Page 181 of Redeemed

Colton steps back, and Xander punches Isaiah in the face. The violence has me ready to hurl, so I turn away and bury my face in my hands. I can’t stop them. I probably shouldn’twantto stop them. But I can’t watch.

A hand slides down my back. I jump, unable to control the reaction even though I know Isaiah is still restrained.

“You’re okay,” Colton murmurs as he turns me toward him.

Stifling a sob, I burrow into his chest. He locks an arm around my waist while his other hand cups the back of my head. The light scent of cedar and lemon mixed with a hint of sweat wraps around me, and I breathe it in, grasping for anything to calm me down.

“You’re safe,” he says, and when he tightens his grip on me, I think I actually believe him.

The sickening sound of another punch filters through the forest, and Isaiah’s breathless grunt follows instantly. Xander says something, but I don’t realize he told Lucas to let go until I hear Isaiah’s body hit the ground.

One of the boys kicks Isaiah—at least, that’s what it sounds like—and he cries out. They do it again and again. It brings me back to being curled up against the kitchen wall, trying to protect myself while Isaiah towered over me.

Colton’s voice is low in my ear as he says, “We won’t let him touch you. There’s no way he’s getting up.”

I turn to look, but Colton blocks my line of sight with his body. When I try to peer around him, he spins me so I’m facing the other direction. I’m about to fight him when I notice two men in dark clothing who’re traipsing through the trees and headed straight for us.

“Colton, t-there’s—”

“I know. Luc texted and said you were in trouble, so I called them on my way here. They’re going to take care of Isaiah for us.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, panicked.

“We found his motel room and packed up all his stuff. They’ll drive him out of town and dump him somewhere.”

“But—”

The rest of the words die on my lips as I finally squirm past Colton to get a good look at Isaiah. He can’t stand anymore, and his face is bruised and already swelling. With all the blows he received to the rest of his body, I’m sure he’s severely injured. If they abandon him in the middle of nowhere, he won’t be able to get to a hospital. He’ll die.

“Colt, he can’t die. Please.”

“We’ll leave his phone on him so he can call for help,” Colton says, and I’m pretty sure he sounds disappointed. “And with a threat that if he ever makes a trip here again, he won’t survive it.”

The two men approach, and Colton has a quick conversation with them about Isaiah. None of what they’re saying registers in my mind. Isaiah is looking right at me. Even when Lucas kicks him square in the chest and he falls back, he still rolls over so he can continue staring at me.

Colton still has an arm wrapped around my waist protectively, and when he feels me tense, his eyes instantly snap to Isaiah. Without a word, he switches sides with me so his body shields me from Isaiah’s sight.

“You got it, boss,” one of the men says. “We’ll text you when we’re done.”

As the men move toward Isaiah, I look up at Colton. I wonder how he knows these men, and how he got them to get here so quickly, and why on earth they just called him boss. But then I realize I really,reallydon’t want to know.

“Angel.”

I know Colton just said something to me, but I didn’t catch a single word. My thoughts are fuzzy, probably because my mind is having trouble processing everything that just happened in the past ten minutes.

Colton cups my cheek, and I tip my face up for him automatically. His lips meet mine a moment later, and he kisses me more gently than he ever has.

“Get your hands off her,” Isaiah shouts as Colton’s arms encircle me. “Heaven, you stop right now, or I’ll—”

Based on the sound, someone just kicked him in the face. I grab onto Colton’s jacket and rise onto my tiptoes to deepen the kiss. He’s giving me an escape, and I’m taking it. The anger that always scared me into submission already haunts me enough. I don’t need to look into Isaiah’s eyes right now to see it again.

There are three men in between me and Isaiah who’ve promised to protect me, and two more who I’m pretty sure will obey Colton’s commands without question. I don’t have to cower in front of Isaiah anymore.

For once, I can fight back.

I can show Isaiah that I’m better off without him.

So when Colton tips me back, I slip my arms around his neck and let him slide his tongue into my mouth. Isaiah starts shouting again, his voice hoarse, but then his yelling turns muffled, like someone shoved a gag in his mouth. I start to turn my head to see, but Colton stops me with a hand in my hair.

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