Page 282 of Redeemed

“Please do.”

I turn to go.

“Oh, and Colton? When you kill your father, make him suffer.”

I smirk. “Don’t worry. We will.”

Haven

Ongraduationday,theGlass Rooks host a small party for their seniors before the ceremony. I wear a pretty black dress that Colton bought for me the moment I indicated I liked it. The boys are dressed in suits, and it makes me smile. We look amazing together.

“Take my arm,” Colton says as we enter the party. “I want you to stay close to me, all right?”

Nodding, I loop my arm through his. By his side is the only place Iwantto be today. His, or Xander’s, or Lucas’s. There are too many people here.

Too many potential enemies, according to Colton.

Soft music is playing as we walk into the room, and I realize there’s a live band on a small stage off to one side. The lighting is warm, mostly from the sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.

It’s obvious that every detail of this party was thought through, from the crisp white tablecloths to the blooming centerpieces. The colors are tasteful—a soft, dusty rose with golden accents.

People are chatting and laughing, dressed to perfection. Colton scans the crowd, probably looking for the people he needs to warm up to. This is the last chance he’ll get before the boys enact their plan.

“There’s my family,” Lucas says. “Give me a second, I want to check on Rora. Xan, come with me.”

They make their way through the crowd. A large, older man steps in front of us with a huge grin on his face. “Colton! Congratulations.” He pulls Colton into a hug, and I step back so I don’t get bumped into.

“Thank you, Arthur. This is my wife, Haven. Haven, Arthur.”

“Nice to meet you, young lady.” He shakes my hand with a bright smile. “And congratulations to both of you again. I didn’t know you got married, Colton.”

“A recent thing,” Colt replies. “Now tell me, how is Nancy doing? She retired a few months ago, right?”

The two of them fall into conversation, so I assume this is one of the people Colton wants to have on his side. When Arthur asks about Mark, Colton explains what happened in hushed tones. He leaves a lot of details out, but the story is still horrifying enough that Arthur looks shocked and angry on our behalf.

Just as Colton switches the subject again, I feel a hand wrap around my arm. When I turn, I’m shocked to see Aaron towering over me. His expression is grim, and his jaw is clenched as his eyes flick between me and Colton.

“Come with me,” Aaron says quietly, and the iron grip he has on my wrist tells me I don’t have much of a choice.

Almost automatically, I turn my head toward Colton. He’s a few feet away, still engaged in conversation with Arthur. Problem is, he’s facing away from me.

“Don’t cause a scene,” Aaron says lowly in my ear. “I just need to talk to you for a minute. It’s important.”

Alarms are going off in the back of my head, but I’m frozen as I stare up at Aaron. He won’t cause me any harm, but I don’t want to leave the safety of being close to Colton. There are too many other people here I don’t think I can trust.

Before I can make up my mind, Aaron is already dragging me back through the entrance we just came through. He pulls me away from the entrance, and panic spikes in my chest. I don’t want to be this far from Colton.

“What are you doing?” I try to pull him to a stop, but he yanks me forward so hard, it feels like he almost dislocated my shoulder. “Ow! Aaron, let go of me.”

Whipping around to face me, he grits out, “Are you going to run back to him the second I do?”

“I—”

Of course I would, but my voice falters. Aaron hasn’t seen the way Colton and the boys have changed. He won’t understand.

“What are they doing to you?” he demands harshly. His eyes are wild and dark in a way that has my hair standing on end.

With all my strength, I try to yank myself free from Aaron’s hold. He grabs my other wrist, keeping me still with both hands.

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