Her face took on a bewildered expression. “Patched in? What does that mean?”
I laughed. “It means he’s a full member of the club now. He doesn’t have to run around doing errands. He’s proven he’s worthy of us.”
“That all comes in the form of a patch?”
“Before he had to wear a prospect’s patch, which is like a sign saying you’re everyone’s bitch. Now he gets the real deal.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“I don’t know about that. Of course, Crazy Ace, the guy we’re patching in, could make anything interesting.”
“Oh really?”
“If you want, I can walk you over to Mama Beth’s on the way,” I suggested as I grabbed my keys.
“Do women ever go to these things?”
I turned around to stare at her in surprise. In the entire month since she had been with me, she had never once set foot inside the roadhouse. One by one, the Raiders had come down to meet her. She seemed to do well with a few of us at a time. “Um, yeah, they do.”
“Then can I come? I mean, I hate to invite myself, but I’d like to get out for a while. And I’ve never seen the roadhouse.”
I fiddled with the keys in my hand. “Are you sure you’re up to it?” While I knew my brothers would be on their best behavior around Annabel, I was more concerned about how she would react to them. Strange men in cuts could inevitably lead to a flashback of her time with the Diablos.
She rose off the couch with a determined expression. “I think I’d like to try.”
“Then I’d like to have you join me.”
Glancing down at her clothes, she asked, “Am I dressed okay?”
I laughed. “Compared to what some of the women will be wearing, you’re overdressed.”
“Should I go change into something more revealing?” she teased.
“No,” I replied a little too quickly. Annabel ducked her head, but I thought I saw the hint of a smile on her lips. “Come on. We better be going.”
When we got to the backdoor of the roadhouse, I stopped her. “What is it?” she asked.
“If at any time you don’t feel comfortable, you just let me know. Even if I’m taking part in the patching, you can come and get me. Okay?”
“Thank you, Rev,” she replied. She then proceeded to shock the hell out of me by reaching up and tenderly kissing my cheek. “You’re so good to me.”
Feeling like I had been knocked on my ass, I threw open the back door and ushered her inside. Live music blared from the house band that played on special occasions. The steady roar of conversation came from all around us. At the far end of the roadhouse, the women had set up a long table full of home-cooked food. Kim and Alexandra, along with some of the other wives, were supervising the line of hungry men.
“Hungry?” I asked Annabel.
“Not right now. But don’t let me stop you.”
I glanced from the table back to her. “Kim’s chili is fucking amazing.”
Annabel smiled. “Then let’s get you some before it’s all gone.”
Placing my hand on the small of her back, I started to lead her through the crowd. At Annabel’s sudden intake of breath, I quickly demanded, “What’s wrong?”
She motioned to where Willow was weaving her way through the crowd. “I was just surprised to see her here.”
“Since it’s a patching ceremony, wives, girlfriends, and families are invited. The first part of the night is pretty calm with the celebrating.” I grinned at her. “It’ll be around midnight when the kids are put to bed when things get really crazy.”
When she caught sight of us, Willow made a beeline to our sides. After giving us both hugs, she asked, “How’s Poe?”
