CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
My scream was stifled by the bone-chilling fingers that pressed against my mouth. I thrashed in the cold grip as I was being dragged backward. My feet bounced over the uneven, stick-covered ground and I had an idea. I waited for a particularly thin, long one and slammed both feet against it.
The resounding crack rang across the clearing.
My captor released me just as Ben shot out of the shack. His eyes were ablaze with fury and fear, especially when they noticed me stumble toward him from further down the path. He was at me in an instant and caught me in his gentle arms.
“What happened?” he asked me.
I brushed my trembling fingers over my mouth and shook my head. “Somebody grabbed me from behind and tried to drag me into the woods.”
Ben scanned the area beh
