Page 88 of Redeemed

As silence fills the dorm, Colton’s words echo through my mind. Every insult he hurled at Haven killed a little piece of her. I could see it in her eyes, how much it destroyed her to have the boy she put on a pedestal rip her to shreds.

Maybe that was a touch too far.

Maybe we should take her upbringing into account—her naivety.

Maybe…

“She was scared,” I say quietly.

“She went back on her promise to me,” Colton snaps. “Tous.She knew not to listen to him, yet she did anyway. And if she betrayed us once, she’ll do it again.”

I hate it—fucking hate it—but he’s right. And if Lucas and I are going to join the Rooks, then we can’t have someone we don’t trust in our inner circle. From here on out, things are only going to get more dangerous. We can’t afford to keep someone like Haven close.

“So we just… let her go?” I ask. I’m pissed at her, sure, but there has to be some way she could make it up to us.

Right?

“We let her go,” Colton says, his hands curling into fists. “For good.”

Numbness spreads through my body so quickly, I almost don’t notice Colton’s phone going off. It’s not until he answers and puts it on speaker that I fully register it.

“Dad,” he says tightly.

“Just wanted to check in with you, see how things are going.”

“You knowexactlyhow they’re going,” Colton grits out.

Mark hums. “You were getting too close to her, anyway. You don’t want a distraction like her. Honestly, you should be thanking me.”

Colton scoffs.“Thankingyou? For playing a part in one of my friends fuckingbetrayingme?”

“I’m only trying to save you from getting your heart broken. You know where your duties lie.”

“What happens to my heart ismydecision,” Colton seethes.

“No,” Mark says flatly, “it’s not.”

Inhaling deeply, Colton rolls his neck. I’m still not familiar with all the ins and outs of his relationship with Mark, but I recognize what he’s doing right now. Mark has had almost two decades to hone the skill of getting his son riled up. If Colton lets his anger get the best of him, his father wins.

So Colton blows out a breath and smiles. “We’ll see about that.”

Haven

Coldwatersplashesovermy face and neck, and I wake with a yelp. I jolt into an upright position, dizziness immediately washing over me. God, I wish I hadn’t had so much to drink last night.

Colton is standing over my cage, an empty glass in his hand. He’s smiling down at me, his usual cruelty back in place. Whatever softness he treated me with last night is long gone.

Closing my eyes, I rub my face. I can’t take these mind games.

“Rise and shine, angel. We’ve got a lot to talk about this morning.”

Grabbing my blanket, I lie back down so I’m facing away from him. He can’t pull shit like this and just expect me to go along with it.

With a frustrated sigh, Colton opens the cage. A moment later, my blanket is yanked off me, and cold air rushes in.

“Hey!” I sit up, nearly hitting my head on the top of the cage, but I’m small enough that I can just barely manage to sit up all the way. “What the hell?”

“You’re in my house.” He tosses the blanket to the floor. “Under my protection. When I tell you to do something, you do it without question.”

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