Page 125 of Haze of Obedience

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Dirk

"You wantus to go through the El Salvador border to get into Guatemala?"

Tinker taps the map. "My contacts are here and here. I don't have one on the northern border, but you should be fine. It's not a regulated crossing."

"So El Salvador, Guatemala, then Mexico?"

"Yes."

I look at Zoe. I'm still trying to get used to her with her green contacts and neon orange hair.

She definitely looks...different. So that's a plus for traveling.

She's still hot.

"You should take those contacts out and save them for the border or large crowds."

She snorts, pulls the case out of her pocket, and pops them out.

"Hi. Good to have you back," I tease when I see her real eyes again.

I love her eyes.

"Funny."

"For a diva, you're handling all this really well."

"And you can't help yourself, can you?"

I wink then fold the map and take the piece of paper Tinker has all the information written on and tuck it inside. There's a knock on the door.

"Stay here. That'll be my car guy." Tinker leaves the room.

I pat my thighs.

Zoe sits on my lap. "You rang?"

"Ha ha."

She puts her arms around my neck. "What's up?"

I slide my hands through her hair. "I'm taking advantage of our alone time." I kiss her, which turns out to be a bad idea. When Tinker walks back in, I'm hard as a nail and ready to go.

Zoe's breathless and has the fire in her eyes that drives me crazy.

Tinker throws keys on the table. "Your chariot awaits."

Zoe gets off me, and I rise. We use the restroom, say our goodbyes, and leave.

A black van, maybe ten years old, is parked in the driveway. A dark sheet has been converted into a curtain and hangs between the driver's area and the back. We get in, and I start the vehicle.

Zoe peeks through the drape. "I have to say, while Tinker is clueless on certain things, he aims high on others."

"What do you mean?"

"There's a mattress complete with bedding and pillows back there."

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