Page 89 of Redeemed

“Or what?” I snap, only to regret it immediately. I know what the alternative is, and somehow, it’s worse than this asshole. “Never mind.”

I hate this goddamn cage, anyway. Staying inside just to spite Colton is a lose-lose situation.

“You have fresh clothes in the bathroom,” Colton says. “Come downstairs once you’ve brushed your teeth and all that.”

“Fine.”

I take my time in the bathroom, hoping to piss him off. My head throbs, and my feet are sore from running in boots that arenotmeant for that purpose. But… my fear of Isaiah finding me is almost completely gone. Whoever is giving him information about me would never think to suggest looking for me here.

I don’t think Isaiah got a good look at Colton’s face last night, so between that and the fake license plate, he doesn’t have a way to know that Colton is the one who helped me.

And even if Isaiah does find me, Colton won’t let him hurt me.

That thought comes out of nowhere, and I stare at my reflection in shock. Colton may have agreed to let me stay here, but hewon’tkeep me safe if I don’t do exactly what he wants. His protection is conditional. And Colton—allthreeboys, actually—are still just as dangerous as they always have been.

Dread sits heavy in my stomach as I finally make my way downstairs. I’m dressed in a clean pair of panties, shorts that barely cover my ass, and a simple black tank top. I would’ve put the T-shirt I slept in back on, but when I got out of the shower, it was gone.

Still, it feels like I’m walking through a refrigerator. There’s no way it’s above fifty degrees in here. With a place like this, the cars Colton drives, and how powerful his father is, Iknowhe has the money to heat this place properly.

In the kitchen, Lucas is lounging at the table, Xander is cooking eggs and bacon on the stove, and Colton is dumping spinach and fruit into a blender. They stop talking the moment they see me, and I freeze with all their eyes on me.

“What?” I ask.

Xander narrows his eyes. “Why are you so tense?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because I just walked into a room with all three of my bullies inside? And also, it’s freezing in here. Is the heat even on?”

“Oh, get over it,” Lucas says. “You’re fine.”

“I’msosorry I don’t like living in fucking Antarctica,” I grit out.

Rolling his eyes, Colton disappears into the living room. When he returns, he’s carrying a throw blanket. He drapes it around my shoulders. “There. Now will you stop complaining?”

“Fine.” I pull my hair out from underneath the blanket so it sits on top. “Thank you.”

Colton is still standing close to me. He leans in, a frown etched into his face, and sniffs my hair. “Did you use my soap in the shower?”

“What else was I supposed to use? It’s not like I wanted to.”

“We can get you whatever you use later today,” Xander says. “Just write it down, and—”

“No.” Colton’s eyes are locked onto mine, glinting with a dark possessiveness that he hasn’t pointed toward me in years.

Lucas gives him a confused look. “No?”

“From now on, she uses mine.”

My head rears back. “What? Why?”

His expression hardens. “Because I said so.”

He doesn’t explain further than that.

He doesn’t have to.

I want to fight back, to scream and yell, because I know what he’s doing. This is another one of his mind games. He’ll strip me of everything that makes meme,simply because he’ll enjoy it.

But… if I’m going to be living here indefinitely, I need to learn to pick my battles. However much I hate it, they have all the power, not me.

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