Free Angel Gone Bad by Sabine Starr Page A

as she was about moving onward, especially after the peace and safety of Manny’s. Yet she had the impression that Rune had something on his mind that she didn’t know about.
    They had dressed for their parts today. She was clothed as Angelica. She wore the blond wig, emerald green hat, and green gown that she’d had cleaned in the Bend. He was clothed as a gunslinger. He wore a Stetson pulled low, an azure brocade vest, slate-gray trousers and shirt, and a Colt .45 in a holster low on his right hip. She’d caught several passengers watching them, but she’d pretended not to notice as she flipped through Sweet Rescue, selecting passages to read to the Paris Book Club.
    Rune leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “Now, have you got the hand sign right?”
    â€œWe practiced, remember?”
    â€œLet me see it again.”
    She rolled her eyes, but quickly flashed the secret Anti–Horse Thief Association hand sign he had taught her. “Okay?”
    â€œIt’ll do.”
    â€œDo you really think the U.S. Marshal’s office in Paris will give me information about Tate on the weight of an AHTA hand sign?”
    â€œHow many times do I have to tell you that lawmen work with AHTA members all the time?”
    â€œThat’s what you said, but I’m not sure about posing as an AHTA widow.”
    â€œIf you know the secret hand sign, they’ll help you.”
    â€œI still don’t much like it.”
    â€œYou don’t have to like it. You just have to do it.”
    â€œI’ll try for Verity’s sake, but I don’t want trouble.”
    â€œNobody does. If you follow my plan, you’ll be okay.” Rune glanced out the window. “We’re coming into Paris. Get ready.”
    Angel straightened her skirt, but she stayed focused on Rune. He obviously had learned a lot in prison. Somehow outlaws must have figured out the secret hand sign of the prestigious AHTA. She’d never thought about it before, but maybe prison was like college for outlaws.
    She might have set Rune on his current path, but he’d joined the V Gang on his own. He couldn’t blame that on her. She sighed. Unfortunately, being an outlaw didn’t make him any less desirable. That dangerous edge simmering just below the surface and threatening to break free made him almost irresistible. Yet she wouldn’t let his many charms distract her from her goal, or cause her to overlook his transformation from good guy to bad guy.
    Now she had one more role to play. She had despaired about her dull existence in Bonham, but the safety and security of that life was looking better all the time. If she had any chance of going back to it, she had to be as good an actress as any on stage.
    When the train pulled into the Texas and Pacific Railway station, Angel glanced out the window. Paris was the county seat with an imposing courthouse, two hotels, a schoolhouse, and other buildings. After the fire of 1877 destroyed ten acres of the downtown district, residents lost all faith in clapboard and rebuilt in brick. Thousands lived in Paris, but most of the settlers in the area made their homes on small cotton farms in the rich black gumbo land of the Red River Valley. Many of them appeared to be in town, bringing farm produce, doing business, and shopping in stores.
    At a nod from Rune, she waited for the other passengers to debark. She understood he wanted to call as little attention to them as possible. She agreed. As she slipped Sweet Rescue into her reticule, she took a deep breath. They had timed their arrival so she could go first to the marshal’s office, and then to Harris Mercantile where she would read to the Paris Book Club. So far all was on schedule with no trouble. She only hoped it would stay that way.
    She stood up, pulling her black shawl around her shoulders to dull the appearance of her bright gown and make her look more like a widow. She could feel the