Redemption Road (Vicious Cycle #2)(31)

“Yeah. It looks great. No way would anyone recognize you now.”

She appeared relieved that a slight alteration would help disguise her identity. “I’m just glad it’s the kind that will wash out in a few days.” As she gazed down at herself, she said, “I know it’s probably a lot to ask, but when we get ready to stop for the night, I would really like to find some new clothes.”

I smiled. “I think I can handle that.”

“Thank you.”

“Ready?”

She nodded. “I think I’m all packed,” she mused.

I laughed at the forced good humor in her statement. “I do like a woman who can travel light,” I replied as I slung my bag over my shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Even though we were in the relative safety of the hospital, I kept Annabel tucked close to my side. I wasn’t taking any chances. When we got outside, we both had to shield our eyes from the glaring sun. We had spent two days under the fluorescent hospital lights.

After peering around the parking lot, Annabel asked, “Where’s the car?”

“Bishop and Breakneck are bringing it here.”

“It gets its own escort?”

I laughed. “I guess you could say that. The El Paso Raiders wanted to make sure it was kept safe until we needed it.”

“Safe from what exactly?” she asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. Something along the lines of being rigged with explosives.”

Annabel frowned as she lamented, “So many precautions just for me.”

“It’s not just for you. It’s for me as well.”

“But you only need protection because you took me from Mendoza.”

After shifting my bag on my arm, I shook my head at her. “Even if I had left you to die, I would still be a marked man. I helped storm the home of a Rodriguez cartel lieutenant where not only was his latest batch of girls ‘destroyed,’ but there was a substantial amount of money taken as well.”

“I guess I didn’t realize how much risk you had taken on.”

Without realizing that she was probably still skittish when it came to being touched by men, I reached over and brushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. Her green eyes widened, but she didn’t jerk away. “Sorry I had to rain on your little martyr parade.”

She gave a bark of a laugh. “Smart-ass.”

It was good to see her being lighthearted. We were interrupted by the roaring sound of incoming bikes. I jerked my head to the left to see Bishop and Breakneck pulling up to the curb. Following close behind them were two cars.

Even before I was told, I knew which one was for us. It looked to be a mid-to late-1980s Oldsmobile. It was the kind of car you didn’t have to worry about getting stolen because it was so hideous-looking no one would give it a second glance. But the engine sounded good, so it would do its job by getting us back to Georgia.

“Glad to see you guys. For a minute, I thought you had forgotten us,” I said.

Bishop grinned. “Forget your pain in the ass? Never.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered with a smile. “You guys holding back for an hour or two before heading to the border?”

“Yep. Don’t want to draw any unnecessary suspicion,” Bishop replied.

When my gaze cut over to Breakneck, I couldn’t help feeling a slight pang in my chest at the sight of him on my bike. “You take good care of her, okay?”

Breakneck smiled. “Quit wringing your hands like an old woman. I’ve been ridin’ longer than you’ve been alive, you little jerk-off, so get it out of your head that I’m going to f*ck up your bike.”

I punched him playfully in the arm. “Thanks, *.” Truth be told, I was grateful to see him smiling, period.

“Whatcha think of the car?” Bishop asked Annabel. I knew he was goading her just to get a reaction. He couldn’t seem to let go of the fact that she was an “uptown girl,” as he jokingly called her. He had thought the same thing about our now sister-in-law, Alexandra, when we first met her, but Annabel and her privileged upbringing put even Alexandra to shame.

Although I’m sure she had never ridden in anything that wasn’t brand-new, Annabel smiled sweetly at Bishop. “Looks great. You know, if it’s older than twenty years, you can consider it an antique, and I love antiques.”

Shaking his head, Bishop grinned. “Oh, I do think I’m going to like having you back with us in Georgia, Uptown Girl.”

“High praise indeed,” she replied. Of course, she had no idea that when it came to Bishop, it really was the highest of praise.

“Okay, we should get going,” I said.

As Annabel started to the car, Breakneck said, “I put a pillow and blanket in the back. The moment you get through border check, you need to lie down.”

Annabel whirled around. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“I do. And last time I checked, I was the physician here.”

I braced myself for an argument, considering Annabel’s stubbornness, but instead she merely held up her hands in defeat. “Fine, fine. I’ll rest.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it. Another good thing about that car is the wide backseat.”

“Lucky me,” Annabel muttered as she opened the passenger-side door.