Love Inspired Suspense April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Laura Scott (christmas read aloud TXT) 📗

He smiled reassuringly. “In case there’s better reception up there. You might be able to call the police to help get us out of this mess.”

“Oh, okay.” She relaxed. “That’s a good idea.”

He didn’t really think the police would be able to help them, but he would do anything to get Chelsey out of harm’s way. “Ready?”

She nodded and pushed up off the ground to her hands and knees.

When he lifted his arm to throw a rock, she began to crawl away in the general direction of the cabin. The rock landed and the gunshot immediately followed.

He glanced back in time to see Chelsey disappear beneath the brush.

Good. He let out a long breath and began reaching for more rocks and pinecones.

It wouldn’t be easy for Chelsey to cover a hundred yards crawling on her hands and knees. But he was determined to give her every opportunity to get to safety.

Even if that meant sacrificing himself.

FIVE

Chelsey flinched at every gunshot but didn’t let fear stop her. She continued to make progress. If she thought walking in makeshift shoes was difficult, crawling along the ground with her dress hiked up over her knees was far worse.

She ignored the pain in her hands, elbows and knees fully aware that Duncan was doing this for her. He’d given her his phone and was doing everything possible to protect her. It was only right that she did her fair share.

Crawl, pause, crawl, pause, crawl. In her mind, she found herself praying with each stretch of crawling.

Keep us safe, Lord, she chanted over and over again, seeking solace.

Glancing behind her, she tried to gauge how far she’d gone. There was no sign of Duncan, but that didn’t mean much. He was no doubt hiding in the brush.

She continued making her way in the general direction of the cabin, hoping and praying the place would offer better shelter.

Her dress snagged on just about everything around her. Bugs flew into her mouth, making her grimace, but she kept on moving. The dress and the bugs didn’t matter, survival did. And she told herself it could be worse. Rain or snow would make it impossible to crawl to safety.

The minutes stretched into ten, then twenty. She found herself wondering if she’d gotten off course. When she came upon a large tree, she slowly stood leaning on the tree and hiding herself as much as possible to check her progress.

She had veered a little off course, but not bad. The corner of the cabin was easier to see now. It was a brown wooden building with a black shingled roof. The structure looked to be in decent shape and a surge of excitement hit hard.

It was so close!

Staying upright, she made her way toward the cabin using trees and shrubs as cover. It was amazing how much faster she could go now that she was walking. Duncan’s phone was tucked into the bodice of her gown and she couldn’t wait to reach the cabin to see if she could pick up a signal.

As she reached the cabin, she slowed and strained to listen. She didn’t want to barge in on someone. Easing closer, she edged up to a window. A thick layer of dust made it difficult to see through, but the lower portion of the window was broken, so she peered inside.

The place appeared deserted. There were a few bare bones items of furniture, a rough table in the kitchen and a moldy-looking sofa. There may have been something in the bedroom, but she couldn’t tell from this angle.

Moving away from the window, she moved around to the front door. It hung off-kilter from disuse. As she stood there uncertainly, it occurred to her that she hadn’t heard a gunshot recently. Because Duncan was on his way? She hoped and prayed that was the case. After shooting a fugitive glance over her shoulder, she pushed at the door.

It didn’t budge.

No! She tried again, using all of her strength against the warped door.

It opened, not a lot, but about a foot. Enough of an opening for her to slip through.

The interior was darker than she’d have liked thanks to the thick layer of dust covering the windows. The place smelled musty, and up close she could see that the sofa had been ravaged by mice and other small animals.

She moved gingerly through the small space. There was a kitchen and living area, with a single bedroom and what was once a bathroom. Her initial excitement at having an actual bathroom evaporated when she saw there was no water in the black toilet.

Yuck. She returned to the kitchen area, opening cupboards to see if there was anything to eat.

Her heart thumped wildly when she found a couple of cans of soup and beef stew. Gingerly picking up the cans, she looked for an expiration date.

They were good for another month. Next she searched for pots and pans, but found only a rusty frying pan.

Her hope deflated. Cans without something to cook the contents weren’t very helpful.

Moving toward the broken window, she looked outside. Still no gunfire. Was that good or bad? They hadn’t found Duncan and hurt him, had they?

She pulled his phone out and held it up, squinting in the dim light to see how many bars he had. Only one. She dialed 911 and listened.

Nothing. No ringing, no one answering on the other end.

Drawing a deep breath, she lowered the phone. Turning away from the window, she swept her gaze over the cabin. How long had it been abandoned? No way was anyone living here under these conditions.

The doorway to the bedroom hung ajar. The interior was darker than the rest of the cabin and she wondered why. As she moved toward it, she heard the sound of a twig snapping.

She froze, then hurried inside the bedroom. Something dark covered the windows, and the musty smell was even stronger in here. She wrinkled her nose, fighting the urge to sneeze.

“Chelsey?”

Duncan’s voice nearly