Page 326 of Redeemed

“Sit down, Lucas,” I say on a sigh. “Give yourself a break for a minute.”

He sits stiffly on the edge of the bed, and I lower myself next to him and rub his back. That’s how we sit until the bathroom door opens.

When Haven steps out, she’s wearing one of the many old T-shirts I’ve stolen from Lucas over the years, and her hair is wrapped up in a towel. She’s already re-bandaged her feet, but my focus snags on the bruises on her thighs and shins.

Lucas is frozen as she walks toward us, but all it takes is her wincing and putting her hand on the dresser to steady herself. He immediately jumps into action and sweeps her into his arms. And when he looks down at her, the only thing in his eyes is concern.

“Careful.” His voice wobbles, like he’s afraid, but I know he doesn’t have any reason to be. When it comes to Lucas, his love overpowers his anger every single time.

I stand. “Come on, doll. Let’s get you to bed.”

Colton

BythetimeI’vedropped off the Rooks’ armored van, I’m exhausted. My bike is in the large garage where we keep a lot of our equipment, and as I head for it, I realize there’s a black Bugatti parked next to it.

Once I’m close, Charlotte gets out, and I drop a kiss to her cheek.

“You smell like gasoline.” She sniffs. “And smoke.”

“Burned down a church.”

That pulls a smile from her. “I take it you got Haven back?”

I nod. “She’s with Xander and Lucas.”

“Everything go okay?”

The panic of turning and seeing a man pointing a gun at Haven returns. She was going to shoot—shedidshoot—but she was a half-second too late. I didn’t want to abandon Jeremiah when Haven had begged me to help him, but I shouldn’t have left her alone. If it hadn’t been for Wes…

“For the most part,” I say. “The important thing is that we all made it out alive, and Isaiah is dead. And… you were right. About us needing Wes.”

“I know.” Her expression softens. “Your mother would be proud.”

I swallow down the lump in my throat. “You think so?”

“Iknowso. I wish she could be here to see how far you’ve come.”

“Yeah, I… I wish that, too.”

I wish a lot of things—that she could’ve watched me grow up, that she could’ve been there for all the lonely nights when I was younger, and that she could’ve met Haven.

Looking away, I ask, “How are things here?”

Charlotte waves a dismissive hand. “Oh, just fine. I have a report I’ll send to you in the morning, along with a suggested agenda. You don’t need to take any immediate action, but it’d be good for you to read them so you can think on what you’d like to do.”

“If you send it to me now, I can look everything over before bed.”

“In the morning, Colton.” Charlotte places a hand on my shoulder. “Go home to your wife.”

My wife.Every second I’ve spent without Haven has caused physical pain in my chest. It only intensifies now that I realize how close I am to seeing her again. I won’t be able to hold her—she’s probably already sandwiched between Luc and Xan—but I can peek into their room and get a look at her at least.

“Yeah,” I say hoarsely. “That sounds nice. I just…”

Silently, she tips her head to one side, waiting for me to go on. Char has always been a good listener, and she’s one of the only people who can get me to open up. It used to be just her until Luc and Xan, and now Haven.

“I’m worried. When we pulled her out of there, it was like she’d reverted to the girl she was four years ago. The real Haven is still in there, I know, but she’s hidden. What if… what if she never recovers from this?”

With a knowing smile, Charlotte shakes her head. “She did what she had to do to survive, Colton. Give her some time, and don’t underestimate her. She’s recovered once before, and this time, you won’t abandon her partway through the process.”

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