BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER SNEAK PEEK!


My captor grabbed my hair and wrenched my head back, forcing me to look into his cold, steely eyes. "You'd be smart to listen to him, little girl. It would be a shame if I had to damage that beautiful face. And as for you," He nodded toward Luke, "well, we can't just leave you shot to death in the woods, can we? You're coming with us, kid."

Luke edged up beside me as we walked through the woods, his hands shaking. "Kay, we gotta get out of here. They'll rape you any second if we don't."

"I know," I replied. "But they'll kill you if we try. There's no way we can get past them."

Luke bit his lip and leaned down, his arm wrapped securely around my waist as he whispered into my ear "Well, there might be."

"How?"

"I can't believe you forgot, Kay. Our old playhouse?"

Like a ton of freaking bricks, it hit me, and I would have staggered if he wasn't holding me so tight. When we were kids, Luke and I discovered a cave hidden in the woods behind our houses. Unlike most crevices in these parts, it went straight down beneath our feet. We found it by playing tag and accidently falling inside.

And our captors were going to lead us right over it in about five minutes.

The cave had a vast network of other exits, each turn leading you somewhere else. Although I hadn't been there in almost a year, I still knew it like the back of my hand. If we had a chance of escape, that was it.

"Okay," I told him firmly. "I'm in."


© Shelby Pryor