by J. R. Ryder
The thing that bothered me the most was that there was no evidence, no clues. No one had any idea what could be going on beyond speculation.
Ding!
I jumped up, walking over to the coffee machine. Picking up my mug I took a sip, nearly burning my tongue on the hot liquid.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement through the window. I approached the window and peered outside. As far as I could see, nothing was amiss. My car was still on the drive, along with the trash.
Hmm, strange. They were running late it seemed or I was up way too early.
7:08 A.M.
Yep, I was up too early.
I thought about going back to sleep, but I didn’t want to waste the day. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past three days and I’m not going to do that today.
Once again, something caught my eye through the window.
What was that?
I checked one more time but still, I didn’t see anything out of place.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge.
Something was amiss. I could feel it.
I walked up to my security system just to check if it was armed.
It was.
Okay. Good.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. And, it wasn’t the first time, either.
Was it Keith? Fear shot through my body at the thought of it.
He knew where I lived, after all. I wouldn’t put it past him to spy on me.
I bit my bottom lip and my breathing quickened, suddenly feeling unsafe in my own home.
I had to be going a bit stir crazy being cooped up in this place for the past few days. Keith had been taken away so he couldn’t possibly be around. Plus, I thought for sure that if he had wanted to come see me at my home he would have done it by now.
All I needed to do was to get out of the house and do something.
I hurried up the stairs and switched into some hiking gear. A bit of fresh air and alone time in the woods would do me good. It always had.
Quickly, I loaded my bag with all the essentials. I planned to spend a few nights under the stars, or at least until my lieutenant told me I could come back to work.
When I was done, I slung it over my shoulders and tightening the straps, making sure it would be comfortable for the long haul, before heading out of the front door. Outside, I glanced from left to right checking for anything suspicious.
I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
But the day was beautiful, the sky was bright and clear and birds chirped in the trees above. On a day like this, it was hard to believe there was evil in the world.
I headed for the trailhead near my home. Once I was past the tree line, I started to relax. It would be easy to figure out if someone was following me. It was nearly impossible to walk silently through the forest.
Right?
I’ll just keep telling myself that to make myself feel better.
After almost an hour of walking, I stopped by a little ravine. I scooped up some water into my canteen and let it filter before I took a sip.
It was so pure and refreshing.
Perfect.
I savored one more mouthful before I sat down on a soft patch of moss.
Wrong move.
It was wet.
I got up quickly, trying to wipe away the moisture from my pants but it was too late. It had already soaked down to my panties. Typical. Today was the wrong day to wear pink lace. Then again, it wasn’t like I had any other time to wear them. And what did I care if a few deer got a peak?
I moved over to a patch where the sun seemed to hit strongest. It was dry enough.
Sitting back, I shut my eyes and soaked up the sun.
Even though it was the middle of the winter, it was surprisingly warm, feeling more like a spring afternoon. I half expected to see blooms pop up around me but instead all I saw were bare trees and the light sprinkling of snow blanketing the forest floor.
It was a bleak kind of beauty.
I took out my sketchbook and pencil.
Soon I lost myself in a drawing, head bent low, trying to capture every detail of the large oak tree hanging over the ravine. Its long limbs dipped down, trailing along the water’s surface like a man bent in mid-bow.
I kept erasing and redrawing, finding it difficult to recreate its natural sense of elegance.
A twig snapped behind me. I startled and froze where I was. What was that?
My breath hitched in my throat. My mind span around every possible worst-case scenario. Fuck. I was doing it again. No one was following me. It was probably a small animal or something.
I took a deep breath turned slowly, trying to keep my cool.
I couldn’t help but remember all the news reports about girls going missing. What if I was the next one? I imagined the news reports, ‘the young, female cop stupid enough to go out into the woods alone is taken’.
With no family to speak of and barely any friends in this town, I was the perfect candidate. I would be forgotten in a matter of days.
Boy, wasn’t I a sad picture.
I waited. My body tense with anticipation.
Suddenly, a giant pit bull jumped down the bank, running right toward me, barking like mad.
Fuck.
I got up quickly; ready to run for my life. then my foot became snagged in my backpack strap. I fell forward, scraping my knee on the hard, rocky terrain.
Crap.
I was done for now. I braced myself for the canine’s powerful jowl, but it never came. Instead, he nuzzled my face with his snout, trying to lick me.
Slowly, I lifted my head.
Instantly, I was bombarded with a slobbery assault of dog kisses.
“Hey, calm down.”
“Wolf. Heel.” A deep, gravelly voice emerged from a thicket of trees.
I laid there, completely dazed.
What had just happened?
“Are you alright?” Before I knew it, someone had taken hold of my hand, hoisting me to my feet. Their palm was rough and large.
I blinked, finding myself face to face with a ruggedly handsome stranger.
“Um…” My brain turned to mush, forgetting how to work in his presence. “I…”
By his feet, the pit-bull looked up at me, tail wagging happily. It had the bluest eyes I had ever seen. In fact, they both did.
When our eyes locked, I was trapped in the stranger’s icy gaze. My heart quickened as my skin tingled with a strange, never felt before feeling.
What was going on?
“Are you alright?” He asked again, moving just a little bit closer, pressing a hand to my hip.
“Y-Yes…” I stepped back finding it odd that this man was standing so close to me. Who was he, anyway?
“You hurt your knee.” He said, frowning the instant he saw it. “Please, let me help.”
I shook my head. “I can take care of it myself.” I bent down to rummage for my first aid kit but as soon as I moved my knee, a flash of pain radiated through my leg, causing me to lose my balance.
Luckily, the stranger had quite the set of reflexes. He had me in his arms, cradling me against his hard chest, preventing me from a fall.
Damn.
He was built like a wall, sturdy and concrete. And yet, he was somehow… comfortable. It felt… good… to be close to his chest like that. A deep warmth wrapped around me, making me feel safe and secure. All the worries I had coming into the forest melted away as soon as I was in his arms.
This was strange. Very strange.
Maybe I was dreaming or something.
Gently, he set me down, making sure I was comfortable before grabbing my bag, placing it next to me so I could search through it.
Of course, my first aid kit was at the very bottom.
I opened it up and, grabbing the needed materials to patch myself up.
“Sorry about Wolf. I just adopted him, so he’s not fully trained yet. Don’t worry
he’s as friendly as can be.” Affectionately, he rubbed the dog’s head, flopping his ears from side to side.
“I see…” I looked warily at the dog. He was covered in scars. He looked like a fighting dog and I had seen plenty of gruesome injuries from such dogs. I didn’t want to find myself in the emergency room.
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
“Not really.”
“Here, give him one of his treats. He’ll love you for it.” Subtly he passed a treat into my hand.
The dog was already hyper alert after hearing the word treat. Not trained? Well, he certainly knew what that word meant. He looked up at me and cocked his head.
I looked away.
A second later, he jumped on top of me and tackled me to the ground. He searched every inch of me his wet nose. I tensed, growing rigid, thinking he was about to attack me. Instead, he found the treat in my hand and barked, waiting for me to give it to him.
He sat down patiently, tail thumping against the ground.
“Well, go on, it’s rude to keep him waiting.” The man said.
I sat back up, trying to regain my composure.
The dog gently pawed at my hand, reminding me to hurry up. I finally uncurled my fingers, offering him the treat.
He carefully scooped it up with his tongue and ran off with it.
The man chuckled. “I’m glad I adopted him. He’s a good dog. Been keeping me company.”
“I see. He’s definitely… big.”
“Or, maybe you’re just small.” He countered with a wink. “Now, let me help you with that cut. I would hate to see it infected.” He took the bandages from my hand also with the disinfectant. “This might sting a little.”
“I know.”
“You can hold onto me if you want.”
“Okay.” Hesitantly, I placed my hands on his shoulder for support.
I gasped as soon as the cold liquid hit my skin.
“Ouch.” My fingers tightened on his shoulders.
“You okay?”
“Just keep going,” I said through my teeth as the wound fizzled in reaction to the hydrogen peroxide. “You’ve gone this far, you might as well finish the job.”
He nodded. “A tough girl, I like that.” He poured on a little bit more before applying a healing salve. When he was done, he carefully wrapped up my knee. I could tell that he had done this kind of thing before.
Maybe that was his angle: the sexy park ranger that helps damsels in distress. Or, at least that’s what he says before he kidnaps them and brings them to his sex dungeon. My mind went into overdrive once again.
I promised myself I would stop getting so carried away. Who knows, maybe I had just met a genuinely a nice guy.
“Alright, all set. How does that feel.”
I stretched out my leg. “It feels fine.”
“Good.” He said with a smile. “I’m glad I could help.”
We fell into silence as he got up, looking like he was about to leave. “Sorry about Wolf. I didn’t think he was going to run off like that. I apologize if he scared you.”
“It’s alright,” I said, getting back on my feet. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“Jasper. Yours?”
“Mandy.”
“Mandy…” He repeated. “Well, be careful out here. The woods can be a dangerous place for those who lose their way.”
Without another word, he left.
I stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. A part of me felt like I had just dreamt up the whole thing.
For the next few hours, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. My tall, dark and mysterious stranger with shining blue eyes that made an elusive chill run down my spine.
Did I just meet a genuinely nice, not to mention ruggedly handsome, guy and miss the boat?
I guess I’ll never find out.
Chapter 4 (Jasper)
I couldn’t stop thinking about that girl as soon as I left her.
She was beautiful. A stone-cold stunner.
Her hair had been a flawless chestnut color, delicately framing her face, accentuating her high cheekbones. She wore no makeup, attesting to her natural beauty. Her curves gave her that perfect coke-bottle hourglass that every man’s dreams are made of. You didn’t see many girls like her anymore.
Then again, I didn’t see much of anyone living in the mountains.
Beside me, Wolf pranced from tree to tree, leaving his mark. For such a big and intimidating looking dog, he was turning out to be quite the teddy bear. When I saw him at the shelter, I had fallen in love with him instantly.
He was tucked away in the corner of his cell, looking miserable. When I approached the gate, he instantly perked up, bounding over to me, tail wagging a mile a minute.
It was a match watching to happen.
I had hoped he would be a good hunting dog, but he didn’t quite like giving back the birds I shot down. I guess we would work on it. After all, I had all the time in the world.
Together, we made it back to my cottage.
I headed for the kitchen, pouring some dog food into his bowl. He eagerly devoured it before lapping at his water, spilling most of it on the ground. I shook my head. “You’re lucky I like you,” I said as I grabbed a rag and mopped up the wet floor.
As I did, he licked my face, getting slobber all over me.
“We’re going to have to teach you some discipline, young man.” I chided in a playful tone.
He took that as his opportunity to pounce on me.
We rolled around on the floor and I laughed, “It looks like you need to blow off some energy. Come on, we can go for a run.”
From what I had been told, his previous owners sounded like goddamn idiots.
Just thinking about him in a dogfight made my blood boil. No creature deserved that, especially when its only purpose was for the exploitation of money. It made me sick.
Money really does make the world go down.
I had learned that firsthand.
Wolf grew impatient, butting his head against my leg. “Alright, alright. I’m going.” I grabbed my running shoes and slipped into them. I left my jacket behind. With the sun soaring overhead, I wouldn’t need it.
As soon as I opened the door, Wolf rushed past me, already running full speed toward the ravine.
“Wolf!” I called out, but he didn’t listen.
Sighing, I chased after him. I had to run full pelt to catching up.
We carried on until we reached a clearing.
Panting hard and bent over I looked up for Wolf. He had started barking.
There she was again, this time, setting up camp.
Wolf ran right up to her, jumping all over her unmade tent, destroying any progress she might have made.
I chuckled. “I’m so sorry ma’am. He really seems to like you.”
“And you’re starting to get a little bit creepy just popping up out of nowhere.” She said, standing there with her hand on her hip, looking slightly annoyed. Well, we did just destroy her home for the night.
“Let me make it up to you by helping you with your tent.”
“I don’t need help.”
“You’re quite the stubborn one, aren’t you?”
Her lips pursed into a tight line. “If you’re just going to patronize me, I’m not really in the mood for it.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to offend you.”
She sighed. “It’s not your fault. I just… things have been hard lately. I thought I would come out here to be alone…”
“Oh, right. Sorry. I can understand that. If you want me to leave, I’ll go.” I stepped backward, grabbing hold of Wolf to drag him away with me.
“No.” She called out. “Well, I really do need help with the tent. It’s been a while…”
