Ethan
Iclimb the tree fast and efficiently. With this job, there’s always been safety in numbers, but I prefer to work alone. I start to saw the top half of the tree, and when it’s about to fall, I holler out, “Timber!” It’s not really needed because there’s no one around to cause a safety risk or anything, but I do it because I know it’s the right thing to do. The tree I’m holding on to shakes as the top half of it falls to the ground.
I scale back down the tree and start hacking away at the bottom to get the rest of the tree. Lumberjacking was never something I thought I’d be interested in doing. My plan was to work for my father, be married, and have one kid with another on the way right now, but shit doesn’t always work out the way we want it to.
After I got out of the hospital, I moved up on this mountain. It was months later that I started cutting down trees, and I only did it because I was literally going crazy on this mountain alone.
There’s a buzzing noise that has me raising my head and looking toward the sky. I see the Cannon Industries helicopter fly overhead, and I know it’s either my father or my brother coming to see me. Most of our correspondence is done by email or phone, so I’m a little surprised to see them coming up here. I take one last hack at the tree and watch as it falls in front of me before I throw the ax over my shoulder and make the trek back to my cabin in the woods. I’ll probably make it there before my family does because it’s almost a mile from the helipad to the cabin.
The whole way home, I have an uneasy feeling, and I’m hoping that something hasn’t happened with my father. Just the thought has me picking up the pace.
When I get to the clearing, I see Bobby walking toward the front of my house, and I call out to him, “Hey! Is everything okay? Dad all right?”
Bobby nods his head and waits for me to catch up to him. We never were a touchy-feely type of family, but since everything that happened to me, my father and brother make a point to hug me every time they see me.
When he wraps his arms around me, I pull back and look at him in his suit and tie, now covered in dirt and debris. “What’s up? You usually don’t come out here in your suit and tie.”
“I flew all the way out here to make you check your email.”
I laugh. “Really? Something important from the board members that needs my vote or something?”
He shakes his head. “No. It’s not work-related.”
I give him a surprised look before opening the front door. I go over to the kitchen sink and wash my hands. “Not work-related? That doesn’t sound like you. Everything you do is work-related.”
I dry off my hands and turn to look at my brother. He’s giving me THAT look. The one that tells me he’s nervous and he’s done something he shouldn’t have. Even though he’s my older brother, I spent half my childhood getting him out of trouble. I lean back against the counter, crossing my ankles and then my arms over my chest. I can’t help but smirk. “What did you do?”
He takes a deep breath and looks at me worriedly. “You can’t be mad.”
That has me uncrossing my feet and standing up to my full height. “That doesn’t sound good. What did you do?”
He flinches and shakes his head side to side before blowing out a breath. “You’re not going to like it.”
I laugh. My brother does some stupid shit sometimes, but it always seems to work out. “Try me.”
He nods, bracing his hands on the chair at the kitchen table in front of him. “It’s Nicole.”
My stomach drops, and I take steps toward him. “What about her? Is she okay?”
His eyes won’t meet mine. “Yes, she’s fine. Look, you’re not going to like this... Just read your email.”
“What the fuck is going on, Bobby?” I ask him as I pull my phone out of my pocket and start to scan my emails. I’m looking for anything that would indicate it came from my brother or Nicole, but I don’t see anything. “What is it? There’s nothing.”
He closes his eyes and opens them. “It’s the one from BBAH.”
I scan it again while asking him. “What the hell is BBAH?”
As soon as I get the words out, I find the email.Breeding Bidders Auction House. What the actual fuck?I read the first paragraph of the email and find out I’ve been invited to a super-secret auction house to bid on women. I scan the rest of the email, and it talks about virginity, million-dollar bids, and marriage. I grip my phone in my hand and look at my brother. There’s a sinking feeling in my gut. “What does this have to do with Nikki?”
My brother takes a deep breath, and I watch him closely. Finally, his eyes lift to mine. “She’s one of the virgins.”
I shake my phone at him. “She’s auctioning off her virginity?”
My brother crosses his arms over his chest. “Yes, she is.”
I throw my phone across the room, and it breaks as it smashes against the wall. “What the fuck!” I roar.
My brother doesn’t cower. He stands perfectly still as I start to pace the room. I try to keep it together, but I’m panting as my mind starts to whirl. Nikki, the love of my life, is going to auction herself off. Fuck, I was finally making peace with the fact that she wasn’t mine anymore, and now she does this. “Whose idea was this? Did you put her up to it?”