Page 85 of Selling Innocence

Still, Bradley didn’t react to the jab. “I trust you are ready for the conversation?”

Vance nodded, leaving Bradley to remove his phone from his pocket. A ringing came through the line, then he put it on speaker and placed the phone at the center of the table.

The ringing stopped before someone answered. “It’s nice to speak to you, Mr. Moore.” The voice was deep, and while something in it felt familiar, I couldn’t place it. It took a moment to realize it sounded slightly off, just wrong enough to raise alarm bells.

“So you’re using a voice changer?” Vance said with a laugh. “You are paranoid, aren’t you?”

“Not all of us enjoy life in the spotlight as much as you do. I prefer my anonymity. You are one of the few who has even gotten to speak to me like this. You should be grateful.”

“Should I? Last I checked, you have been seeking me out. I made a purchase and you are a sore loser.”

The way the men spoke reminded me of dogs circling each other, trying to work out who was in charge, who was stronger.

A broken chuckle came from the other side of the line, distorted from the voice changer. “You are just as amusing in real life as you are in interviews. I dislike wasted time, though, so let’s get to the point. Mackenzie Fox, are you there?”

I glanced at Hayden, who nodded. “Yes, I’m here.”

“And you are unharmed?”

The question took me by surprise. We were talking about a man who had attempted to buy me. He was at fault for tearing my life apart. I didn’t expect him to worry about my wellbeing. “I’m fine,” I answered, my words clipped and suspicious.

“Good. Leaving you in their care was far from my first choice. I would have preferred to deal with this quicker, but your current companions have proven more elusive than I would have expected. Let me first say, to Vance, that should any harm come to her, you will pay the price.”

“I’m not into hurting women, so you have nothing to worry about. Besides, since her picture is all over the news, if anything happened to her, it’d fall right on my shoulders.”

“Yes, that was a rather clever little trick of yours, wasn’t it? You ensured I couldn’t make a move, because too many eyes were on Kenz. I have to admit, I never expected some crippled artist could make my life quite this difficult.”

I sat up straight, ready to tell Lorien the hell off for daring to bring up Vance’s hand.

A warmth on my own hand made me pause, and I looked down to find Hayden had taken mine in his beneath the table. He didn’t look at me, didn’t let on to what he’d done, but the meaning was clear.

He was telling me to stay quiet.

Which was the smart thing to do. Lorien was poking, trying to find wounds to exploit. If I said a word, I’d only give him ammunition.

I took a deep breath, then released it slowly to calm myself.

The fact that Lorien even knew about Vance’s hand went to show just how well connected he was. It wasn’t like Vance let that information wide.

“Most people are surprised by what a nuisance I can be,” Vance acknowledged, showing none of the upset he had during the previous interview, when his work had gotten questioned.

“Let’s not play games. I will pay you double what you paid for the girl.”

“You’re telling me you think she’s worth twenty million to you? That’s impressive, really.”

“She’s priceless to me. What are a few million dollars to someone like me? I would like to wrap this up as quickly as possible, so I have no problem handing over whatever makes this a quick and easy exchange.”

“The thing is, I’ve grown rather fond of her. How do I know I’m handing her over somewhere she’ll be safe?”

“For the price I’m paying, I don’t believe that is your problem anymore.”

I shifted in my seat. I didn’t think they’d sell me off like that, but who knew for sure? Being talked about like property felt far too familiar.

For a moment, I was back at the table with my father and the man he’d tried to marry me off to. I recalled the way they’d planned out my future and the cost of the marriage like I was just a trophy to hand out.

Here I was, in the same position.

Things don’t change that much, do they?

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