Page 304 of Redeemed

“May God’s grace follow you both, and may his will be done,” Beckham says, and then everyone in the congregation repeats it.

Isaiah tips my chin up, and when I meet his gaze, I’m startled by the tenderness in his eyes. An act, put on for the hundreds of people watching us, but it’s terrifyingly convincing.

“I forgive you,” he murmurs before pressing his lips to mine in a chaste kiss.

It feels like he’s twisting the key to the cage he’s shoved me in, and he has no intention of ever letting me out.

“This is just the beginning of Isaiah and Heaven’s reunion,” Beckham says as we make our way back to our pew. “I would like to invite everyone back here at seven tomorrow night to witness the renewal of their marriage vows.”

What? Oh god.

I glance at Isaiah to see if he’s as shocked as I am, but he’s staring forward, stone-faced.

“To the young women in this room, take this as an important lesson. God has placed men over you to guide you and protect you. These men—our elders, your fathers, your husbands—have accepted God’s wisdom into their hearts.”

Bullshit. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

“Trust them,” Beckham says. “Serve them. Obey them. They’ll lead you closer to God, but you have to let them.”

I close my eyes. As he goes on, I drown him out with thoughts of the boys.

They’ll come for me. I know they’ll come for me.

I just hope they aren’t too late.

Colton

Icallacommunity-wideemergency meeting on Sunday afternoon. We expect a low turnout, but over fifty people flood the largest conference room at the Grand Hotel. That’s nearly seventy-five percent of our numbers.

Maybe they’ve all been expecting something like this,I realize as I shut the door to the conference room.

“I appreciate you all coming out on such late notice,” I say. All eyes are on me—even my father’s.

Mark is officially back in power after spending almost an entire week cooped up in his house. He did exactly what I predicted: put out hits on Gerard and Brandon and ordered everyone to listen to him instead of me. The man looked like a fool, especially when no one listened to him.

There were only a few people who surprised me when they stood down. It wasn’t until Xander pointed out they’re probably scared that it clicked for me. If one person goes against the Rooks, it’s a show of disloyalty, regardless of what Mark says.

That’s good news for us. It means forcing him out of his position might be easier than we expected. Andthatmeans we can have the strength of the entirety of the Glass Rooks behind us when we get Haven out of Cornerstone.

That’s the thing about the Rooks. We take care of our own, and that includes my wife.

“Some things have come to light recently,” I continue as I start passing out folders to everyone at the table. “Things I think you should all be aware of.”

Mark grabs my elbow as I pass him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Prioritizing the values you’ve spent the last decade shitting on.” Yanking my arm free, I continue around the table, tossing a folder in front of each person at the table. When I’m done, I hand the rest to Charlotte. “Pass these around for me?”

Her smile is proud. Strong. “Of course.”

I come to stand behind my father, and Xander and Lucas flank me. I make eye contact with Cal from across the room, and he nods. Even though Wes and Kellan are still at Cornerstone, we have his support.

“As you know,” I start out, “the Glass Rooks was founded on some very strong principles. When each of us joined, we pledged our loyalty to the organization, but more importantly, to each other. We help each other. We protect each other. We grow together, both personally and financially.”

There are some murmured agreements throughout the room, and I catch Theo and Greg exchanging a careful glance. They know exactly where this meeting is going, and I trust them to have my back if things go awry.

I clear my throat. “It’s recently been brought to my attention that my father hasn’t been adhering to those guidelines.”

That causes a commotion, so I have to pause again. Stephen Lane shifts uncomfortably, as do a few other men, and Mark shoots out of his seat.

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