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“Those bastards did this while we were all sleeping!” Tammy yelled. “What the hell is wrong with them?”

“The fence! The beautiful fence!” Hugh yelled. “I built that with my bare hands for my ex-wife! She left me, but the fence was supposed to stay!”

Beautiful was a strong word, but it had been here longer than I had been alive. Hugh sounded genuinely upset.

I was too.

Tears gathered in my eyes. We knew we were fighting a mountain, but I was terrified that they would win, that something so dear to me would be destroyed simply for profit.

A hand landed on my shoulder, and I turned around to see Mike. His lips were pursed, which meant he wasn’t happy about whatever he had to tell us.

“You all can’t be here,” he said. “I’ve already got a complaint about anyone gathering here!”

“We can protest!”

A thought popped in my head. “The land isn’t even commercial yet!”

“But it is private,” Mike said. “He can do what he wants with it.”

“What’s the plan?”

“The trees. He’s taking those down.”

I gasped. The crowd didn’t. They all watched me closely.

“Is there nothing we could do?” I asked.

“It’s his land.” Mike only shrugged.

“There has to be something. When is he starting?”

“Tomorrow. He wants you all gone by then.”

“I’ll handle this!” Hugh yelled.

“No!” everyone yelled at the same time.

“We don’t need your ass right now,” I said.

Hugh crossed his arms. “Fine. Your loss.”

I wanted to scream. “I have to figure something out.”

“Jade—”

“No.” I shook my head. Mike would try to stop me, but I couldn’t let him. “Just give me time.”

All I could do was go to the library. I tore through every book I could get my hands on, determined to find anything I could use.

I only grew angrier.

The more I found, the more it told me that he could do whatever he wanted to that land. Selling it meant he had control over something that I cared so much about.

I slammed one last book shut, feeling tears brim. I was lost. I was so angry that things had gotten this far. A part of me wanted to smack Hugh over the head. Another part of me wanted to tie myself to the trees so he couldn’t take them down.

I knew people were worried. Many people had come upstairs, glanced at me, and then left. Halfway through my research, I was sure that Gabriel was going to join them. He’d sit next to me and ask me what happened.

He’d tell me that there wasn’t anything I could do, but would at least give me a hug when I finally gave up.