Page 110 of Branded Betrayal

“Ms. Carlson, my name is Jack Wilkerson. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Motioning to Tyler, he says, “Take off the tape so we can have a civilized conversation.” He turns a pleasant smile back to me. “After all, we’re miles away from anyone who might hear if she even thinks about screaming.”

Tyler reaches for the tape and rips it off my mouth. I scream as the tape tears my skin. Deep gulps of oxygen fill my lungs, the inside of my mouth drier than a camel’s ass.

“Why am I here? What do you want from me?” I say, the sides of my throat raw as I choke out the words.

“Direct. I like that.” He steps forward. “I want your ranch. And you’re going to sell it to me. Your aunt was a lovely woman but clearly not a smart businessperson. Actually, none of this would be happening if your aunt had just sold me her ranch when I offered to buy it well above market value. Five different times. I’m hoping some of the business sense you’ve acquired at your very prestigious job at the Sterling Strategy Group in Denver will help you make the smart choice now.”

My heart slips into my stomach. He knows about me, where I live and work. Has he been watching me this whole time, plotting ways to take control of Red Rock? Panic bubbles in my chest because it’s clear he’s beyond the point of watching right now. But fuck him if I’ll let him see me cower. “I’m not selling you a damn thing.”

His smile irks the hell out of me. It’s unwavering, like he knows something I don’t. And I’m fucking tired of surprises.

“Don’t you think you’re in over your head?” He paces in front of me. “You’ve had a lot of issues at Red Rock lately, haven’t you? Damaged equipment, water issues, a stampede through a broken fence that killed one of your cattle and injured several others.” He lifts an eyebrow. “Am I missing anything?”

“How do you know about those things?” I nod my head at Tyler. “Was it your little errand boy who was keeping tabs on me?”

“I have several errand boys. And yes, my nephew Tyler has been helping me out by watching over things at Red Rock. Since I have a vested interest in it.”

My jaw damn near hits the floor. “Your nephew?” I laser Tyler with a look dripping with disgust. “You played me that whole time. And I really believed you were a good guy.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem that you have the best track record when it comes to choosing men,” Tyler says.

Wilkerson holds up a hand at Tyler. “There will be time for that conversation. Later.” He turns to me. “The issues should have made you realize that selling the ranch is your best option.”

“You son of a bitch,” I mutter. “You were behind all of that?”

Wilkerson lets out a biting laugh. “No, Savannah. I don’t do manual labor.” He pauses. “I had help. Someone you trusted.”

My stomach tightens and dips. “Tyler.” Disdain laces my words. “Every time I asked for your help, you were just making things worse.”

“Actually,” Wilkerson says, looking like he’s enjoying every second of this fucking cat-and-mouse game. “Tyler wasn’t responsible for those things. He was just watching you and reporting back to me. No, someone else was taking care of my business on your ranch. The sabotage was much closer to you.”

My eyes glaze over, the words bouncing against the side of my skull. A wave of dizziness assaults me, and I blink fast to clear my vision.

Because I know who it was.

And Wilkerson smiles wider.

“Blaze.” His name tastes like poison on my lips.

“Ding, ding, ding. Good girl. You really are a swift one, aren’t you?” Wilkerson steeples his fingers and stares down at me. “Except Hartman has been fucking around more than he’s been helping me to get my hands on your ranch. So although he was my go-to guy, he’s not fulfilling his end of the bargain. He’s causing me problems and needs to be handled.”

My thoughts scatter like cockroaches.

Blaze. While I was falling in love with him again, he was torching my future but making it look like he was helping me. He listened to my plans for the future, all the while knowing he was there to crush them.

“Why do you even want my ranch? Why can’t you find some other unsuspecting landowner to torment?”

“Water rights.” He says it simply, like it’s obvious. “Your property controls water access I need for a business deal. A very lucrative, very time-sensitive business deal.”

“So you made Blaze screw me over by sabotaging my efforts? Make me question my ability so I’d just decide to give up and sell the ranch?”

Wilkerson flashes a cold smile. “I gave Hartman a job. He didn’t get it done. Got too attached. Made himself useless to me.”

“Well, I’m not selling,” I say. “And I’m not going to abandon my ranch. I will make it profitable. I’m not giving up. So it looks like you’re shit out of luck.”

Wilkerson’s smile fades. “We’ll see.” He pulls open his jacket and takes out a thick envelope. “According to my sources, your aunt’s will gave you the right to sell the property. I’m willing to pay off all existing debts and give you fifty thousand dollars cash to walk away.”

“Are you deaf?” I yell. “I’m not selling. It’s my family legacy. I won’t give up what my aunt left me.”