Silver on the Road (The Devil's West Book 1) by Laura Anne Gilman Read Free Book Online

opened, and Gabriel walked into the devil’s lair.
    The man behind the desk had blond hair and a square, clean-shaven chin that did not match Gabriel’s memory of the man he had seen at the tables the night before, but by the time he took the indicated seat, removed his hat, and looked up again, that first impression changed again, angular features softening, chin and lip now covered with morning stubble, although the eyes, keen and golden brown, remained the same.
    Riding the Territory, Gabriel had encountered odder in his time; he let the shift go without comment.
    “You are, no doubt, wondering why your presence has been requested.”
    “No doubt.”
    The devil leaned back in his chair and tilted his head, studying Gabriel. “You spoke with Izzy last night while at the card table.”
    “I did.” Gabriel knew when he was being studied—and judged. He waited, his hat in his lap, boots on the floor, conscious again of the knife in its sheath, and how utterly useless it would be if the judgment went against him.
    “She’s a comely girl, serving drinks; most would flirt, perhaps tease her, or try for something more. But you spoke to her seriously; you took her seriously, despite her youth and gender. And then you left. Before your turn at my table came around. You did not feel the need to play against me.”
    “No.”
    Gabriel had been born to the Territory, but he had trained back East to face judges and juries with men’s liberty on the line. He wasn’t afraid of silence, nor the moment before the storm. And if his stomach muscles tensed or his shoulders drew back, his lead hand kept still against his thigh, neither of them remarked on it.
    Those eyes brightened to pure gold, the skin tone darkening from native bronze to near black, the cheekbones sharpening. Gabriel waited, his gaze steady, his hands resting on his knees, his hat on his lap.
    “You’re an advocate, not a cardsharp.”
    “A man mightn’t pursue two distinct interests in his time?” He hadn’t meant for it to sound so much like a question.
    “I have an offer to make you,” the devil said, as casual as he might deal out a new hand, all friends around the table, no cards up his sleeve. “Or perhaps I am accepting your offer. Either way, I think it may be of interest, and of worth, for you to accept.”
    He had made no offer to the devil, only Isobel, but Gabriel was not fool enough to argue the point. A cautious man thought out his plan, and his price, before he went to the devil. If the devil came to you . . .
    Gabriel raised a hand to indicate that he was listening, but he would not speak again, not until he’d heard the offer out.

    Izzy felt lost. She stood on the wooden steps of the saloon, the door closing firmly behind her, and was filled with an unfamiliar, unwanted sensation of having nowhere to go, nothing to do. She had no place in the daily routine anymore, her old chores would have already been reassigned, and despite her meeting with the boss, she had no idea of what her new status, her new role might be.
    The uncertainty made her uncomfortable. The boss had told her to enjoy herself. . . . But her mind went blank at the thought. She didn’t want to go back inside, waiting in her room like a scolded child anticipating her punishment, as though she had done something wrong.
    She took a deep breath, letting the dry air fill her lungs. The sky was blue overhead, the breeze a cool counterpoint to the sun rising bright and warm. A walk along the river would take her away from questions she could not answer, and perhaps clear her head a little.
    Resolved, she stepped along the planked sidewalk, walking toward the edge of town. Flood, for all its importance, was not large, and there were few people out and about this early, save an older man heading toward her, down the middle of the street. A small wagon trundled behind him, piled high with burlap bags, the wooden wheels making a rattleclack noise as they turned. “Good