The Girl in the Woods


 
 
 
 
 THE GIRL IN THE WOODS
 
 A Misted Pines Novel
 Book 2
 
 
 
 
 KRISTEN ASHLEY
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This book is a work of fiction. Any reference to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
 
 
 Copyright© 2023 by Kristen Ashley
 
 
 All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights. If you would like to use material from this book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained. Please address Rock Chick Press, 4340 East Indian School Road, Suite 21-413, Phoenix, Arizona, 85016, USA.
 Cover Image: Pixel Mischief Design
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Contents
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Authors’ Note
 
 
 Author’s Caution
 
 
 
 
 1. The Last One
 
 
 2. Lore
 
 
 3. Blaze of Glory
 
 
 4. Ivory and Cream
 
 
 5. Give a Shit
 
 
 6. Filled His Soul
 
 
 7. Your Wins
 
 
 8. Unicorn Heads
 
 
 9. Ever Created
 
 
 10. Twice-Baked Potato
 
 
 11. Done Fighting It
 
 
 12. Official Capacity
 
 
 13. Not A Subject
 
 
 14. The U S of Fucking A
 
 
 15. Because I’m Here
 
 
 16. I’m Not Scared
 
 
 17. Hawkins
 
 
 18. Justice for Brittanie
 
 
 19. Born This Way
 
 
 20. Pumpkin
 
 
 21. Pearl Buckle
 
 
 22. On My Way
 
 
 23. Fetish
 
 
 24. Keycard
 
 
 25. Be Good
 
 
 26. Seeley Booth
 
 
 27. Tracks
 
 
 28. Two-Point-Seven Stars
 
 
 29. Mashup
 
 
 30. Golf Cart
 
 
 31. Cunning Queen
 
 
 32. Man-to-Man
 
 
 33. Vixen
 
 
 34. Rhodonite
 
 
 35. Or, Alternatively…Alive
 
 
 36. Time to Think
 
 
 37. There
 
 
 38. Daddy
 
 
 39. Terrific
 
 
 40. I Passed?
 
 
 41. Ride It Out and Keep Sharp
 
 
 42. The Hammer
 
 
 43. The Cave
 
 
 44. Pure
 
 
 45. Scotch
 
 
 46. Aftermath
 
 
 Epilogue
 
 
 
 
 Discussion/Reflection Questions
 
 
 Try More Kristen Ashley Suspense
 
 
 For You
 
 
 About the Author
 
 
 Also by Kristen Ashley
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Authors’ Note
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 By Kristen Ashley
 
 
 There once was a time, at Hoss’s Family Steak and Sea, off some exit somewhere in Pennsylvania, when two women were trapped by a raging storm and seduced by a salad bar.
 At that time, I shared an idea kicking around in my head about an FBI agent and the no-nonsense owner of a gentleman’s club.
 I didn’t think it’d go anywhere.
 And then one of those women said, “You could put this in the Misted Pines series.”
 That woman, by the way, was not me.
 It was gray and blustering outside, but in Hoss’s Family Steak and Sea, where the chicken tenders are better than at a carnival, the skies opened up over my head and a light shone down.
 I loved Misted Pines. I wanted to spend more time there. It’s weird and creepy and seething at the same time it’s a beautiful oasis of safety. I wanted to explore.
 But Celeste wasn’t ready. I wasn’t feeling Harry yet. And the twins were too young. I also thought every book had to be in the heroine’s voice.
 I was wrong.
 Thus, Rus and Cin, who would have been just another hero and heroine clamoring around in my head 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Author’s Caution
 
 
 
 
 
 In this book, the narrative includes frank discussions of sexual assault and violence that might be distressing for some readers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ONE
 
 
 The Last One
 
 
 
 
 
 Standing in the doorway staring at a dead woman, Zachariah Lazarus knew this case was going to be his last.
 He’d lost his wife to this.
 He couldn’t drop everything, fly five hours, drive for two and a half, stand in the doorway of a room and assume responsibility for another lost soul.
 He’d see to her. If he caught a break, he’d find the twisted mess of a human being who was behind it, and he’d put him out of commission. If he didn’t, he’d uncover everything he could and leave it for the next guy to use when he stood in a door and stared at a life ended in a grim and tragic way, hoping like hell he’d catch a break.
 But Rus was done.
 He was heavy with this shit. Struggling to breathe under a boulder he carried, which grew bigger and bigger, threatening to crush him.
 He took a single step into the room, fighting against that weight he’d carried for years but only