Page 97 of Redeemed

But Colton has already managed to yank her phone away, and he hits the end button a split second later.

“What the hell?” Haven snaps.

“I told you to make it quick,” Colton says smoothly. “She knows you’re okay now. That’s all the call was for.”

“You couldn’t let me talk to her for an extra minute or two? She sounded off.”

Colton shakes his head. “Who knows where she’s at or who she’s with? Do you want her involved in all this?”

Haven’s shoulders slump. “No.”

“We agreed to keep you safe, so that means you need to listen to us, you understand?” Colton slides her phone into his pocket.

“You don’t think this is a little too far?” she grumbles, crossing her arms. “You’re acting paranoid.”

In a flash, Colton is gripping her chin and forcing her to look up at him. “That’s not for you to decide, is it?”

Jaw clenched, she glares up at him.

“Is it?” he repeats more forcefully.

“No,” she mumbles.

Releasing her, he steps back. “Since you won’t tell us anything about who was chasing you—”

“I don’t know him!”

“—then we need to proceed with as much caution as possible. Who knows what advantages he has. Resources, connections, spies—we’ve got no clue. Which means you stay put, and you don’t talk to anyone but the three of us.”

He’s right, and she knows it, butgoddoes she look pissed.

“I just wish you’d gotten a good look at his face,” I say, annoyed. “It’s gonna be hard to figure out if he’s still looking for you if we don’t know who to watch out for.”

“Could’ve been one of the guards you suck off,” Xander says.

“What?” Haven sputters. “You know about that, too?”

Xander laughs. “You thought Colton wouldn’t tell us?”

“Well, I—I—”

“Oh, we tell each other everything, doll,” Xander says with a smirk.“Everything.”

Haven glowers at Colton, but he ignores her and glances at his watch. “You two should probably get out of here soon if you’re planning on finishing up shopping before three.”

“And can you swing by my dorm and grab my laptop?” Haven asks. “I need it for school.”

“We’re not touching your dorm,” I say. “Not worth the risk of getting spotted.”

“But—”

“We’ll deal with it,” Colton cuts in, “and I’ll get you enrolled in online classes tomorrow.”

“But I thought you couldn’t switch mid-semester,” she says.

Xander smirks. “The rules don’t apply to him. They never have.”

“Right,” she mumbles.

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