Page 102 of Selling Innocence

“So what else?”

Give him what he wants.

The words on the screen had me turning my gaze on Tor. “Excuse me? I thought you just said we wouldn’t use her like that.”

He shook his head, his fingers moving quickly across his screen. He thinks they’re soulmates, right? People say that when they want to believe in love and romance. Give him the chance at that.

The point remained lost on me.

Vance chuckled softly. “That’s not bad, Tor. Never would have figured you for one to play that sort of sneaky game.” He turned his gaze on me, his lips pulled into a smirk. “Lorien wants to believe they’re going to fall in love. He seems to care what happens to her and what she thinks of him, right? What if we tell him that she wants to talk to him? That she’s afraid of him right now, but if they talk, she might change her mind.”

The pieces came together. It wasn’t the worst idea I’d ever heard…

“So you think he’ll agree to that, and he might let something slip?”

“He’s arrogant and in love—at least, he thinks he is. That’s a recipe for loose lips. Give Kenz the chance to talk to him and we might just find something to use against him.”

“What if he gets his claws into her? She’s already willing to sacrifice herself for us—clearly she doesn’t make great choices when it comes to men. What if he tricks her and she decides life with him might not be so bad? What if she betrays us?” Even as I said that, I didn’t quite believe it possible. Kenz was sweet and trusting, but I didn’t think betrayal was in her nature.

However, that trusting nature could lure her into confusion, into making a choice because she thought it the right one.

She’s smarter than that, Tor texted. She can do this.

When I couldn’t come up with a better plan, I nodded. I didn’t love putting Kenz in the line of fire, but I had to trust we could keep her safe.

All our lives were on the line, after all.

“And what about the other thing?” Char asked.

I love them. Those words echoed in my head again, precious and frustrating and proof of all the reasons we needed to be careful.

“What about it?” Vance asked. “She’s young. It isn’t shocking that she’d confuse reliance with love. Lock up men and women together and eventually they’ll think they’re in love. Just basic human instinct.”

I hated Vance’s words, but he wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t like we could indulge in anything. Our time was limited.

We knew it, had made our choice five years ago, knew that our lives were over one way or another when we finished this.

If we gave in to Kenz, if we let her think for even a moment that a future was possible, she’d be the one to ultimately pay the price. At the end of it all, she’d be the one to remain, to live on with that pain, and that wasn’t fair.

“So we all agree, right? No one touches her.” I checked, my gaze hard.

These men were almost brothers to me—with just as many complicated feelings between us—but I had no problem putting a bullet in any of them who dared to make a move on Kenz.

They each nodded in agreement, though the same shadow rested in each of their eyes. It was a desire for what she offered, for the fantasy that we could have some happily ever after with a girl like her.

But that wasn’t possible.

We were broken, just moving along a path to finish this, and at the end?

No matter what happened, we couldn’t hurt Kenz by leaving her to pick up the bloody pieces. It meant no matter how hard it was, how much I wanted to taste what she offered, I couldn’t.

I had to focus on the task and nothing more, and that might just be the hardest thing I’d ever do in my life.

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