Page 2 of Branded

“How much time before you’re supposed to be there?”

“Three hours.” She starts sobbing again. “I don’t have anywhere to go, Len. I can’t go home. My parents would never understand. And I… I can’t do this. I’d rather die.”

I believe her. I’ve watched Janie struggle with everything from ordering wine at dinner to wearing a bikini at the beach. The guilt her mother programmed into her runs bone deep. Putting her on an auction block in front of predatory men who will expect her to submit to their darkest whims for two years? It will destroy her.

But I’m not sheltered like Janie. I grew up on a Montana cattle ranch where I saw animals born and die before I was five. Where I learned to shoot, ride and brand before I learned to do my makeup. Where my father taught me that the world was brutal and beautiful in equal measure, and the only way to survive is to be tougher than whatever tries to break you.

I came to California because I wanted to see something beyond the endless sky and cattle. Because I wanted to know who I was beyond being a Briggs, beyond the ranch that defined my family for four generations. But I didn’t stop being that girl who could stare down a spooked horse or stay calm while a cow birthed a breech calf.

I’m not breakable. Not like Janie.

The decision settles into my bones with a certainty that surprises me.

“How much money do you need to get home?” I ask.

Janie looks up, confused. “What?”

“To get home. Tonight. How much?”

“I… I don’t know. A few hundred for a last-minute flight? But Lenny…”

I walk out of the bathroom and go to my bedroom, pulling out the shoebox I keep under my bed. Inside is everything I’ve saved over eight months of working at the Drake, tips from guests, what is left after rent and food. Three thousand dollars in cash that I’ve been saving to buy something fancy.

I bring it back to the bathroom and press it into Janie’s hands.

“Get on the next flight home. Go to my family’s ranch and tell Cage that I sent you and that you need a job and a place to stay for a while. He’ll take you in, no questions asked.”

“Lenny, I won’t take your money.”

“Yes, you will.” I squeeze her hands. “Get out of California and don’t look back.”

“But the auction, they’ll know I didn’t show.” She shakes her head, and panic flashes across her face again.

“They won’t care which blonde walks through that door, as long as one does,” I say calmly. “They just want payment for their money. And I’m guessing someone who looks like me will bring in more than someone who looks terrified and like she might keel over.”

Understanding dawns in her eyes, followed by horror. “No. Lennox, no. I can’t let you.”

“You’re not letting me do anything.” I pull her to her feet. “This is my choice. Now get your shit together and get to the airport before I change my mind.”

“They’ll… Oh God, Lenny… The things they’ll expect you to do.”

“I can handle it,” I say with more confidence than I feel, but Janie needs to believe it. Needs to get on that plane without guilt destroying her. “I’m tougher than I look. And it’s only two years.”

Only two years. Christ almighty.

“I’ll never be able to repay you,” she whispers.

“Then don’t.” I grab her suitcase from the closet and start throwing her clothes into it. “Just promise me you’ll never tell anyone about this. Not your parents, not my brother, nobody. You’re back because you didn’t like California, and your mother wouldn’t let you back into her home. That’s it.”

She nods, tears still streaming down her face. “I promise.”

Twenty minutes later, I put her in an Uber to the airport with my money and a fierce hug that I hope conveys everything I can’t say out loud. That I’m terrified but wouldn’t show it. That I’ll do this because she can’t. That some part of me needs to know if I’m as strong as I’ve always believed. “Text me when you get to Cage’s.”

The ride share pulls away, and I stand on the sidewalk watching until the taillights disappear.

Then I turn and go back inside and take the longest shower of my life.

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