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Even Mom had rarely seen me with cat-eye liner, vibrant shadow, and vivid lips. Her associates wouldn’t connect the me I was creating in front of the mirror to the old Luciana Cordova at all.
What would Mom have thought of me now? I could hear her voice in the back of my head:Women in our position don’t need to paint our faces like clowns.
She’d been all about keeping it simple and a little severe rather than artsy. But I didn’t think I looked anything like a clown.
I turned my head from left to right, assessing myself. The bright green eyeshadow dusting my lids paired with the turquoise in the corners really popped in contrast with the red hue I’d dyed into my dark hair.
I hadn’t been sure about the bangs the hair stylist had chopped across my forehead, but as I brushed my fingers through them, I decided they were definitely cute rather than dorky. And they were one more way my appearance was transformed.
Every day, I’d put on this face for our practices. Even if someone who’d known the old me caught a glimpse of a recording, it shouldn’t trigger the slightest jolt of recognition.
I blotted the deep red lipstick to tone it down just slightly and gave my reflection a smile. “Right. I think that does it.”
I set my new makeup bag in the cabinet alongside Niko’s razor and Jasper’s aftershave. It was a little weird suddenly living with not one but three men in the three-bedroom apartment we’d been able to find not too far from the arena, but I had to say I loved having easy access to my guys.
Like right now. I pushed open the door to find Niko and Jasper hanging out on the sofa in front of the TV, Jasper flipping channels restlessly. Time for the first trial run of the new look.
I didn’t even have to clear my throat to get their attention. Both their heads turned my way at the squeak of the bathroom door.
I couldn’t imagine anything much more gratifying than the way their faces lit up at the sight of me. The genuine sign of approval made my heart leap.
Jasper let out a low whistle. “You look amazing. But I hardly recognized you. I guess that’s the point, right?”
Niko chuckled. “I almost thought we were being held up by some mysterious, red-headed robber. You’re an expert makeup artist as well as skater.”
My smile faded a little. “It kind of sucks that I’ll be going out there not exactly looking like myself. But it’s fun putting it on. And I’ll be able to refine the look to go with our costumes once we get those sorted out.”
Niko clicked his tongue and leapt up to give my bangs a light ruffling. “Your spirit still shines through. You’ll never stop being Lou, no matter what we’re giving as your full name.”
I laughed, warmed by the affection in his tone. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Speaking of costumes…” Jasper got up with a stretch of his arms and checked his phone. “We’d better get going if we’re going to make it to the fabric store with plenty of time to look through the options before closing. Do you want to come along, Lou?”
I shook my head. “Nah. I trust your artistic eye a lot more than my own. I’m sure whatever you pick will look amazing.”
And it might not be a bad thing if he got a little one-on-one time with Niko to foster whatever relationship they were growing between them.
Jasper bumped his shoulder against mine. “No pressure, huh?”
“Hey, I’ve seen what you can do. I have total faith in you.”
I bobbed up to give him a quick peck, brushing my lips lightly so I didn’t leave an imprint. Niko leaned in to kiss my temple, and the two men headed out together.
“Oh, hey,” Jasper said a little awkwardly after he’d opened the door. A second later, Rafael stepped past him with a brusque nod. My bodyguard was just returning from one of his periodic sweeps of the neighborhood.
After the other men had left, Rafael checked the lock and then turned to me, his face showing no reaction to my mask of cosmetics. He’d already seen the new hairdo, watching over me at the salon.
“See anything concerning out on the streets?” I asked.
Rafael was still very much in bodyguard mode. Along with his patrols around the apartment building, he’d insisted that he’d take the sofa at night rather than sharing one of the bedrooms, so that he could be our “first line of defense” against intruders.
His dedication didn’t surprise me, but part of me couldn’t help hoping he’d warm up to the other men beyond simply tolerating their presence in our lives. Eventually.
He pulled off his jacket and hung it on one of the hooks by the door. “No sign of danger that I could pick up on. I’ll do another circuit later tonight.”
“So, it seems like we’ve left my psycho stalker back in Hobb Creek?”
“As far as I can tell.” He aimed a faint smile at me, which from Rafael was practically a grin. “He hasn’t left any calling cards yet, and I’m not sure how he could have figured out where we are. But I’m not letting down my guard until we’re sure.”
