Broken Bells • Bishop Losa

Chapter 14: Puppy Dog Eyes

Annabelle pulled onto the gravel lot at nearly a snail's pace in an effort to stop rocks from flying up and chipping her paint further than it was, she was unable to hold back her winces as her attempt proved to be futile. She spotted Chucky as he stepped out of the small office space he found himself manning on most days, the man sent her a smile and an enthusiastic wave with his prosthetic fingers. She parked the car off to the side of the office, ensuring that she was not blocking the poor excuse of a roadway or in anyone's way before she stepped her sneaker clad feet out of the car. Reaching in through the open window she collected the black sunglasses that Angel had once leant her from their spot as they hung off the rearview mirror before slipping them over her eyes to block out the bright desert sun. Her dark eyes skimmed the lot as she approached Chucky, her sight being drawn to the empty area where the Mayans usually parked their motorcycles in a rather neat looking line, they must have gotten caught up longer than expected in the business they had to deal with that morning.

"How are you doing, Chucky? Like your new job?"

"I am quite content, Ms. Annabelle." Chucky smiled before he nodded toward the clubhouse, "Bishop has not made it back yet, you can await him inside."

"Thanks, Chucky."

Annabelle frowned as she entered the empty clubhouse. Bishop had told her that an impromptu party had been thrown the night before but she had not expected the place to still be such a mess, usually the women that hung around would clean or even Chucky but she figured he had enough on his plate while handling the scrapyard alone the past few hours. Empty beer bottles lined the bar and scattered across the tables, the strong scent of sweat, beer and stale cigarettes hung in the air causing her to scrunch her nose. She could feel her sneakers sticking to the floor with every step as someone had spilled a sticky beverage then improperly cleaned it leaving the wood with a lingering residue. Annabelle hummed to herself as she began to collect the empty bottles and used glasses off the tables, stacking the cups into two small towers as she tossed the bottles into a bag for recycling. After a short search of the clubhouse for any cleaning supplies- which she had found tucked into a small closet just across from the bathroom, she hooked her phone up the subpar sound system before hitting shuffle on her favorite cleaning playlist.

Bishop unhooked his helmet and balanced it on his bike before he shed his riding gloves, grumbling to himself as he stuffed them into his pocket. The product transport had gone well that morning, as it had been for months now but Galindo himself had decided that he wanted to attend the handoff which had caused them some serious delays and though he had not looked at a clock for many hours now he knew that he was late to his promise to Annabelle. He had spotted her car on the way in and judging from the ridiculously loud music that was pumping from the clubhouse that was where he would find her. He shook his head to himself as he led the rest of the charter up the porch steps, wondering how on earth someone could stand constantly listening to music on what had to be the highest volume level possible. Bishop raised his eyebrows as he watched Annabelle carry a case of beer with her eyes closed as she jammed out to the song that was playing, unaware of their presence as she could not hear them over the music.

"Damn girl, how do you have eardrums?" Gilly questioned, rubbing his ears as he lowered the volume to become a low hum of background noise. Annabelle's eyes shot open as she discovered she had an audience before she sent the man a disapproving look.

"The louder the better, especially when it comes to the Beastie Boys." Annabelle dropped the case of beer onto the bar, sending Gilly a nod, "Since you crashed my private party, you can load the fridge."

Bishop smirked before he gestured toward the bar, "You heard the lady, get to work."

"Did you clean this place all by yourself?" Taza inquired, settling himself into one of the empty chairs.

"My shoes were sticking to the floor, I feared that if I stood in one place too long that I would never be able to leave."

"You say that like it would be a bad thing." Angel scoffed, rounding the bar to collect himself a beer.

"Thank you, Annabelle." Taza showed his appreciation with a smile before glancing around to the other bikers with a suggestive glance.

"Thank you, Annabelle." They repeated in unison like a class of first graders that had been scolded by their teacher after not presenting enough enthusiasm.

"You are very welcome but don't get used to it, clean up after yourselves, neither the hang-arounds nor I happen to be your mother." Annabelle scolded as she circled around the bar, the bikers all amused at the pep in her step as she came to a stop in front of Bishop, smiling at him with the most innocent eyes she could muster. "You ready to go, babe?"

Annabelle had insisted on taking the driver's seat, it was her car after all, but it caused Bishop to start to doubt his decision to provide her with a car that was able to push limits when it came to speed- the woman's foot seemed to be made of pure lead. Bishop found himself tempted to kiss the ground when they reached the shelter, he was used to reaching high speeds on his bike but even Annabelle's speeds had made him nervous.

Annabelle sighed as her dark eyes scanned the building. It had been so many years since she had been there but the time she had spent there was burned into her mind.

"You good, sweetheart?" Bishop asked, stepping up to her side when he noticed her disconnected behavior. He knew that the shelter doubled as a detox centre and based upon her sudden hesitancy he assumed that she had spent some time in the backroom at some point. He gently took her hand in his own, his thumb softly running over the back of her hand to help bring her comfort. "Let's get you a dog, a big dog, not one of those little yappy fuckers."

"Oh yeah, adopt a poor dog and train it into a ready to attack anyone guard dog- it's for reasons like that people label Pit Bulls and other large dogs as vicious breeds. It's not a guard dog, just a companion for when you're stuck on a run."

Puppy dog eyes- something that Annabelle would often mimic in order to swing things in her favor but after pacing up and down the narrow corridor with dozens of puppy dog eyes pleading with her to take them home she vowed to herself that it would no longer be a tactic she would use. A golden retriever, a labradoodle, a dachshund, a springer spaniel... the list went on and she was stuck, if she had her way she would take them all home but Bishop had quickly curbed that impulse.

"There is one more dog," Sarah, the woman who was in charge broke Annabelle out of her thoughts, "He's just a baby so I wasn't planning on letting anyone adopt him yet but I think he might be a perfect match for you."

Sarah had recognized Annabelle from her time spent there immediately but no one spoke a word of the past occurrence. Annabelle's presence had stuck with Sarah all these years later because she had a certain drive to come clean and improve her life even though she carried such a heavy sadness on her shoulders at the time- she could honestly say that seeing her still clean gave her a twinge of happiness. Bishop had been patient with Annabelle, allowing her all the time she needed to choose her animal companion and he would not admit it to anyone but he was growing tired of waiting for her to make a choice which is why he felt such a strong sense of relief when Sarah brought out the puppy.

"A Saint Bernard? He's so tiny." Annabelle immediately took the fluffy brown and white pup into her arms, greeting the puppy by scratching it between its floppy ears as it attempted to cover her face with slobbery licks.

"He's only a month old. He was found abandoned in an alley and brought here last week." Sarah explained, smiling as she gently patted the dog's head.

"Look at him, Obispo, isn't he so precious?" Annabelle asked, altering her voice into a goofier, baby-like tone as she held the small dog out for the Mayan to get a better look. "Can we adopt him? Please?" Annabelle pleaded with Bishop, going back on her self promise to not put puppy dog eyes to use. The Mayans President chuckled at her behavior, she did not need to use such eyes on him as he would quickly cave and give her anything she ever wanted in that moment.