Lost In The Woods

The radio crackled with a call from the ranger station. A ranger would be up soon to take over for them. They were needed in town to testify at a hearing about what they saw at the lake.

When the ranger station signed off Jill said, "Damn! I wanted to sleep with you tonight Meg."

Meg smiled a wicked smile and grasp her friend's braid, "They'll have to put us up in a hotel. I don't think they'll watch us like the high school did on band trips. Don't worry Jillie, I'll think of something. You couldn't want to sleep with me any more than I want to sleep with you." She pulled her friend into a soft kiss. "We'd better pack an overnight bag."

Jill smiled and blushed, "Yes Mistress Meg. Right away."

The two dressed in blue jeans and blouses for the ride out and packed dresses for their appearance in court, then they puttered around making sure that everything was clean and ready for the ranger who would take over for them.

~~~~~

Kim and I were both exhausted after the previous day and night and all the tension of being attacked by Roger and Lenny again. We fell into bed together and went to sleep after only a couple of kisses.

I was a little amazed that Kim insisted we sleep nude. She said, "I want as little as possible between us." She held my hand over her breast and started softly snoring.

I thought about what she said. I had to agree that spooning with her was very nice. It struck me that she fully intended for me to take her home with me. As far as she was concerned it was a done deal. I smiled to myself, it wasn't a bad deal, not bad at all. Shortly after that I drifted off. For some reason I wasn't worried about our court appearance in the morning.

~~~~~

We were startled out of sleep by a loud pounding on my door. I rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. I glanced at the clock, It was six AM for God's sake! I looked thru the spy eye and it was Francis. I opened the door and said, "Good Morning!"

She said, "There you are! Why didn't you answer your door? Where's Kimberly?"

I asked, "Are you a lawyer?"

She looked at me like I had two heads. "Yes, why?"

"You should know not to ask a question you don't want to know the answer to."

She frowned at me, "Why aren't you worried?"

"Because until a minute ago she was snuggled up to me in bed. She's perfectly safe."

She stomped her foot, "God damn it! Why couldn't you two have taken the hint and stayed in separate rooms!"

Kim stepped from behind me wearing nothing but my sweatshirt. "Because I'm not going to be separated from Seth, period. He saved my life several times and I don't feel safe unless he's where I can see him and touch him. You're going to have to put me in jail to get me away from him! ... Now why don't you come in while we dress. You can wait in Seth's room." She escorted Francis in and thru the door adjoining our two rooms. She came back and started to dress. She fussed, "I don't have anything to wear. I have my slut clothes and the hiking clothes you bought me." She stopped and looked at me.

I kissed her on the forehead. "Sweetheart, dress in the hiking clothes. We'll get Francis to take us shopping and buy you a dress and some shoes if you need them." I dropped the sweatpants and started dressing. I glanced at the clock, it was now six-thirty. Kim came in and tried to comb her hair while I shaved. I gave her some of my hair gel. "I know it's not exactly made for your hair but it'll have to do until we get you some toiletries."

She used quite a lot then combed her hair. When she finished she said, "It works pretty well!"

When I looked her hair was combed straight but it looked clean and silky.

She said, "I don't know how you like it styled..."

I said, "For right now, I'd like to see it braided. Women with a braid look so sexy. I also like pony tails."

She smiled, "Braided it is. Why don't you bring Francis in before she blows a gasket."

I chuckled and left to retrieve our overseer.

When she saw us she exclaimed, "This will never do! You need to change into something suitable for court!"

I sat her in the chair. "Francis. Let me explain something. I was planning on a two week camping trip and then going back home. I didn't bring a suit or tie or any of that stuff. Kim escaped from Roger and Lenny two weeks ago, running for her life with just the clothes on her back. When I bought her clothes I bought her clothes for hiking and camping. Unless we have time to do some shopping we are going dressed like this. Now when do we have to be in court?"

Francis worried her bottom lip and said, "We have to be in court at eight-thirty."

I nodded, "So there are no stores open. We'll have to go into court dressed like this. Let's go eat breakfast."

I stood her up and escorted her and Kim to the restaurant. Kim and I had pancakes, eggs and sausage with coffee. Francis had coffee and fidgeted while we ate.

About half way thru breakfast Kim said, "Francis lighten up. You'll get an ulcer the way you're going."

Francis sighed, "It's just that I want to nail Roger Maynard's hide to the wall. I've seen several of the girls he's thrown away. You can't imagine how bad it is."

Kim looked her in the eye. "Oh yes I can. I was one of those girls for nine months. It seems like an eternity living a nightmare."

Francis blushed, "Yes, I guess you do know."

We got to court in plenty of time. Kim and I sat side by side holding hands.

Francis asked, "How can you two be so calm!"

Kim answered, "There isn't anything we can do about what's going to happen. We have to just wait. Holding Seth's hand just feels right and calms me."

I was put on the stand first. I gave a narrative of how things happened from my point of view.

When I finished the judge said, "I don't understand how you could get the drop on him when he had a gun held to your head."

I answered, "First he gave me an order that had my hands moving up toward the gun anyway. Then he was distracted by shots from down by the lake. It was easy to take the gun away from him. I suggest you ask one of your bailiffs about it."

The judge turned and said, "Samuels?"

Samuels answered, "Judge, when we're training we're taught to keep our target away from us. If they are too close you can't react fast enough to keep them from taking the weapon away from you. If the gun was to Mr McKenzie's head then Mr. Maynard was way too close. We call it our bubble. If a target breaks your bubble you shoot or you'll be on the other end of your own weapon."

The judge said, "Really!"

Samuels nodded, "Yes Your Honor."

I was on the stand for about another forty-five minutes then it was Kim's turn.

There was a lot of probing about how she came to be with me at the lake.

At one point the prosecutor asked, "So you went back to the camping area to lure Mr Maynard to the lake."

Kim said, "No. We went back to the lake so we could see him coming if he tried to attack us again. He did. He went to a lot of trouble to try to kill us."

The prosecutor continued. "So you saw Lenny and you shot him without warning?"

Kim's face tightened and she said, "No. I gave him many warnings as I backed up toward the lake. Only when I had my back to the lake and couldn't go any further and he kept coming then I shot him."

"Was he really that big a threat? I mean you had a gun."

"Yeah I had a gun! And I ended up with his knife stuck in my thigh! It was that close!"

"Surely you could have given him one more chance?"

That really torqued Kim off. She shouted, "You'd rather I was dead instead of Lenny! That's what would have happened if I gave him one more step! He... He said ... He said he was going to fuck Sasha and Bernice in my still warm guts!" She broke down crying.

The judge brought his gavel down. "That's enough! You're badgering this witness! She's not on trial this is a preliminary hearing. Besides we've already heard Samuels tell us about safety bubbles."

The prosecutor apologized to the judge.

When the judge stared at him and jerked his head toward Kim the prosecutor apologized to her.

When Kim regained her composure the judge said, "I want to ask some questions. Ms. Noland, I thought you were married to Mr Maynard?"

"I thought I was too, until about a week ago the first time Roger and Lenny attacked us. He told us that the marriages were all a sham. He had fake marriages with Sasha and Bernice too."

"Can you tell me how Mr. Maynard ended up in the fire?"

"No sir, I was down at the lake. He was out cold when I made it back to camp. His back was already burned."

"How did you know Mr. Weinstein was too close? It seems like that would take practice."

She smiled, "It does. Seth, I mean Mr. McKenzie, made me practice every day. Even then I almost let Lenny get too close to me."

"I see. So you expected to be attacked."

"Truthfully, yes. Mr. McKenzie was amazed at how fast Roger and Lenny made bail. He suspected that someone from the district attorney's office in Klamath Falls passed the information on where we were going to them. So we practiced for the worst."

"Who treated your wounds?"

Kim smiled, "Mr. McKenzie treated them. The nurse in the hospital said he did a good job."

Kim finished her testimony and we had to wait under supervision while Sasha, Bernice, Roger, Ranger Stevens and several of the investigators testified. I was surprised when they escorted two young women into the courtroom.

Kim nudged me in the ribs. "Who do you think they are?

I whispered back, "I don't know, maybe the girls from the fire tower."

We were all taken to a restaurant for lunch. Stevens introduced the two young ladies, they were indeed the fire tower watchers. They blushed when he introduced us.

Kim smiled and said, "We knew you were watching the second week. We hoped you'd be watching in case Roger and Lenny tried again."

Megan said, "We were so afraid for you when he came after you with that knife. I'm so afraid of guns!"

Kim said, "I was too. Then Seth made me learn how to handle one safely. He said it was more dangerous not knowing what to do. His training saved my life!"

Jill was worrying her lip with her teeth. "I guess that makes sense, at least you know how to not shoot yourself."

At the end of the day Roger was jailed without bail. The prosecutor talked about housing Sasha, Bernice and Kim together until the trial. Kim pitched a fit until they agreed and she could come home with me. Sasha and Bernice ended up in a drug rehab facility.

We had several visits from investigators where Kim told them everything she could about Roger's little enterprise.

~~~~~

We lived together for almost eight months before Roger's trial in Medford, the trial in Klamath Falls was canceled. We testified at the trial. Roger was convicted of attempted murder and multiple counts of pandering. It seems like he would "marry" a group of women and turn them into prostitutes. Then he'd turn a group of three or four over to a keeper. The keeper ran the women and was paid out of the money he collected. There were three such groups. Roger was the one that charmed the women in the first place. Like Lenny the keepers didn't have the personality to charm the women on their own. Roger got twenty-five years in prison, he'll be eligible for parole in fifteen years.

Epilogue

After the trial I asked Kim to marry me, for real this time. Of course she said yes. We were married on a sunny morning in July.

When I asked her where she wanted to honeymoon she didn't hesitate. "Up at the lake."

That's how we got here, hiking up the trail side-by-side toward the lakes. Of course I have the side near the drop off. We chatted about good things as we hiked.

When we stopped to eat lunch she got wistful. "This is where you saved my life the first time..." She gave me a long soft kiss. Then she shocked me. "Seth, I want to have your children. The decision is yours but I'd really like to be a mother."

I kissed her, "I'd like that, you'll be a great mother."

"When should I stop taking the pills," she asked?

I replied, "Now."

She squealed and hugged me. "I was hoping you'd say that!"

We finished the hike and set up camp. I sent her to the lake for water. While she was gone I taped a big banner to the side of our tent that faced the lookout tower. It said in letters a foot high, "JUST MARRIED."

Kim broke down laughing and spilled the water when she came back to camp.

I said, "I wouldn't want them to get the wrong idea."

We went back to the lake and fished in the nude and just sunbathed on the big flat rock. It was a good day and a good night.

~~~~~

In the fire watch tower Jill hollered, "Megan come quick! They're back!"

"What are they doing!" Megan grabbed her binoculars and rushed to the window.

"They're married," Jill exclaimed! "Look on the tent!"

Megan laughed, "Well they certainly know we're watching." She ran her hand lightly over Jill's ass. "I'll bet they don't know we're naked too!"

"If you do that much more Mistress, I'll melt into a quivering puddle." Jill panted, lowering her binoculars.

~~~~~

The next day we were fishing and saw frantic flashing from the fire tower. We put on some shorts and tee-shirts. About ten minutes later Ranger Stevens rode into camp followed by Bernice.

Bernice was looking much better. She'd finished rehab and had a job. She gave me a hug and thanked me for rescuing her twice. Somehow she'd hooked up with Ranger Stevens.

Bernice and Kim started talking. Bernice told her that Sasha was still in rehab. She had severe psychological problems and was committed to an institution. Bernice relayed what Sasha told her. "All she said to me was, 'They won't give me any happy pills either.'"

Ranger Stevens said, "Megan and Jill," he pointed to the tower, "Send their congratulations to go with mine and Bernice's."

Bernice hugged Kim and then she hugged me. "Thank you again for rescuing Sasha and me. Now I have my own knight in shining armor." She released me and glommed onto Kent's arm. He blushed.

Kim was the one who noticed the ring on Bernice's finger. She squealed and hugged Bernice.

I said, "I guess congratulations are in order for you too."

He said, "Yeah, I guess so. She's really a great girl. She makes me feel warm all the way thru."

I nodded, "I know what you mean."

He noticed the banner on the side of the tent and laughed.

I said, "I didn't want them to be surprised. I don't think they could be shocked after last year. It is Megan and Jill back in the tower, right?"

He grinned, "Yup. I think you sparked something. I think there might be something going on up there but there isn't anyway to sneak up on them and find out for sure."

Bernice punched him in the arm. "You leave those two alone. What will be will be."

Kent laughed and gathered her in his arms. "As you say, it's their business." He slapped her on her ass. "Still you shouldn't be sassing me."

Bernice blushed bright red. "Yes Kent, I apologize and await my punishment."

Kim said, "Bernie, come sit by the fire and tell me how you two got together." She made a cup of tea for each of them.

I started to stroll off toward the lake. Kent followed me. I just waited and sure enough he started talking.

"You're probably wondering about Bernice and me. I guess it happened for me the second time we had to come up here, when I bandaged her hand. It hit me how much she'd been abused by those two. ... Inside I was cheering when you knocked that asshole off the mule."

"If you're happy I'm glad. Bernice seemed to be sort of like Kim, trapped by that ass Roger. I was a little leery of her because of the drugs but it looks like she's off them now. She seems like a nice girl. She kept Sasha from braining me with a branch last year."

He sighed, "She is a nice girl. She's really into this submissive thing. God the things she does for me..."

I said, "Yeah, I know. And the things she does to you. If she's anything like Kim ... well it's fantastic!"

He barked a short laugh, "You can say that again. Jesus, she cooks and cleans and is always so sweet. She always looks good, clean and neat. Her hair is always brushed and shiny."

I smiled, "I know, it's a real rush. I think Kim has a bit of exibitionist in her. She likes putting on a show for the girls in the tower. At home she's very circumspect, out here she lets out the wild child."

He said, "I'll have to try camping with Bernice. How do you think she'll take it?"

"As a first guess, I think she'll do fine as long as you're with her. Try to teach her things. Explain why you are doing things. Kim really seems to like it. The two times Bernice has been up here, Kim and I took care of her. She probably has good associations with tents and sleeping bags. Both times she and Sasha were forced to hike up here on high heels. That must have been agony! Then Roger and Lenny left them in the forest alone at night. Once in the rain. As long as you're there to make her feel warm and safe she'll be fine."

He chuckled, "Yeah, that's sort of my read too. What do you think about the girls in the tower?"

I smiled, "They're not the only ones with binoculars. It looks like they run around naked most of the time. At least topless. The rail makes it hard to tell sometimes."

He grinned, "Oh really! That's interesting. They were really interested in you and Kim last year."

I laughed, "And we're trying to keep them interested this year. We've been fishing and sunbathing au-natural. They were kind enough to flash us with a mirror to let us know you were coming."

He laughed too. "That was nice of them. So they're running around naked. Very interesting!"

~~~~~

Bernice asked Kim, "How do you know how to do all this? I wouldn't know where to begin."

Kim looked up from pouring the tea, "I didn't know anything either but I watched Seth. He's never been mad at me for asking him why he does something. He's really good at explaining things and really patient with me."

Bernice said, "Well why does he insist on hanging that bag so high in the tree, for example."

Kim grinned, "Seth says it's to keep the wild animals from getting to our food and to keep them out of the camp. I wasn't sure until we actually heard a bear whuffing in the dark. I think it was the second time Roger attacked us."

Bernice shuddered, "Yeah, I remember. I almost pissed myself realizing that Sasha and I were out there all alone before Seth came and got us. I was so glad I kept Sasha from braining him, so glad I was safe back in your camp. What else?"

"I watched him make a fire. One morning I made the fire before he woke. It took me a while but I finally got the fir sticks right."

"What the hell is a fir stick and where do you find them?"

"You don't find them you make them." Kim pulled a thin branch out of the kindling pile and showed Bernice how to shave the stick to look like a small pine tree. "It's dry so it burns really fast and lights the bigger sticks of kindling. You make three or four of them and arrange them in a small teepee. Then you carefully lay the larger kindling over the top as close as you can. When it's done you put a match under the little teepee and it lights the whole fire. Watch." She took the fir stick and tossed it into the fire where it flared up and was quickly gone.

Bernice asked, "Can you teach me how to do it?"

Kim looked at her carefully, "Ask Kent to teach you. He'll like that. ... You like him don't you?"

She blushed, "Only about as much as you like Seth. He's been a perfect gentleman. He won't touch me and I'm getting really frustrated!"

"I thought you lived with him," Kim said.

"I do but he makes me sleep in his spare bedroom. It's like he's afraid I'll break or run screaming from him! I don't know what to do."

"You mean you've not had sex with him!"