Page 283 of Redeemed

“Stop,” he hisses. “I’m trying to help you.”

“It really doesn’t feel like it.”

“This time last year, you hated those three assholes. And now you’re—you’re what? Dating them?Fuckingthem?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

With a harsh, angry exhale, Aaron tips his chin up and stares at the ceiling. He takes a deep breath, like he’s trying to calm himself down, which only has those alarms in my head ringing louder. I have too many memories of men not being able to control their anger and taking it out on me.

This was a mistake. I should’ve called for Colton.

“Are they blackmailing you? Threatening you? Hurting you?”

“What? No, nothing like that.” Desperately, I try to twist out of his hold, but it’s useless. “They’re not forcing me to do anything. Now let go.”

He narrows his eyes. “No. There’s no way that’s true. Have they manipulated you so thoroughly that you’ve forgotten who they are? What they’ve done? God, Haven, they bullied youfor years!” His anger is getting the best of him, and his grip on my wrists tightens even more.

Panicking, I try to pull away from him again. “Aaron, you’re hurting me. Please—”

“Get your hands off my wife,” Colton growls from behind me.

Oh, thank god.My shoulders sag in relief, and when I turn my head toward the party, I see Colton stalking toward us. In this moment, with his shoulders tense and a deadly glare fixed on Aaron, he looks just as dangerous as I know he is underneath his suit and charming smiles.

“Yourwife?”Aaron’s gaze snaps to mine. His face is full of disbelief, but when I don’t refute Colton’s claim, his focus drops to the wedding ring on my finger. His expression goes from confused to irate to pitying all within a single second. “Haven, no. No, you don’t have to stay with—”

“Aaron,” Colton snaps, his glare turning lethal. “Remove your hands from my wifenow,or I’ll cut all your fingers off one by one and force you to choke on them.”

Aaron ignores him. “You can leave with m—”

Colton grabs him by the throat and slams him against the wall. Shocked, Aaron releases me, and I stumble out of his reach and rub at my wrists.

“Trust me.” Colton’s eyes ignite with a dark fury so strong I can feel the way the atmosphere shifts. “I’ll take great pleasure in it.”

Aaron’s gaze cuts to mine. “This is really who you want to spend the rest of your life with? Someone who turns violent the second he doesn’t get his way?”

“You mean someone who’ll stop at nothing to protect me?” I counter. “Yes.You’rethe one who turned violent the second you didn’t get your way.”

Aaron scoffs. “That’s not—”

“What did he do to you?” Colton asks without breaking the deadly glare he’s pointing at Aaron.

“He just yanked me around a bit and gripped my arm really hard.”

That causes Colton to look my way. His eyes flit down to where I’m still rubbing my wrists. “You’re okay?”

I nod.

Colton shoves Aaron toward the exit. “Get out, and don’t ever speak to Haven again, or you’re a dead man.”

Aaron steps back but hesitates, his gaze flitting past Colton to me. “Haven, if you ever need me to help you—”

“She won’t,” Colton cuts in. “Now fuck off.”

I can see how badly Aaron wants to fight, but he knows he can’t win. He gives me one more pleading look, and I immediately glance away. With a disbelieving huff, he turns on his heel and stalks off.

Colton is in front of me in a flash. “You’re sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah, just…” Grasping at his jacket, I shake my head to dislodge the terrified thoughts that were running through my head as Aaron dragged me away. “Just shaken up, I guess.”

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