Page 1 of Selling Innocence

Chapter One

Kenz

Someone once told me the only cages that hold us are the ones we make ourselves. The idiot who said that clearly hadn’t ever found himself locked up in an actual cage like this.

People walked past, glancing in as if I were some exhibit in a zoo instead of a flesh-and-blood woman. Some paused, leering or looking on with pity, but none stopped long enough to make me think they’d help.

A gag in my mouth kept me silent, and the cuffs on my wrists hooked together behind me, which meant escape on my own didn’t seem all that probable.

Nem would have found a way…

I cursed myself yet again for not being my older sister, for not being as tough or as smart as the others in my life. They would have never let themselves get abducted, but I wasn’t them.

I never lived up to the people around me, did I?

Whispers drifted to me, from the faceless people who walked by. Due to the light at the far wall, shadow bathed their faces and kept me from recognizing anyone.

She’s so pretty.

A little old for my taste.

Might be worth some fun if she doesn’t go for too much.

I wanted to shake my head, to tell them to screw off, but instead, I only trembled. Their words hit home, reminding me of exactly where I was, of how I’d gotten here.

I was at some sort of auction, and I was nothing more than merchandise here. The people who walked by were customers, people who had come to buy whatever illegal goods were put up for sale.

In addition to myself, I’d spotted paintings, jewelry, even a white tiger with the prettiest black stripes I’d ever seen. This was a place where people could buy anything—including me.

I sighed and rested against the bars at the back of the cage, trying to drown out the noise that surrounded me. How had everything changed so fast? How had I ended up here when my life had been so predictable just yesterday?

I just want to go back to yesterday…

* * * *

Yesterday

“Yes, Colton, I know!” The phone rested between my ear and my shoulder as I rushed through my room.

“You say you know, but the last time I visited, you weren’t using your window locks.” Colton’s voice held the same annoyance it usually did. It was the sound that would send most smart people running, but I’d grown up with that voice.

“You don’t understand. This is Florida, and it gets hot and muggy! I have to crack the windows.”

“We’ll have a better air conditioner set up, then.”

“I don’t need that. I just need to open the windows at night to let the cool air in.”

“And when you let in perverts along with the cool air?”

“Well, at least I’ll have a man over then.” I let out a little squeak of happiness when I spotted my sketchbook, tucked under a sweater. I really needed to learn to organize better, but I’d never been good at it. Now that I didn’t have people hired to do the job, I’d had to recognize how bad I was at it.

“You are more than welcome to have men over,” Colton said. “Of course, I hope they aren’t men you care about, since dead men don’t make it to second dates.”

I rolled my eyes, glad he remained safely on the other side of the country so he couldn’t see it.

“Don’t roll your eyes.”

This time I stuck my tongue out, wondering just how I had lived so long with such overprotective worriers in my life.

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