She screamed out once again when she felt fingers on her thighs, which shocked her. It was Steven's hands; they were huge and felt quite chilly on her skin. As he touched her, she began to relax a little bit, but the adrenaline that was coursing through her body caused her to get dizzy and made it difficult for her to breathe. He moved up close to her ear and said, "Courage, sweet heart." She could feel his warm breath as he did so.
After that, he hit her inner thigh with the cane without giving her any prior warning. She felt a searing line of agony, but before she could concentrate on it, she heard another whistle and felt another cut, this time on the opposite leg. Martha let out a scream, but her wailing was abruptly halted as a smaller hand, although a very powerful one, closed over
