Free Dealing with the Devil by Marina Black Page B

happy in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.” The sales associate was lining the dressing room with things for her to try. “Oh that reminds me…” Lucy bent down, undoing the ankle strap holding her handgun; she tugged her butterfly knife from her bra, and unclipped the can of mace from her belt loop before pushing them into his hands, “Hold these.”
    Staring at her incredulously, Archie frowned. “I can protect you, Lucy.”
    “Yeah, but what if I needed to protect you?” Lucy countered, leaving no room for argument. She headed to the dressing room. There were articles of clothing everywhere: fancy, lacy undergarments, silky slips, smart skirts, tasteful blouses, and—as promised—
dresses
. Lucy cursed bitterly at the emotion that clogged her throat at the sight of this. Her mother would’ve loved this place…and she could only imagine the joy on Louisa’s face as they tried everything on together. Damn it, Lucy internally chastised herself. Why the fuck was she so weepy today?
    Archie plopped down on a couch while Lucy tried things on. He could hear the rustling of clothes and her mumbled swearing. It made him smile. “How are things going in there, princess?”
    Lucy rolled her eyes at Gabe’s mocking pet name. She tried on a skirt with a flowing black blouse that managed to flatter and accentuate her curves at the same time. She added it to the ‘buy’ pile along with several new bras and matching panties. Next came the dresses. To the sales associate’s credit, she hadn’t picked out anything too wild. Lucy’s favorite was a frock that fell just past her knee. The black silk felt buttery soft against her skin. Only the bodice was different, an overlay of delicately stitched lace covered her breasts, which showed the barest hint of cleavage peeking below the neckline. When Lucy put it on, she
did
feel like a princess. She smoothed her hands over her belly to calm the butterflies that erupted there. “How do I look?”
    Archie’s eyes widened as Lucy stepped out of the changing room. He stood instantly, his lips parted slightly. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes. “Whoa…”
    A blush crept over her cheeks, “That bad, huh?” Gazing at the tag, Lucy’s mouth went dry. “Shit, this dress costs eight hundred dollars!”
    “I don’t care,” Archie breathed. “You’re getting it. As a matter of fact, you’re getting all of it.” Poking his head around the corner, he called the associate over. “Just wrap it up, we’ll take it. Can she wear the dress out of here?”
    “
Oui, monsieur,
” The woman cooed enthusiastically and hurried to package up their purchases. Gabe directed the boutique to have the rest of the items sent over to the hotel. Lucy allowed the sales associate to cut the tag off the dress and slipped into a pair of black kitten heels that fit her feet like a glove.
    Lucy left the shop feeling much like Cinderella—the kitchen maid who tarted up for the big ball. Heads swiveled to stare at her as she and Gabe made their way back to the taxi stand. Once again, his large hand was pressed against the small of her back and his posture was protective. Lucy didn’t fight the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. When they got into the cab, she snuggled against Gabe’s side. The Aces High awaited and they had a job to do but she might as well enjoy these moments while they lasted.

Chapter Seven
    Aces High was once the most vibrant casino on North Virginia Street. The building used to shimmer; the metal frame had once been dazzling. Now, the whole place looked brassy in the sun. The heavy glass doors that had welcomed patrons were cracked and clouded with age. An ancient carpet lined the floors, threadbare and torn in places. The color was perfectly royal red, back in the day, but had dulled to the color of mud.
    Lucy crinkled her nose at the mustiness that seemed to fill every inch of the place, mingling with the scent of stale cigarettes and liquor. Straight ahead