Page 102 of Her Redeemed Protector

I shake my head at her callousness. “Juliet, she was being locked in a dark attic. She was scared, and she wanted light!”

“Jesus, Savannah. You just can’t help it, can you? So I’m a bad mother. Move on!” Her eyes narrow as if squeezing out her annoyance.

“And what about William Redford?” The Monterey man is still behind bars after all the evidence pointed toward his involvement in Kayla’s kidnapping. “How did you frame him?” I press, needing to understand the extent of her machinations.

“Fabian was a fool to think partnering with him was a good idea. That deal was doomed from the start. As for William, he was merely a convenient pawn. He’s as gullible as any man.”

She smirks, then drifts toward the door with an expectant pause, as if anticipating someone’s arrival.

“Who’s caught in your web now, Juliet?”

She turns to face me, and her amusement sparkles through a sly smile. “Ah, you’re finally catching on,” she murmurs. She steps closer, crouching to meet my gaze directly. “You know, Savannah. Pussy and pheromone are a woman’s best weapons.” Her eyes move to the fly of my jeans. “You’ve got the looks. Surprised you haven’t exploited that… potential.”

“Power has never been my aim,” I shoot back firmly.

“Ah, you’re talking about loyalty, faithfulness… such poetic, noble words. Great qualities if you’re a herding dog!”

“You’re worse than a dog, Juliet!” My anger flares as she dismisses the values I hold dear.

“And yet, here you are, tied up, listening to my every word,” she taunts, looking down at me with disdain.

The silence stretches, allowing me to visualize what I thought to be history. Now, knowing Juliet’s connection with the Brutes, a chilling realization stabs me. “You sent the Brutes here that afternoon.”

She scoffs. “You think it was a coincidence that I showed up at your ranch to pick up Kayla? I knew those mercenaries were coming.”

The horrible truth dawns. Fabian was framed not by outsiders but by his own wife! “You forged Fabian’s signatures?”

Her laughter rings out again. “No need. The fool signed everything I slid in front of him. He thought they were just routine documents. Underestimating me was his first mistake. I’ve worked with men like him since my dad taught me how to use a calculator. They mistook me for some naïve heiress, but I’m far from it.

“I know the ins and outs of financial institutions like the back of my hand. Loans are like oxygen to these corporations. Once they depend on it, all you have to do is tighten the noose. And Fabian wasn’t the only one who stepped onto the gallows.”

“You were behind the murder of the West Sun boss?” I can barely contain my shock. “And you whored yourself to him too?”

She smirks, a chilling expression. “I’m not confessing to anything.”

My eyes shut, retrieving a forgotten vow that I declared on this very land. While lying on the grass, my body wracked with pain from a bullet wound inflicted by the Blackwater Brutes, I had sworn to expose whoever was responsible. Never had I imagined it would be Juliet, moving through my life with the deadly grace of a seasoned predator.

Juliet circles me. “Oh, don’t lay all the blame on West Sun. Mitchell Ranch was sinking in debt long before they entered the picture. It was only a matter of time before you had to sell up.”

“We would’ve managed just fine if it weren’t for your scheming!” I snap back.

She lets out a cackle, clearly amused. “Do you hear yourself? It’s baffling that Fabian could ever fall for someone like you. I suppose he was only ever looking skin deep.”

“So, what’s your plan now, Juliet? You’ve already taken everything,” I challenge, trying to keep my composure.

“Oh, he still loves you, if that’s what you’re wondering. But if you care about your safety, and your baby’s—” She stoops, then whispers in my ear, “Don’t do anything stupid!”

She continues circling me. “Fabian’s doing well financially, and with a custody battle looming, he’ll want to avoid anyscandal. He’ll pay whatever I demand. And just for the record, I’ve got someone much more powerful backing me now.”

As she finishes speaking, a burly man steps into the lodge and wraps an arm around her. His presence serves as a grim reminder of my dire situation. This is the Brute who delivered my foreclosure notice and then shot me. So by ‘powerful,’ she must mean his physical prowess and capacity for terror.

“Hello, barn girl,” he greets me.

The Hog. I haven’t forgotten his voice, and I haven’t forgotten my wish to have another chance to pull the trigger again and aim the barrel half an inch to the left.

“Do you trust her?” I challenge him, seizing the opportunity to sow a seed of doubt. “She admitted to manipulating men like they’re just tools for her use. You’re just the next in line.”

“Maybe,” he answers with a dismissive shrug, his gaze icy. “But the rewards are worth it. I’m willing to take my chances on this golden ladder.”

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