Page 96 of Wolf It Down, Knot Me Up

Wolf’s on his feet, tossing a handful of twenty-dollar bills on the table. “Let’s go pay him a visit.”

Grayson and I join him, the three of us moving amid the crowd to where he fumbles to place his beer glass down on the table. He lifts his head at our approach, eyes bulging.

“Oh! Oh, fuck!” He’s still swaying, clothes crumpled, his jawline covered in a three-day stubble, his hair a mess.

“Hey, buddy,” I say. “What’s been going on? How’s your dad doing?”

He blinks several times, utterly confused. “Huh? Oh, yeah, my…” He hiccups loudly. “My dad’s stroke.” He straightens himself. “Fine. He’s all good now.”

Grayson and I exchange looks, certain that he’s bullshitting.

“Anyway, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be out of this town.” He runs a hand through his hair, squaring his shoulders, but he’s way too smashed to pretend otherwise.

“Funny, so where do you think we should be?” Grayson leans an elbow on the round table, staring right at Ethan.

His mouth opens, but nothing comes out. Then he rubs his face with the palm of his hand, glancing down at the table, refusing to meet our eyes.

“You all right?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Nope,” he finally spits out. “I-I fucked up bad,” he slurs. “You all have no idea.”

“Talk to us so we understand,” Grayson pushes.

“Did you do something?” Wolf demands quietly.

I doubt Ethan will remember most of this conversation tomorrow, considering how drunk he is, and this is the moment to find out what the fuck’s been going on.

He raises his chin. “I love that lodge in the woods. It’s my home.” He strikes his fist to his chest. “Worked there for so many years, never took a vacation, and even told Eve I could run it myself. That I’d take care of it so she could retire.” His expression darkens, lips thinning. “But no, the bitch tells me it belongs to Lucy. Well, fuck that. I was there for the whole redevelopment of the place, not Lucy.” He grabs his glass and chugs a mouthful, then sets it down hard, beer sloshing over the rim.

Wolf snatches the drink from him. “Water—that’s what you’re drinking.” He hands it over to Grayson, who marches to the bar.

Ethan hiccups again, rubbing a hand across his face, and I’m inches from smashing that face into the table from how slow he’s talking. “The town mayor came to me with an offer, telling me I deserved the lodge, seeing as I ran the joint.” He smacks a hand on the table, sending the empty glasses into a sway. Wolf and I step back, expecting a catastrophe of broken glass, but surprisingly, nothing tumbles over.

“And then?” Wolf says just as Grayson returns and sets the water in front of Ethan.

“Then,” he slurs, pointing at Wolf. “He promised to help me buy the place, saying he knew someone who could scare Eve and Lucy into selling. Some guy who had a grudge with the place. Apparently, he was a friend of Jerry’s, who died on the property, and the mayor paid him big money for his help. So he jumped at it.”

Fury boils in my veins, hands curling into fists at hearing this shit. “What the fuck did the mayor get out of it?”

“Land. You know how much those rare pines in these woods are worth? Millions. And Eve owns nearly all of it.”

I grind my teeth, fully aware of the value. We’ve been logging a specific quantity only because Eve understands their value but needs the money. Yet, under no circumstances would she want all of them chopped down, which I assume is the mayor’s plan.

“That fucking weasel,” Grayson grunts under his breath.

“So, what?” Wolf grunts. “Eve gave you a job at the lodge, and your answer is to terrify her and Lucy for your own shitty greed?”

Ethan throws his hands in the air, all dramatic. “That’s why I fucked up, man.” He’s sniffling now. “I was so desperate for the place that I never thought about who’d get hurt.” He leans on the edge of the table. “But when the mayor had someone call the parole office and pretend to be Eve to get you three out of there, I started to worry for Eve’s and Lucy’s safety.”

“That’s a second too fucking late,” I snarl.

“Fuck, man, I already feel like shit.”

“You have no idea what I’m about to do to you,” Wolf warns, his lips peeled back.

Ethan flinches backward, hands out in front of him as if to block Wolf. “I ruined everything, okay? Eve told everyone that she was going to ask her granddaughter to take over the business, as she couldn’t do it anymore. But then she fell and broke her ankle, so it was the perfect reason to ask her to come home.” He sighs heavily, his shoulders dropping forward. “That’s why the mayor sent that other guy to pick up Lucy from the bar on her first day. He was supposed to leave her deep in the dark woods, lost and terrified. Then she’d be so afraid that she’d return to the city and never take over the lodge. The mayor figured it’d be easier to convince Eve to sell the place if she had no one else to leave it to.”

Ethan suddenly sways and falls right off the chair, crashing to the floor with a thud. He groans, but none of us are moving to help.