Turning to Rick, who was guarding the balloon, Ernest yelled, “Check the fuel tank, take a picture of the fuel gauge.You can bet this asshole is going to say he had to make an emergency fucking landing.”
“He certainly dropped fast enough for it to be considered a crash situation.”Popping his head into the basket lying on its side, Rick checked the gauge.“Half full,” he yelled back.
“Half fucking full.I should’ve guessed.”Ernest shook his head, glancing at the group of men.“Excuse me, everyone.The field you now find yourself in is full of new seedlings, barely seen above the ground, I know, but from small seeds great things can grow.I appreciate few of you will know how much damage footprints can be to young growth, but I’m asking you nicely if you would please take note of the furrows in the ground, and step carefully in the dips, rather than on the mounds.If you make your way to the side of the paddock and then walk along the fence line, you will assist me in reducing the amount of damage this careless asshole has done.Thank you.”
“Wow, Ernest, babe.”Pierre had found his voice.“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so heated.It’s a hot look on you.And hey, you can’t blame me for wanting to drop in and say hello, can you?I’ve been thinking about you, and this is where we met that first time, remember—”
“Cut that fucking shit out.You’re not going to sex your way out of this mess.”Ernest cringed inside just thinking he’d been up close and personal with the man.“You’re in a power of shit.”
“But I don’t understand it, Ernest.How can you get so upset over a few piddly flowers?”Pierre kicked at the dirt, deliberately knocking a handful of seedlings out of the ground.Right in front of him!“They haven’t even grown yet.”
“A few freaking flowers!”Ernest bent down, grabbing the handful of tiny seedlings Pierre had deliberately destroyed with his boot.“You see these.”He pointed to the seedlings.“At least ten seedlings you just ruined.Each one of those stalks is worth thirty dollars per bloom—per bloom, asshole—and each one of these tiny stems would’ve been capable of giving at least four blooms per stem.If they’d been given a chance to grow.There’s twelve hundred dollars’ worth of ruined flowers just in the palm of my hand.You’ve destroyed an entire field!”
The sexy act was gone.That was Pierre’s way.Unless he was the one getting the money, he didn’t like talking about it.Especially if someone was demanding money from him.“Yes, well, the best thing to do would be to get this balloon out of this field, let these people get home—”
“Your chase crew isn’t coming in here,” Ernest warned.“The front gate is chained shut.And I’m warning you now, if bolt cutters or anything like that goes anywhere near my front gate, I’ll be charging you with breaking and entering, too.I’m suing you anyway.I fully intend to ruin your business.All these people,” Ernest flicked his thumb at Pierre’s clients, who were all doing their darndest to cling to the fence, bar a couple who were crouching as if looking at his seedlings beyond the basket.
“They would’ve seen those tape crosses, and they can testify to that.Those crosses weren’t a freaking target for you to aim at.That was a clear warning sign to stay off my land.Where’s Remy?”Ernest looked around for someone who might have been in charge of the paying clients.“Apparently there’s a Remy who is running these events.”
“Er…Sir.”An alpha, smaller than Ernest or Rick, but that wasn’t important.“We warned Pierre about the crosses.We had no idea why they were on the fields, but it really looked like he wasn’t meant to land here.Are we going to have to pay for your field?”
Ernest could understand the alpha’s concern.It was a big paddock.“All responsibility for the damage caused is placed on the pilot of the balloon, but you’re right.He’s not allowed to land here because I have a trespass order out against him, not to mention he promised me freaking months ago that he would not come within a mile of my land.Now my crops are ruined.Who’s running this show?”
Pierre went to speak up, but Ernest didn’t want to hear any more shit coming out of his mouth.“Not you, you bastard!You open your mouth one more time, and I’m going to shove my fist in it!”
Ernest had never shown it, but he’d been deeply hurt and angry over the way Pierre had treated him back when they were together, and it was as if all of those suppressed feelings were coming to the surface.Although he noticed Pierre didn’t look so cocky now that there was still no sign of the chase crew, and a couple of the other alphas were snarling in his direction.
“I mean, fuck man,” one of them said to Pierre.“This owner dude is right.Were you completely blind?We warned you that those marks were on the field, and all you said was, ‘Oh yeah, well, I’ll handle it with the farmer.’”
“The only thing he’ll be handling from me from now on will be a court case.I mean it, Pierre, I will not rest until I see your business completely destroyed.”Turning his back deliberately, Ernest looked at the rest of them.“Who’s in charge here?You’re all going to need to order Ubers, or some other form of transport, from the front gate—which is currently locked.I’m not letting the chase crew onto my land.”
“Remy didn’t come on this trip,” another alpha said.“His spot was taken by another omega—just another paying customer, I think.Toby.But…er…” he pointed to where a group of people were clustered around, and there he could see now was a person lying on the ground—unmoving.
Oh, my gods, I hadn’t even noticed.
“It was an extremely bumpy landing.The balloon came down far too fast, and that guy got thrown from the balloon.”The man squinted as if trying to look at the scene more closely.“I’d have thought he would’ve got up by now.Toby, I mean.I don’t know what type of shifter he is.”
“Fuck.”Ernest looked over his shoulder at Pierre and rubbed his hands together.“This charge sheet is writing itself.Letting one of your clients get hurt, all because you dropped your fucking balloon out of the air like a stone.Not offering aid or assistance.I bet you don’t even have a first aid kit in that thing.”
“I’ll go and—”
“You stay right there.”Ernest pointed at the ground.“Don’t move a muscle.I’ll take care of that young man.You’re waiting for the police.Rick will keep you company while you wait.You remember Rick, don’t you?”
Storming over to where the group was huddled, Ernest pushed through the small group.It was clear nobody knew what to do.“Move aside, please.I’m the landowner.Please move back to the fence line, make your way around the edge of the paddock to the gate that will let you out onto a driveway.You’re going to need to climb over the gate at the end of the driveway, but I’m sure you can all handle it.Thank you,” he snapped in frustration.
Ernest looked down at the man sprawled out on the field.Pale, slender, he was lying face down, the side of his face covered by a mop of hair.His elephant stirred as Ernest bent down, putting two fingers against the side of the man’s neck, checking for a pulse.He had one, so that was positive.
It didn’t seem right, the way Toby’s face was smushed in the dirt.Taking care to make sure he wasn’t hurting the man any more than necessary, Ernest carefully rolled him over.
Mate!his elephant bellowed as Ernest inhaled.This man’s our mate, and Pierre hurt him!
Oh, shit.The balloon, Pierre, and even the other guests all disappeared from Ernest’s focus.Still crouched down, Ernest checked under his eyelids.Toby was definitely unconscious, and there was a large egg-shaped lump on the side of his head.Blood and dirt coated his hands.
“I think he’s going to need a doctor.”One of the other alphas had loitered near Toby, possibly to keep an eye on him.Considering Ernest had been acting like a crazed lunatic from the moment he’d arrived in the field, he could understand why.“He didn’t have a chance to shift, and he literally flew from the balloon, through the air, before landing.None of us were able to catch him.”
“I’ll take him to the hospital to get checked out.”Ernest carefully scooped Toby into his arms and stood up with him.“No one else here has transportation, and I’m sorry I can’t provide anyone else a lift.I’m sure you’ll agree that getting Toby some help comes first.”
“Absolutely.Definitely.”Maybe it was something in Ernest’s tone, but the alpha put up both of his hands as he backed away.“It’s a shame what happened to him.He…er…he wasn’t in a basket with me, but he seemed cute.”
