Page 61 of The Sinner's Bargain

I merely nodded and turned to the two standing a few feet away. My focus was on the blank faced woman watching the interaction.

“The gate stays down,” I told her.

If she was opposed to the idea, Amari kept her mouth shut. She did motion Blue to follow her and the two women moved into the changing rooms.

Once alone with Cyrus, I turned to him. “Vance tell you?”

The other man nodded. “Factory incident.”

I sighed. “Told the cops I’d come by the station.”

“Now?”

I glanced in the direction Blue had gone. “No. They can wait. David is going to help the family. That’s all that matters for now.”

Cyrus followed my gaze to where Amari was pulling the zipper up on a green dress that reminded me of something the late Queen would have worn.

“She could be the one,” he remarked. “You need a wife. She’s here.”

“No,” I said before he finished. “I won’t let the house take her. I’ll find someone else.”

“From where? And what about her? What woman will allow you to keep her around?”

I knew he was right. I had to figure out what I was doing with Blue if I wanted to save my family home from my grubby cousin, but every option felt like no option.

I couldn’t condemn her to the house, but I couldn’t let her go.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

NAYA

Lacroix chose a short, knitted sweater dress with full sleeves and a high collar for me to wear out. The white material clung to every line, curve and valley of my body with an accuracy that made me feel naked under his dark scrutiny. Knee high boots and a long, beige coat were added to the set.

Amari had helped me pick out undergarments and shoes. A few. But Lacroix had added everything I touched. Even if I’d only been looking at it. That went for everything. Clothes. Shoes. Underwear. Accessories. If I glanced at it, it was added to the pile.

The generosity extended outside of Amari’s shop when the other woman looked Lacroix in the face and boldly told him I needed female products that Mariposa didn’t carry.

Lacroix hadn’t seemed upset by the command. He’d looked me over and said very simply, “If that’s what she needs.”

Grabbing his card from the register, Amari had locked up the store and set to work showing me the mall.

“You don’t want anything in there,” she’d say, gesturing to stores we passed, or, “That is the only place to get what you need.”

Every place she took me, people knew her ... and Lacroix. The latter got a lot less of a warm greeting but he didn’t seem to care. He merely watched me move from display to display, occasionally motioning to the clerk to grab whatever I was looking at.

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