stare, she brought her hand self-consciously to her hair. “Does it look okay?”