Page 32 of Her Redeemed Protector

I’m about to do my makeup when the insistent buzz of my phone interrupts me. An unfamiliar number, but this time, it’s a landline. I answer, ready to unleash hell on Fabian. “Didn’t I say?—”

“Savannah?”

I gulp at the soft, angelic voice. “Kayla?”

While I cherished her company when things were still amicable between her father and me, I always maintained boundaries. It was never my intention to replace her mother. I was merely her babysitter, or as I preferred to think of it, her guardian angel.

“Did you receive my messages?” Kayla murmurs.

Oh God! Some of those missed calls must’ve been from her—maybe using her father’s phone. I didn’t bother checking my messages, assuming they were just the usual manipulative lines Fabian came up with to lure me into responding.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she drawls. “Mommy lives here in Helena now. Dad stays in Bozeman. This week, I’m with Mommy.”

So Fabian and Juliet are separated? When a husband and wife live in different cities, divorce often looms—if it hasn’t already. It’s bad news all around. My heart aches for Kayla, knowing she’s never really bonded with her mother. Then there’s the other side—my side. A divorce means Fab is free, and for him, that freedom equates to an open season on me.

Then it hits me. Juliet had struggled with alcohol. Maybe things are better now, but I need to be certain. “Kayla, sweetie, where’s your mom?”

“She’s downstairs.” Her tone is timid. She doesn’t have to tell me what Juliet is doing.

“Kayla, have you called your dad?”

“No. Mommy will scold me, and then Dad will yell at her, and they will fight. Please come.”

I exhale in distress. “Tell me where you are.” She whispers the address. “I’m on my way, Kayla. Are you in your room?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Stay there and lock the door. Call your dad. I promise everything will be okay.”

Rushing, I hail a cab outside the hospital. Adult business can wait. When a child is in danger, nothing else matters. I don’t care if I have to confront the last man or woman I want to face right now.

I arrive at the address. All I have with me is my phone, so I pay the driver electronically, deciding that my belongings at the hospital can wait. Right now, Kayla is my only priority.

I walk up to the door and press the bell, my mind racing with worry. Moments later, the door swings open to reveal Juliet Gill, drunk as a skunk. Her eyes are glassy, and she sways slightly, gripping the doorframe for support.

“What the…” she slurs as she sees me.

“Where is Kayla?” I push past her.

Juliet feebly steps back, trying to stop me. “Get out of here!”

“You’re drunk, Juliet!”

Suddenly, Kayla bursts out of the house from the side. “Savannah!” she cries, joining me on the porch.

I step back onto the lawn, pulling Kayla behind me, my body a shield between her and Juliet.

Juliet’s voice follows us like a whip. “Come back here, Kayla!” She lunges forward, her arm outstretched to grab the girl.

“Not a step!” I shout, my voice unwavering.

Juliet halts, her eyes narrowing as she weighs her options. I fought the Blackwater Brutes, and I fought those corporate guards who beat me black and blue. I lost in the end, but against this woman, with a child caught in her wrath, I won’t back down. My muscles tense, ready for whatever she throws at me next.

Juliet’s face twists in a snarl, and she takes a menacing step forward, but I stand my ground, my eyes locked onto hers.

Kayla clings to my leg, her small hands trembling. I glance down at her, giving a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay, Kayla. I’ve got you,” I murmur, never taking my eyes off Juliet.

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