Page 39

Haven

Catching up with Athelia is nice. We brainstorm a couple ways to get the guys even more hooked on her, and I’m relieved when the eagerness to hurt them returns to Athelia’s eyes. There’s no way she can end up with them. It’ll only cause her more hurt.

Every time Athelia asks about me, I give a vague answer to what I’ve been up to and redirect the conversation back to her. I can’t tell her the truth, and I’m not good enough to construct a believable, elaborate lie. Just little ones.

When she says she has to get going, I want to beg her to stay for another hour, but we’re both freezing, and I have classes to watch. So I give Athelia a long, hard hug. I have no idea when I’ll see her again, especially if she’s going to be moving in with her parents at Christmas.

“You said you’re walking back to our dorm?” Athelia asks. “You sure you don’t want me to take you?”

“No, I’ve got it. I didn’t get outside much last week, so I don’t mind the fresh air. I’ll probably head into town first and get a hot chocolate or something.”

I feel guilty lying to her again, but she can’t see who picks me up. Wes already did, although Lucas seemed unbothered, so I doubt Wes will say anything to Athelia. It’ll bring up dozens of questions, and I can’t answer any of them yet.

“All right. Well, text me when you get back so I know you got there okay.”

“Will do.”

Only once Athelia is across the street do I text the group chat so one of the guys can pick me up at the park. The back of my neck tingles, like I’m being watched, but when I turn, I find nothing but the treeline.

My phone vibrates in my hand, and I jump. Cursing myself for being so paranoid, I tap on the notification that pops up on my screen.

Colton: On my way.

Taking a deep breath, I lower myself onto the bench. Colton’s house isn’t even ten minutes away, and with how fast he drives, he’ll probably be here in under five.

“It’s just a few minutes alone,” I tell myself.

It does little to assuage my anxiety. I wish I could’ve told Athelia everything so she could’ve stayed with me until Colton got here. The guys’ logic is solid enough, but I think she’d understand. She already knows who Isaiah is, anyway.

No. No, this is for the best. I don’t want Athelia caught up in this. As long as I don’t lead Isaiah to her, she’ll be safe, especially because it looks like she’s around Wesley, Cal, and Kellan twenty-four-seven. Since she’s not at the dorm anymore, Isaiah probably doesn’t know where she’s staying, same as me.

I’ll tell her as soon as it’s safe to, but until then, she has to stay in the dark. Today was enough of a risk. I can’t let Isaiah hurt her. If he does, I’ll never forgive—

“Heaven?”

My blood runs cold.

Oh no.

Slowly, I turn, and there he is, not even three yards away. He’s dressed in regular clothes instead of what Cornerstone requires, probably to blend in. Was he dressed like this on Halloween night? I was too scared to pay attention.

“What are you doing here?” I demand. “How did you know where to find me?”

“I have my ways.”

The guy who took the picture.

Oh my god.

That wasn’t Colton’s doing.

“You have people out looking for me?” I ask incredulously. “Why the fuck would you—”

“Heaven,” he snaps. “Don’t speak like that.”

When he steps toward me, my body jumps into action. I’m free now. I don’t have to take his abuse. I can run or fight back without having to face the consequences.

As long as I can hold him off until Colton gets here.

I bolt toward the trees. If I can outrun him, maybe I can hide until I don’t have to fight him by myself. I know I can try, but there’s no way I can win against him.

“Stop,” Isaiah yells.

I force my legs to move faster. There’s an opening in the trees to a hiking path I’ve taken a few times with Athelia. Not daring to look back, I dart up the trail. Isaiah’s footsteps pound on the packed dirt behind me, and it sounds like he’s getting closer.

The idea of finding a hiding place sounds so stupid now. Why did I ever think I’d be able to get ahead of him enough? He’ll see whatever tree or rock I dodge behind.

A weapon. I need a weapon.

Almost immediately, I fixate on a fallen branch in the middle of the path. It looks a little heavy, but if I’m going to defend myself against Isaiah, that’s what I need.

I’m so focused on the branch that I don’t notice the broad, tall man running toward me until it’s to late. I fly straight into him. Large hands grip my arms and yank me off the path. All I see is a flash of light brown hair and honey-colored eyes.

My panic dissolves.

“Lucas,” I gasp. “How did you get here so fast?!”

His thumb runs across my cheek, the motion so gentle compared to the way he just grabbed me. “Did you really think I’d let you out of my sight for a single second?”

Oh.

“Luc—”

But he’s already shoving me behind him, the tender moment gone in a flash. I peer around him to see Isaiah is right there, barely a yard away from us.

“Who the hell are you?” Isaiah spits out.

“The one who’ll snap your neck before I ever let you lay a hand on Haven again.”

“Her name is Heaven,” Isaiah snaps.

“Not according to her.”

My heart squeezes at how smoothly Lucas brushes that off. I never told him my real name—never told any of them.

“That’s because she’s nothing more than a worthless, rebellious liar. Give her to me.”

Lucas laughs. “Why the hell do you think I’d do that?”

“Because she’s my wife, and she needs to come back home.”

That catches Lucas off guard. He turns to look at me, confusion warring with hurt on his face. “What?”

“Lucas, no—”

Isaiah uses Lucas’s moment of distraction to lunge for him. Lucas whips back around just in time to jump back, but the knife in Isaiah’s hand still cuts through the sleeve of Lucas’s sweatshirt.

“Isaiah, stop,” I shout, but he doesn’t listen.

Adrenaline courses through my veins as I watch Lucas dodge another stab from Isaiah. I’ve seen him fight before. He normally goes harder than this, jumps onto the offensive instead of the defensive. He’s holding himself back.

It takes a moment for me to realize it’s because he can’t get hurt. Not when he doesn’t have backup. Because then I’ll get hurt.

Darting onto the path, I grab the fallen branch and grip it hard. It’s not as heavy as I thought, but it feels sturdy enough. I creep toward the fight. If I’m going to do this, then I need to stay out of Lucas’s way—and out of the path of Isaiah’s knife.

“Haven, stay back,” Lucas shouts.

“I don’t want him to hurt you!”

Footsteps sound the way we came. Colton and Xander have just entered the woods and are sprinting up the path toward us. I see the same relief I’m feeling in Lucas’s eyes, and then he lunges for Isaiah, tackling him to the ground.

The fall stuns Isaiah, which I think was Lucas’s goal, but Isaiah is still gripping the knife. He has his free arm wrapped around Lucas’s neck in a hold that I’m assuming is to keep him in place. And, I realize frantically, to make it harder for Lucas to disarm him.

My next move is driven by pure panic. I don’t have time to think. Lucas agreed to protect me, but I don’t want him to get hurt doing it. That was never my intention.

As Isaiah raises his knife, I close the space between us and swing at his hand with all my might. The branch knocks the knife free, and Isaiah cries out in pain.

Just then, Colton and Xander skid to a stop in front of us, but before they can move in to help, Lucas manages to overpower Isaiah. All I see is a blur of movement, and in a split second, Lucas has gotten his own knife from his pocket.

And he’s holding it against my husband’s throat.

“Don’t kill him,” I plead. “Lucas, you can’t kill him.”

Isaiah is struggling beneath Lucas, but by now, Colton and Xander are holding him down. I drop the stick as reality sets in.

Isaiah doesn’t just want me home. He’s so fixated on dragging me back that he’s willing to go to obsessive levels to make it happen. It won’t, though. Not when I’m under Colton, Lucas, and Xander’s protection.

With all three of them holding Isaiah down, I feel safe enough to step closer. When I see blood staining Lucas’s sleeve, I gasp. “Luc, you’re bleeding.”

“I’m fine.” His eyes don’t leave Isaiah’s, and he presses the knife down just enough that blood wells under the blade. “You’re never getting anywhere near her, and if you don’t leave town today, you’re a dead man.”

My heart squeezes. I hope he doesn’t mean that last part, but I find it sweet that, despite my betrayal, he’s still more than willing to kill for me. Sweet, and…

No. No, don’t you dare go there, Haven. He’s a monster.

Isaiah laughs. “You’re never getting rid of me. I vowed to protect her, and I will, even if I have to protect her from herself. And she vowed to serve me. That’s not something I plan on letting her run away from.”

“What the hell is he talking about?” Xander asks me.

I can’t bring myself to answer. My plan was for them to never find out about Isaiah’s true identity—or the parts of my past that I want to keep buried deep.

“Focus,” Colton says. “Luc, get him on his feet.”

With the boys distracted, I feel like I can breathe again. I know they’ll be pissed I kept this much information from them, but they won’t care that I’m married, right? Surely they can put the pieces together on their own. I ran away. I left. It’s as close to not being married as I can get.

But as Lucas drags Isaiah to his feet, his expression from earlier flashes across my consciousness. The confusion is warranted. The hurt, though? It was like he viewed this as another betrayal.

“Hold him,” Colton says darkly.

Lucas grabs on to Isaiah and traps his arms behind his back. Isaiah struggles in vain. He’s filled out since I ran away, but he’s still no match for Lucas.

“You want to go first?” Colton asks Xander.

“He’s all yours.” Xander steps back. “Do your worst.”

I jump when Colton’s fist collides with my husband’s face. Isaiah’s head snaps to one side, and he looks directly at me as he spits blood on the ground.

“Did you really think you could get away?” he asks me, which earns him another punch to the jaw. It doesn’t stop him, though. “God always looks out for his children. You know your time here is only temporary. You need to—”

Colton knees Isaiah between the legs. For a moment, the only sound in the forest is his pained groan, but then he’s at it again.

“You need to come back home,” Isaiah wheezes. “Your family needs you. Thomas learned to walk, and Hannah can read now. Esther finally perfected her sewing skills, and Jeremiah got married. And you’re missing all of it, Heaven. Ruth still tears up every time you’re brought up. You abandoned her. You abandoned all of us.”

“Isaiah—”

Colton drives his fist into my husband’s stomach, but still, Isaiah doesn’t stop.

“You have a purpose, Heaven,” he says through gritted teeth.

“Heaven?” Xander asks, and the surprise on his face quickly morphs into pity. Of course he’d get it. He didn’t grow up at Cornerstone, but he still grew up in church.

“You need to stop ignoring it,” Isaiah continues. “You’ve caused your family so much shame. You’ve caused me so much shame. My own wife ran away from me. Do you know what people say about us? About you?”

Colton drops his fists, and his eyes lock on mine. His expression is blank. I can’t read him, and not knowing what he’s thinking terrifies me. What if this pisses him off enough that he pulls out of the deal? Xander and Lucas would follow him in a heartbeat. I know they would.

“We should have at least three children by now,” Isaiah says, and a muscle in Colton’s jaw ticks. “Honestly, we should have a third on the way. You’ve immersed yourself in a life of sin, and in doing so, you’re stopping me from fulfilling one of the most holy of callings. Procreation is our—”

“Please stop,” I say, but my voice is too quiet, and he keeps talking over me. Tears well in my eyes. Even protected, I’m reverting back to the timid, terrified wife who scrambled to obey her husband’s every command.

Anger sparks in Xander’s eyes when he sees my expression. “That’s it.” He pushes up his sleeves. “Let me at him.”

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’t want to 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, really don’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.

“Don’t look at him,” he says against my lips. “Don’t give him the satisfaction.”

He has a point, so I kiss him harder. Isaiah’s muted yelling fades as the two men drag him away. Colton crushes me against his body. When I feel his erection, a moan slips free. For some deranged reason, I like that he’s turned on from beating my husband and then kissing me in front of him.

Colton doesn’t pull away until the sounds of Isaiah’s protests have faded. I’m breathless and almost dizzy as I take in his expression—pure, dark possessiveness.

Oh.

It’s not what I expected, but maybe I should’ve.

“Haven,” Xander says softly.

He’s standing close by, as is Lucas. I jump into Xander’s open arms and bury my face in his neck. He holds on to me just as tightly as Colton did and releases a long, relieved breath.

“I’m glad you’re safe, doll.”

“Thank you,” I mumble. “I know this is what you agreed to do, but—”

“Shh, shh, it’s okay.” He rocks me gently. “No need to thank us.”

I step back, and I want to hug Lucas, but his jaw is clenched. He looks downright pissed. I know he’s had a hard time adjusting to me living with them, and I’m sure this is bringing up a lot of memories for him.

Or… is it because of who Isaiah really is to me?

“You never left, did you?” I ask. My heart is aching at the idea that I might be the one who has him this angry. It shouldn’t matter to me, and I hate that it does, but I can’t help how I feel.

Lucas doesn’t look at me. “Parked down the street so I could watch the house. Honestly don’t know how you missed me when you and Athelia headed to the park.”

I glance between the three of them. “You knew he’d show up here, didn’t you?”

Colton shakes his head. “No, but we knew there was at least a possibility he’d track you down.”

“Yeah,” Xander says. “We wanted to see how far he’s willing to go to find you. The more we know about him, the easier it’ll be to deal with him.”

“Which is why you need to start talking,” Lucas adds, voice low and tight. “Because you told us you don’t know him, but that was obviously a lie.”

I gulp. I wasn’t ready for them to know Isaiah’s real identity, but now I don’t have a choice. These three just saved my life. I should be able to trust them. But… I don’t know if I do. Lucas is so angry, and they’ve used my secrets to taunt me before.

I’m already powerless enough.

Colton grabs my arm when I take a step back, keeping me in place. “Spill, Haven. Now.”