Firestorm - Ellie Masters Page 0,2

shoulders and powerful legs, but he’s leaner than me. When not at the office, he bikes hundred-mile days, or is on one of his insane ultra-marathon training sessions. I’m bulky, packed with muscles honed by rough, rugged work. Cage is a mix between us. A nature photographer, he travels the world and lives an active outdoor lifestyle.

We all take advantage of our looks.

Brody is simply looking for the next great lay.

And Cage?

Littlest brother is a beast.

I turn to Brody. “Wanna saddle up and make the rounds?” I try enticing him with a little bit of fun. La Rouge Vineyard is situated outside Napa Valley, nestled against state forest land.

“Naw, it’s too fucking early.” He squints at the pre-dawn twilight. “What time is it anyway?”

“Mom’s expecting us to make an appearance.” I try to entice him. “We can be there in time for pancakes.”

Our mother moved out of the sprawling family estate to a small cottage when I took over operations eight years ago. With our father’s passing, she said the house held too many memories. The small, single bedroom home we built for her snuggles up against state forest land and is perfect for her.

“Seriously, the thought of riding makes my head swim.” He glances at the sky. It’s covered in pale, pastel pinks, yellows, and greens, a pre-dawn show put on by the sun every day. Brody gives a wistful sigh. “Don’t see much of that in the city.”

“You miss it?”

“Sometimes.”

“Enough to move back and help me out?”

“Ha-ha. You’d just spend your time bossing me around, and as fun as that might sound, it’s not going to work.”

He’s the CFO of our little slice of heaven. Cage is our marketing genius. As the eldest, I’m CEO of La Rouge Vineyards, which makes me their boss.

I came into this world first, making sure it was safe for them, while they hung out inside mom for a little bit longer and fought to be second. Brody won that exchange with Cage entering the world last. He was born seconds after Brody, but last is last, and we never let him forget it.

“Well, if you’re not going to come…” My frustration shows as I bark orders at him. “Clean this place up.”

“Why? You’re just going to hire a cleaning crew.” He cups his head in his hands and rubs his temples.

“A cleaning crew I depend on. They won’t be cleaning up your discarded condoms.”

Brody plops back down on the couch and covers his eyes. “You really think mom will make pancakes?”

“For her favorite son, she will.”

He grabs one of the throw pillows and aims it at my face. “Give me five minutes. I need to piss and brush my teeth.”

“I’ll meet you in the barn.”

2

Evelyn

Sweat drips into my eyes. It stings and blurs my vision. Late morning, the sun is busy heating the air, and I’m on a mission to slay this trail.

I turn up another switchback, heading deeper into the state forest, arms pumping, legs burning, breaths surging in and out of my lungs. Each pull brings earthy smells deep into my lungs where the rich aromas of juniper and pine flood my senses.

I’m hot, tired, and hiking on a trail thousands of miles from my past.

Forget the past.

Live in the present.

It’s my new motto.

And much harder than it sounds.

I’ll never take another day for granted.

I savor each sensation. Drink in the sun baking my skin. Listen to the wind whispering between the pines. It’s a soft, lonely sound. Much like me.

My muscles ache.

My heart pumps.

I breathe hard.

I’m alive and living.

And my cellphone rings.

Dammit!

The hardest thing about living in the present is when the past refuses to let go.

No need to look at who the caller might be.

My initial thought is to let Prescott's call hit voicemail. He’ll leave a message I don’t care to hear, but the thing about Prescott is he’ll keep calling. He’s a persistent bastard when he wants something.

I let the phone ring. I want him to know he’s intruding. On the sixth ring, I accept.

“Evie, where are you?” He still calls me by my childhood nickname and it grates on my nerves. I’m a grown woman, not the five-year-old he used to bounce on his knee.

“Out and about.” My answer is as vague as I can make it.

“You need to come home.”

“I have no home.”

Thank you, Past for intruding on the Present. I want to tell Prescott to fuck off and go away, but he’s my father’s best friend.

Correction.

He was my father’s best friend.

“Evie, you have