Page 46 of Auctioned Innocence
Which means Sofia might disappear immediately after the auction, taken to a separate location while the other girls are distributed to their buyers.
I’m about to question Jonah further when screaming erupts from the ballroom.
The hair on the back of my neck rises.
“Stay here,” I order, already moving. “If I don’t come back in twenty minutes, find the night cook. Tell him ‘Matteo sends his regards.’ He’ll get you out.”
I make it back just in time to see Reed stumbling backward, blood streaming from his nose.
Sofia stands on the platform, eyes blazing and her stance pure fury.
One of her guards sports a fresh scratch down his face.
The room has frozen in shocked silence.
In the split second before anyone reacts, I take in the scene.
Sofia’s dress is torn at the shoulder.
Reed’s hand is still extended, a smear of red on his fingers that matches her lipstick.
He touched her.
He fuckingtouchedher.
“You dare—” Reed starts forward again, rage contorting his features.
I move without thinking, crossing the room in long strides.
Dmitri’s accent drops entirely as I grab Reed’s wrist, applying just enough pressure to the nerve cluster to make him gasp.
“Touch her again and I’ll break every bone in your hand.” My voice is pure Dante now, cold and lethal.
The voice of a man who makes good on his promises.
The room freezes.
Madame Rouge’s heels click rapidly across marble.
In the silence, I can hear Sofia’s rapid breathing, see the way she’s shaking with rage or fear or both.
Shit.
I’ve blown it.
Let emotion override training.
Compromised the mission with one impulsive move.
But before my cover can completely disintegrate, I force out a cold laugh.
Let Reed go with a slight push that sends him staggering back.
When I speak again, Dmitri’s voice is back, though rougher, edged with genuine menace that fits the character.
“Damaged merchandise worth less, yes? Bad investment to mark pretty face before auction.” I straighten my cuffs deliberately, gaze sweeping the room, reasserting control. “Besides, spirit adds value. If one knows how to…properly handle it.”
The tension holds for one heartbeat. Two. Then Reed laughs shakily, rubbing his wrist where I know bruises are already forming.
