Page 8 of Burning for You
“Shit, Jesse!”
“I saw a map of Random Valley, full of markings and notes. They’re planning to build something, likely a resort. And of course, half of our ranch is in their sights.”
“Where the hell is Dad’s lawyer?”
“He’s long gone, man! Wouldn’t be surprised if those guys paid him to disappear.”
Jesse settles himself on a chair, looking at me like Captain Kirk about to make a deal with his nemesis Khan to beat another villain. “At dinner, you were right to point out that they tricked Dad with those loans. Now we know their end goal.”
“Fuck those men!” My teeth clench.
“That’s not all. HPI is linked to an up-and-coming development company called Brilliance Holdings. So it’s not just the Californians that are after us. Those East Coast bastards seem to be joining the party.”
“I know of that company.”
“So you should, if you are a builder in New York. Or former builder,” he says, nodding at my arm cast. “There’s no way a three-man, Bozeman-based company can back such a large development, and it’s naïve to think its partner company isn't involved. On the plan, the resort takes just over half of our ranch—most of the land they’ve already acquired. Think about it. What greedy mongrel is willing to settle for half a pie if they can grab the whole of it, salad and fries included?”
Jesse is right.
“Barnesy works there, at Brilliance.”
“Really? The midget?”
Grant Barnes, our next-door neighbor, moved to New York almost the same time as me. “Yeah, him.” At the time we were lured by the city’s booming construction industry, promoted hard by one of our friends who had made it big there.
Jesse looks at me. I know he’s going to bring up the fire rescue I pulled off at the Barnes ranch. He says, “Good. Use him like he’s your slave. For what you’ve done for him, you should’ve got a fucking medal.”
I stand up, eye-to-eye with Jesse. “I’m with you.” Our energy triggers a tremble of determination within the both of us. Is this crisis what we need to become brothers again?
But the positive fire is soon overtaken by a disturbing bang.
“Dad?” Jesse murmurs. After standing in place a couple of seconds, he scurries toward the source of noise. “Dad!” His murmur turns into a shout of utter panic.
In the study, I find Jesse cradling our dad’s body. Austin Holt was his mentor, his hero, and the only one who loved him, according to Jesse. I’ve never seen my brother cry like this, not even when we lost Lucy or Mom.
I hug Jesse from behind while carefully removing the gun from within his reach. Only then do I see the foreclosure notice next to Dad’s arm.
So HPI has moved faster than we’d thought.
“Jesse,” I call softly.
Looking at the date of the foreclosure, I wonder. What’s the chance that Dad had been wanting to end his life for some time now? He likely chose tonight so Jesse wouldn’t be alone; perhaps he had suspected his eldest son would’ve broken down beyond help, and might’ve even taken his own life too. He’s not as strong as you—didn’t Dad say that barely a few moments ago?
“I swear! I swear I’ll make them pay,” Jesse wails. “We’ll make them pay! I can’t do it without you, Levi. You’re my brother.”
I am his brother, and no matter how much we destroy each other, I love him. “We’ll do this together, I swear.” With conviction and rage, I grab Jesse’s hand, squeeze it hard and say, “We’ll go after the head of the snake. I’m after Brilliance, you’ll see!”