She was the youngest officer in the small town to become such a professional. Unfortunately, there was only so much idealism could get you in life and Ingrid soon discovered the hard way, that sometimes getting both sides of a story wasn’t enough.
At first, she had enjoyed being able to help people, assist in any way possible. But there was a difference between helping someone, and swaying that person’s favor. Opinions once sealed in stone were the hardest to break and it didn’t matter how much evidence there was to prove someone’s innocence.
Once a side of the story leaked out and first impressions set, people picked sides and stuck to them with a frightening resolve that had left Ingrid locking her door at night and staying up until the early hours of the morning.
She had only done her job…
That wouldn’t be enough, it seemed.
Soon, it became almost impossible to walk around without having someone throw you a scathing look for helping a man walk out of jail. Even her own co-workers hated her, or so she believed.
There was only one of them… her name was Linda. She seemed to be the only one who really cared.
“You know,” Linda had said one afternoon at the firm.
“You should disappear…”
Ingrid blinked up at her startled. The blonde shook her head fervently, wiping away some juice from her lip.
She placed her can of orange tang down before leaning over the dark haired woman’s desk, “I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, take a sojourn… like just take a break from this god-forsaken town, y’know?”
“I can’t do that, Linda,” Ingrid sighed, returning to the appeal forms now blotted in ink.
“There’s too much to be done.”
“And what reward is that getting you, eh?” Linda stressed, reaching over to press a hand over Ingrid’s wrist. Ingrid blinked up, looking into Linda’s concerned baby blues.
“When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep?”
Ingrid frowned lightly, before looking away and returning to her writing.
“It hardly matters… if I were a man, things would be different.”
“But you’re not, Ingrid.” Linda said, taking another sip of her fruity beverage and glancing out the woman’s window.
“I have this cabin… up in the woods. Way up in rich man’s land, if you know what I mean… no one around here would bother you and it’s far enough away that you could find some peace of mind.”
“Linda, I told you I can’t—”
The other woman shook her head, “Just think about it okay? I’m worried about you.”
Ingrid watched her friend give her a strained smile before leaving and for a while she honestly hoped that she wouldn’t need to. But of course… things couldn’t be easy and they wouldn’t get better.
It had taken several more broken windows and hurtful messages to make Ingrid consider the idea of taking a break, lay low, maybe have an extended vacation until things cooled down.
But in all actuality, who knew how long it would take? Three weeks and she put in a word with her boss, asked for a vacation and surprisingly, the man said yes.
“Perhaps it’s best if you do leave town for a little while,” Craigson had said, rubbing at the stress lines on his forehead.
“Maybe then the press will cut us a break.”
“Wait—you mean this whole situation is because of me?” Ingrid asked, baffled. “You were the one who told me to take that case! How is any of this my fault?”
The older man sighed, “No one said anything about fault, Liander. But for some strange reason you seem to be the obvious scapegoat everyone wants to take out.”
“I helped an innocent man out of death row!”
Craigson gave her a soft smile, “It takes more than that to prove his innocence. The public isn’t convinced… Take this vacation, Ingrid. Take as long as you possibly need… hopefully this whole thing will die down.”
There was a pained silence and Ingrid could feel tears threaten to burn her eyes and the force choke her throat. “…And if it doesn’t?”
Craigson’s words made the decision final. “That’s why I said hopefully.”
Chapter 2
Once someone is demonized, it literally takes thousands of miracles to set them free. Eventually, Ingrid packed her bags of everything she had, which fit in the trunk of her car—and left the town and followed the directions Linda had given her on a piece of paper and a harmless good luck.
It was somewhat cruel, seeing the sights as she left the familiar streets. She once had warmth here, had people who greeted her warmly and thanked her for her deeds.
Now… It seemed it took only one little switch before everyone turned against her.
Surprisingly enough, however, Ingrid didn’t cry and as she left the limits of the small city, she would dare say she even felt somewhat relieved.
Maybe this was what she needed… a chance to be away.
When Ingrid was finally within the road of the mountainous woods, she allowed herself to lower a window and pull her hair down. The knot of frazzled waves expanded around her shoulders and for the first time in a long time, Ingrid felt like she could breathe.
After some time, she allowed her hands to reach over to the radio and pop in an old CD and allowed herself to sing along to Bob Marley’s easy-going voice.
The sun had been high when she had left, and had sunk into the earth when she had arrived. The cabin was small, comfortable for a family of four, and spacious for her. She unlocked it, and was greeted by a small paper message that Linda must have left for her.
The place is yours for as long as you need! Make new adventures!
Ingrid rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, before entering the wooden sanctuary. After settling down, Ingrid sat on the squishy sofa, and allowed herself to dream of a world where things were a little bit different.
Chapter 3
“Where the hell is this stupid lake?”
A couple of days later, and the isolation was driving Ingrid insane. Which was, in it of itself, an amusing little situation because she had lived the past ten years on her own.
Even so, there was a difference.
Between living in a house where it was surrounded by noise… the sounds of cars and of people all around. The forest was quiet, tranquil… almost too tranquil.
“Can’t even get good TV here,” She grumbled to herself, stumbling over another rock in a winding trail.
In the past couple of days, Ingrid had kept herself busy, kept herself moving and doing something. She had even redecorated the place… a few times.
She wasn’t used to sleeping for so long and so sleeping in was hard to do when her body was already wired to shoot up at the mere mention of daylight.
Lucky for her, Linda had left her a few things for her to entertain herself with. A few choice movies to help her relax—like the latest action films, or at-home exercise videos—and directions to nearby hotspots where she could enjoy nature.
Hiking was never a forte, so traveling up one of the mountain peaks wasn’t up on her list. Supposedly, there was a zip line some ways away from the cabin but Ingrid had gotten lost several times trying to find the damn thing.
There were a few other things… like hot springs but that required driving and her car had all but run out of gas on the way here and she was saving every drop for the return home. Leaving only a large lake or the Estate of some rich guy living a few hundred acres away.
Lake it was.
And she had been walking for quite a while now…
“Next time I see you, Linda, I’m going to have to instruct you in the fine arts of cartography,” Ingrid sighed as she stared at the confusing arrows and scribbles on the paper in her hands.
“Where even am I?”
Ingrid turned around and looked at the way she came, staring at the tall sycamores and beech trees and seeing their leaves and needles rustle with each breeze.
Each gust of warm air brought forth a si
mple flavor of different scents that made up the woods around her and Ingrid allowed herself to take it in and calm down. She had been walking for about an hour, maybe two, and hadn’t had much luck.
Still, she was certain she knew her way back (she’d seen enough of Survivorman to know better than to leave traces or marks to help her) and she found herself caught between trudging on or calling it quits.
Go back… to what though? A lonely cabin and canned peaches?
Biting her lip, Ingrid glanced down at the poorly drawn map in her hands. She didn’t really have many options and she wasn’t too keen on heading back any time soon.
Plus, she was leaving little marks on the trees… she’d be able to find her way back if she gets too lost… right?
Ingrid took in a breath and looked back in the direction of the lake (or so she hoped it was) and set her shoulders.
A few more minutes of walking couldn’t hurt, even if hiking did suck… it was better than sitting around or following some trollop’s advice on how to do proper squats (honestly all the posturing is wrong).
It’s not like Ingrid was an expert or anything and she wasn’t particularly slim like the models on the video either. But maybe that’s what it was… all that slimness that insisted it was the real thing.
She wasn’t bitter, but she was certainly tired of being called a fat cow when she could very well outrun half the people at her own firm. She was bulky, yes. But she was strong and fit and big boned, and there was nothing wrong with that.
If anything, Ingrid was rather pleased with the fact she had a little extra on her bones. It made her feel like she didn’t have to hide in salads when she really wanted to chow down on a burger in order to save face.
“What I wouldn’t do for a burger right now, though.” She mused to herself, wistfully.
The cabin was fully stocked and had all the lovely things to cook, but if there was any therapy Ingrid needed, it was probably in a big juicy burger.
The sun was slightly lower in the sky after Ingrid made her final stumble over a rock. She nearly bit out a loud curse when she nearly landed on her face, but her irritation fell apart when she saw the telltale sign of a beach through the long figures of trees.
Making a relieved noise, the young twenty seven year old scrambled back to her feet and stuffed the stupid map in her pocket.
She paused over a sapling, quickly marking a large X with a red marker she kept in a back pocket, before nearly sprinting for the waterline.
The beach wasn’t particularly fantastic, but it did gape open into a beautiful view and a very large and still lake. The water was practically untouched and wide enough to reflect the raging colors of the blue sky above and the scenery below it.
For a solid minute, Ingrid was breathless and she caught herself vaguely wishing she was a photographer.
After a few minutes, Ingrid began to walk along the edge of the beach, daring to near the water and breathing in its fresh scent. It was somewhat murky and she knew the moisture in the air would make her hair frazzle again, but there was a genuine contentment in her chest.
“If only I had someone to share it with…” She muttered.
Ten years alone does a lot to a person’s self esteem… but a few burgers should cheer her up.
“First thing I’m doing when I head back home is getting Marl’s Jr.”
Hurrying back to the space where she had broken out of, Ingrid fastened a few rocks into a little pyramid—to remind here where to head back—before sliding out of her ankle boots and socks.
The sand was grainy and kind of hurt when she stepped but softened up considerably the closer she got to the edge where water lapped against the earth gently. She waded in, shivering when the water tugged its frosty kiss around her toes before reaching her ankles.
Ingrid smiled to herself, before realizing that just several feet away a small school of minnows were darting away from where she entered.
Beaming, she went after them, delighting in how her splashes sent them flashing away in displays of diamond turns before disappearing into the depths. This place was beautiful, and was easily becoming her favorite spot in the whole world.
Something in the distance let out a loud crack then, and Ingrid startled forward, spooked. It sounded like a thick branch being torn apart and it echoed around the edges of nature.
What the hell…?
Pushing away from the water, Ingrid waited in silence. Her feet were slightly pink from the chill of the water and the breeze felt colder over her calves but she dared not move for a moment.
Something pulled her then, that same daring that made her pursue difficult cases to find out the stories of her clients, made her ensure she had all the cards in her hands. She was curious, no doubt about it, but… then again she was alone.
Tons of stories of women going missing in the woods and never being seen again were common, to the point that after a few days no one would search for them anymore.
Who knew what kind of lowlife hung around the woods preying on people around here?
“The entire area is owned by some rich guy,” Linda had insisted when Ingrid had given her concerns about leaving.
“So no one is going to be there trespassing. I promise. It’s perfectly safe.”
“Wait… wouldn’t that mean I’m trespassing too?” Ingrid inquired.
Linda waved her off with a grin, “Nah. That cabin’s been owned by my family for generations. It’s actually one of the deals we have with the guy—not that I’ve ever met him, in fact all I know is that he’s a recluse and a very rich one at that—but he’s let us keep our cabin so long as we stay clear from him.”
“Yeah like that doesn’t sound fishy at all,” Ingrid said.
“Oh, would you just get going already?” Linda shooed her off.
“If it helps you feel any better there’s a ranger’s station not a mile away from where the cabin is. So if you’re really scared then you can go camp with them.”
Ingrid had disliked being accused of being scared.
After handling some of the hardest cases with some rough individuals in the past, Ingrid felt like she deserved to be renowned as someone fearless—lionhearted even—she was only being cautious.
Still the sound did seem odd in the middle of nowhere. Ingrid glanced back to where her shoes lay and back where she suspected where the sound came from.
Maybe it’s the rangers?
For all she knew that could be the source. Or it could be a bear.
As if. Bears hardly made noises like those and supposedly weren’t around this area at all.
Just some overgrown raccoon maybe, but that was it.
Wolf maybe?
That didn’t seem plausible either. Ingrid shifted her weight over her feet, antsy. She’d done it now. Hurrying back, she shook off the dirt and sand clinging to her wet skin before shoving on her socks and then her boots. It couldn’t hurt to go check it out right?
Ingrid pulled her hands up to her hair and pulled on the edges of her ponytail, fastening it tighter on her scalp.
With a nod to herself, she set off at a trot, hoping that whatever she found would be something that would be more interesting than terrifying.
Chapter 4
He could smell the fear as easily as he could smell the foreign sweat, the stink of addiction, the old haggard dip of rich cologne. It was impossibly disgusting, and even as he wished to dip his nose somewhere else, he had a job to do.
The groans and whines coming from the man struggling against his grip were constant and annoying, but nothing he wasn’t expecting.
If anything it was downright insulting. As if all the injuries and the pain he had endured had been caused by a pathetic sobbing man rather than the beast he had been wanting to rip apart for years.
“You know,” He began speaking to himself, “I was really expecting more.”
He gave another yank and his captive stumbled to his knees. The tied man let out a weak groan before attempting to stand
up. He didn’t give the pathetic man a chance.
With a kick to the lesser man’s thigh, the tied up male fell to the ground, howling against the tight gag between his teeth.
His captor shook his head as he watched the man try to wriggle away.
All it took was a simple press of a boot to his throat to stop him squirming. “I wondered if your kind had even an ounce of dignity but here we are… and you’re as pathetic as dying dog.”
After a pause and panicked wheezing from his captive, the bigger man looked around, barely seeing the edge of the lake through the thick curtain of trees around them. This was a good spot.
With a snort he glanced back down, committing the sight to memory. Mangled hair, and a black blindfold covered the man’s eyes but wasn’t enough to hold back the trail of dirt stained tears running down his cheeks and soaking into the blood covered gag.
Stubble covered the man’s jaw like moss on a tree and barely bothered to hide the throbbing pulse against his neck.
“Where I come from, we usually allow those who are about to pass on,” he had to step a little harder against the man’s neck when he let out a particularly loud whine.
“A final view of their surroundings and maybe even look up at the sky for a little while. But you hardly deserve the courtesy.”
The weaker man struggled again, tried to shove him off, but the knots around his wrists were tight and there was no way he could considering his wounds. It was almost pitiful.
“I will tell you what though,” he continued, running a hand through thick brown hair.
“There’s a half-moon over us… that should tell you all the kind of mercy I’m willing to offer you. For your last sight I mean.” Easily, he stooped down before nudging his fingers beneath the blindfold and pushing them off.
He was met with wide, blinking eyes and a look of desperation.
Romance: The Lion's Chosen Mate: BBW Lion Shifter Romance Standalone (Hunky Shifters Book 1) Page 9
