Chapter 2: A State Away

Autumn turns up the music in her car and tries not to think as she drives to her office. She wants to be someplace safe, and the security at the B.E.B.W (Better Environment Better World) is top-tear.

There’s no way her boss is going to appreciate Autumn sleeping on her office couch, but what he doesn’t know won’t kill him. He’s off on Fridays, same as her, so she doesn’t have to worry about explaining the necessity of her stay to him.

Autumn pulls into the parking garage at the office and scans her badge to open the gates. The building will be her sanctuary and she will figure things out in the quiet of her office. She pulls into her spot and grabs two bags before heading inside.

The office is nearly empty, as she expected it would be. Most of her co-workers are out on jobs or working from home, so she doesn’t have to endure any small talk as she marches to her private space. Autumn closes the door behind her and drops everything on the couch before flopping down on it herself.

She cradles her head in her hands while looking at the floor. “What a mess,” she whispers. Autumn can’t believe what’s going on. All of her plans for the future are now turned upside down.

She jolts up as her phone starts ringing. Another groan escapes her as she recognizes her father’s ringtone. “May as well get it over with,” she huffs while answering his call.

Autumn doesn’t even get to say ‘hello’ before her dad starts in on her.

“What’s going on? Brett called and said he’s detaining Dustin. Your brother told me that walking piece of sh*t was assaulting you. Is that true?” her father asks at breakneck speed.

Autumn was prepared for the questions but not for the worried tone in her father’s voice. “Dad, I’m fine. Yes, Brett arrested Dustin because he grabbed my wrist a little too hard, but I’m fine, really.”

The mention of her arm causes it to start throbbing and Autumn winces as she moves her phone to her other ear. Her dad sighs loudly on the other end of the call. Autumn knows he’s disappointed and trying not to say the words ‘I told you so’.

“You need to press charges and file a police report. People can just snap, you know. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he says in a calmer tone than before.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do right now,” Autumn replies, looking around her office. “I’m sitting at work contemplating my next move. I don’t know that I need to go as far as to press charges,” she adds.

“Are you trying to kill your mother? She wouldn’t be able to handle it if she lost one of her children,” her father scolds.

Autumn tries to hold back the annoyance in her voice. “Really, Dad? I’m trying to deal with the situation right now and you want to guilt trip me?” So, maybe she didn’t hold back as much as she could have. There’s no way she’s going to mention Dustin’s death threat now.

Silence on the other end of the line causes her to ask if he’s still there.

“Yes, I'm here,” he answers. “If you need anything, give your mom and me a call. I’ll let you go so you can figure things out,” he concludes before saying he loves her and hanging up.

Autumn decides to head to the break room to grab an ice pack out of the freezer. She returns to her office to find Nick, her boss, waiting by her desk.

“What are you doing here?” she asks with a hint of panic. She’s had enough of today and was hoping to be left alone.

Nick looks at her bags sitting on her couch and back at her. “I was going to ask you the same thing,” he says while eyeing the ice pack in her hand. His gaze lands on her swollen wrist. “What happened?”

Autumn decides she needs to tell him everything. Nick and she went to school together. They were never part of the same social circles but knew of one another. Dustin went to school with them too, and he started dating Autumn in their Senior year in high school.

Nick listens as she talks, but it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking. Other than his eyebrows going up a few times, the man is a rock of emotions. Autumn finishes her story, letting it slip that Dustin threatened her life. She actually tears up a few times while telling Nick what happened, but she doesn’t allow herself to have a complete breakdown in front of him.

Autumn’s a little shocked when Nick doesn’t say anything. She watches as he walks out of her office and over to his own. He returns a few minutes later with a very thick file in hand. Nick drops it down with a heavy thud on her desk before turning around to face her.

“This is the file for Winter Wolves Sanctuary in Northern Michigan. It’s owned and run by one Blake Winter,” he says while leaning against her desk. “I can’t do much about your situation, but I can provide an out for you until things blow over.”

Autumn nods at him but doesn’t dare interrupt. She knows he’s doing her a favor, and she will have to remember to pick him out an expensive bottle of Whisky for the holidays.

Nick taps the top of the file with his knuckles. “Connie is their requested inspector, but she’s off in Yellowstone for the next month evaluating their Gray Wolves for this rogue virus. I need you to go to Winter Wolves Sanctuary in her place and do a full evaluation of the pack.”

Up till now, she’s gone onsite at local animal rescues, aquariums, and the zoo. Her Bachelor of Science in wildlife conservation allows her to assess a wide variety of animals and their habitats. There’s a real problem with a mutated canine distemper virus that’s wreaking havoc on Gray Wolves globally. She should be happy he’s only sending her to Michigan and not Europe.

Nick interrupts her thoughts as he walks toward the door. “I expect you’ll be working late in order to review this file. Head out first thing in the morning, I’ll send your portfolio to the sanctuary as soon as I can.”

“I’ll get right on it,” Autumn replies while walking over to her desk and sitting down. “And, Nick…Thanks,” she says with an apologetic smile.

Her boss turns around and returns her smile, lighting up his entire face. “Don’t mention it. I was here on my day off to find a replacement and I found you. Some things are just meant to be. Now I’m going home.”

As soon as Nick is out of sight, Autumn opens the thick file to find Blake Winter’s picture looking back at her. His steel gray eyes send a shiver down her spine. His features are chiseled and his jet-black hair is perfect. Blake is an Adonis of a man and he reminds her of the models she finds on the covers of the romance novels she likes to read.

She takes a minute to text her little brother and let him know of her future plans. He replies with ‘good’ and tells her he will notify their parents, as apparently, she upset their father earlier on their call.

Turning her attention back to the stunning headshot of her new client she can’t help but imagine herself in the middle of one of her romance novels. She would play the part of the stunningly beautiful woman running from an abusive boyfriend. Blake is the strapping hero who would do anything to protect her.

Autumn sighs. “One can dream,” she says to the empty room.