One Good Reason (7 page)

Paul
had received death threats before; it came with the territory. However, never
had a threat been carried out. He did the only thing he could have done. He
used his life savings and went into hiding in a remote location in Australia.

The
police had ruled the attack on his unit as ‘
bikie
gang related.’ Which Paul knew was anything but true. Regardless, he was still
at risk of being attacked again, so he went to the local police station to
answer questions about the attack and to confirm that he hadn’t been injured in
the explosion. He wanted his attackers to know he was still alive and well. He
hadn’t been stupid enough to keep the only evidence he had of the cover-up on
his laptop and work computer. He had hidden a hard copy of the file. The only
problem was, he’d mailed it to a specific address in different packages. He
couldn’t risk all the information being found in one of the packages. So he had
split the file up into five different packages, and sent them from five
different post offices to five different locations in Australia. It had been a
crazy, extravagant plan. Nevertheless, he couldn’t jeopardize losing the only
evidence he had to bring the government down, if this was the worst that would
happen and he lost the information on his computers, which now he had.

He
had managed to travel Australia undetected, using back roads and fake id’s to
retrieve the packages. He’d used addresses of old friends, friends he’d trusted
his life with and they’d never let him down before. He was now on his last leg
of his journey to retrieve the fifth package. It had taken him longer than
expected to retrieve the last four packages. Travelling undetected was harder
than he had thought, and a lot more time consuming.

He’d
spent the night in this small shack that had been provided to him by a local.
It wasn’t the nicest of places, but he didn’t need much. Today, he was going to
retrieve the fifth package. He would wait until the owner of the land came back
from his morning duties so he could pay him for his generosity, and then he
would be back on the road.

He
flicked through the TV channels until he hit the morning news. If he had been
drinking his coffee at the time, he would have dropped the cup all over himself
in shock horror. Flashing across the screen was a picture of his daughter, Ava.
Underneath the picture in large writing, the words, ‘Breaking News: Australian
Kidnapped in Thailand.’

Paul
sat stunned.
Ava. His daughter Ava. Kidnapped.
He then rushed to turn
the volume up and listened as her friend, Olivia, cried into a woman’s arms,
describing the moment she had been kidnapped and how the officials were doing
nothing about it.

He
listened in silence to the news reporter telling him the events leading up to
the kidnapping, the holiday, the van, and the terrifying news that it had
already been nearly two weeks since her abduction.

Paul
hadn’t spoken to his daughter since her mother’s death four years earlier. His
one regret in life was leaving her. He had thought at the time he was doing the
right thing, people needed him to help break the silence of the stories being
untold and unheard in the world. However, in his choice to walk away, he had
lost his only daughter. Their relationship once strong was now nothing. He
tried to mend his past after the death of her mother,
Lilian
,
but it was too late. Ava wanted nothing to do with him and he didn’t blame her.

Now,
watching the report of his daughter’s kidnapping on the morning news, was a
father’s worst nightmare.

“Fuck
it!” he cursed, slamming his fist down on the table.

If
only he had known she was going to Thailand, he would have stopped her. However,
he didn’t know because he didn’t talk to his daughter anymore. It was all his
fault.

The
story he had been working on, the one that had consumed his life, had not only
put his life in danger, but now his daughters. He knew the kidnapping was linked
to the story. After all, the story was not only exposing the Australian
government, but also the link between them and some of Thailand’s worst
criminals.

His
time was slowly running out. It had already been thirteen days since her
capture. He needed to get the fifth package now and get his daughter back. Lord
knows what she must be going through right now…

He
grabbed his bag and headed out the door to the owner’s house. He didn’t know if
he would be home yet, but he couldn’t wait any longer. He thumped on the front
door.

“Hello!
Are you home?” he yelled through the house. “Hello!”

“What’s
all the
yellin
’ about?”

Paul
turned to see the old man walking down the gravel path towards him.

“I’ve
come to pay you for your services and also to ask for a favour.”

The
old man wiped the sweat from his brow as he approached Paul. “I told you
before, you needn’t worry about paying. It’s not every day I get company from a
famous journalist.”

Paul
nodded his head, but took no notice of what the man was saying. Instead, he
reached into his pocket and pulled out several hundred-dollar notes.

He
held them out to the man. “This is for the room and also for a favour I need
you to do for me.”

“I’m
not taking no damn money,” the man replied.

“Please,”
Paul pleaded, “it’s a matter of life or death.”

The
man looked at the money and then back at Paul. “I don’t need to take your
money. I’ll do anything you want if it’s that important.”

Paul
helped him and walked into the house, the old man following him as quickly as
he could. Paul then grabbed the pen and paper from next to the phone on the
table in the hallway. He scribbled down two numbers and handed them to the man.

“I
need to you call this number first. Tell her she needs to call this number,” he
said, pointing at the second number. “I need her to ask for proof of life. If
they want the file from me, I need to see proof of life. She’ll know what I’m
talking about.”

The
man looked at the piece of paper stunned.

“Will
you do this for me? I need to know I can count on you.”

The
man shook his head, coming out of his trance. “Of course.”

“Thank
you. Can you wait at least five hours before you make the call? That way I will
be long gone from here in case they trace the call back here.”

“I
can do that.”

“Thank
you. You’ve been more than helpful.”

The
man half smiled and nodded.

Just
as Paul was turning to leave, the man asked, “Can I ask one thing first?”

Paul
nodded.

“Whose
proof of life do you need?”

Paul’s
body stiffened. “My daughter’s.”

Then
he walked out of the front door before the man could respond, leaving the money
under a rock on the front verandah.

Paul
knew he couldn’t be positive that the man would pull through for him and make the
call, but nothing had told him otherwise that the man wasn’t an honest guy. He
could only pray he would follow through on his request and make the call, his
daughters life depended on it.

6 THE ESCAPE

Ava paced the dark room back and forth, kicking her feet into the dirt.

“You
can do this, Ava,” she said quietly, trying to convince herself. “This is your
only chance for freedom.”

She
continued to pace the room until she plucked up enough courage and stopped in
front of the door. Bending down she picked up the small wooden mug.

This
better work.

She
held the cup of water up to her stomach, and then pulled her dress up above her
waist. She scrunched the dress up under her arms, making sure it wouldn’t fall
down. She then used her free hand to pull her underpants forward, exposing her
skin.  Slowly, she poured the contents of the cup down the inside of her
pants, careful to make it look believable. Once she finished, she hid the cup
in the corner of the room and started pounding on the door loudly. Seconds
later, one of the Thai men opened the door for Ava, holding a large rifle in
one hand.

Ava
looked down at her feet, taking a breath as she worked up the courage to put on
her best performance to win her freedom.

“I-I,”
she stuttered, pulling her dress up slowly to reveal her soaked underwear.
“Hayden left me in here for so long.”

She
tried to keep her voice soft and uneasy. “He wouldn’t let me go to the toilet
and I couldn’t wait any longer.”

She
took her moment to look up gradually at the Thai man who was staring at her
with a hard look.

“What
am I meant to do about it? You pissed yourself. It’s not my problem,” he said
with a straight face.

She
put on her best girly voice and pleaded with him, “Can I at least have a
shower?”

The
man studied her for a moment, and then looked down at her wet underwear again.

“Please,
I’ll be really quick. I just need to wash myself and my undies.”

“Fine,”
he said, “but be quick.” He nodded towards the hallway.

Ava
stepped out of the room, adjusting to the bright light once again as she walked
in front of him towards the front door. As they passed some of the other Thai
men, the man behind her yelled something in Thai towards them, stopping them
from coming any closer.

They
walked in silence towards the shower at the back of the house. For once, her
hands weren’t bound, giving her hope that this might be easier than expected.
She knew what she had to do. She just had to convince herself it was all an
act, and the only way for her to escape.

When
she reached the shower, she automatically started to walk behind the screen
when the Thai man grabbed her by the arm abruptly. She turned towards him.

He
dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a zip tie. Ava’s heart sank.

“Take
off your clothes and then I can tie your hands,” the man demanded.

Ava
looked behind the man and saw none of the other men had come to watch. It was
just them.

Game
time.

Ava
stared into the man’s eyes, knowing the only way out of her situation right now
was seduction. Careful not to take her eyes off him, she pulled the strap down
on one side of her dress, letting her fingers linger on her shoulder. She then
moved to her other strap, taking her time as she seductively kept eye contact with
the man, as the strap fell from her shoulder. The dress gracefully slipped down
her body, baring her breasts. The man’s eye contact only faltered for a second.
She knew there was a good chance he’d been in this forest for as long as she
had, if not longer. He might not have seen a woman’s body in several days,
possibly weeks, and Ava would take advantage of that.

With
the same amount of ease, she slipped her underwear down, letting it fall to her
ankles. She was now fully naked and completely exposed to all her
vulnerabilities, but she had to use this to her advantage or it would all be
for nothing.

She
stepped forward out of her underwear towards the man. He still held his rifle
in his hand as she held out her hands to have them tied. She bit her bottom lip
as he tied her wrists together. She casually turned away from him.

She
bent down next to her clothes, picking them up, and placing them over the small
fence near the exit, before walking to the shower and turning it on.

Ava
let the cold-water fall over her body, her hands still tied. She put her head
under the water, letting it cascade over her face, hair, and body. She then
grabbed the soap and started rubbing it all over her body, taking her time on
her breasts. She did not attempt to hide her body as she did with Hayden.
Instead, she turned to allow the man to have full view of her torso.

She
made it obvious when she wasn’t able to wash her back with the soap because of
her hands being tied. She looked up at the man and sweetly said, “I can’t wash
my back with my hands like this. Hayden doesn’t normally tie me up when I have
a shower. Could you untie them, please?”

She
could tell by his face he was struggling to keep his composure. Her plan was
working. But then, he shook his head.

“Well…If
you won’t untie me, then I guess…” She paused. “You’ll have to wash my back for
me.”

The
man dropped his head, rubbing his forehead. Ava knew she was close. He was
going to break.

“Please,”
she pleaded, “it will only be for a moment.”

He
looked up at her eyes and then down her body. Without any further hesitation,
he walked to the entry of the shower, slinging his rifle over the edge of the
fence.

She
kept her breathing heavy as the tall man walked towards her. She handed him the
bar of soap in her hands, taking note of the huge knife stuck into his belt.

She
smiled up at him. “Thanks.” She then turned away from him and waited. 

She
tried not to cringe when she felt his hands cover her back. She stayed calm,
convincing herself that it was nothing as his hands slipped lower until they
reached her backside.

She
held back the vomit that had formed in her throat. Instead, she let him stroke
her flesh. After only a moment, she gracefully turned her body to face him. She
rubbed her breasts across his body as she turned.

His
hands travelled up her waist. She looked up at the man, the criminal who had
kept her captive. She used the pain, the anger and vengeance she felt in that
moment to close her eyes and kiss his lips. It was like knives cutting through
her skin. But she had to make it look and feel real, and she did when he kissed
her back with force.

She
tried not to think about his lips touching her in such an intimate way. His
hands roaming her back. Instead, she let her hands travel down his waist,
feeling his skin through his grubby shirt.

She
let a fake moan escape her lips when the man gripped her ass aggressively.

Her
hands had reached his belt buckle and she could feel the knife handle. She had
to act now. The man was so caught up in the moment that he didn’t seem to
notice her grip onto the knife. She could handle the kiss, the ass grabbing,
but she wouldn’t be able to handle anything more.

She
knew once she did this, there was no turning back, she’d known it from the
start. She’d have seconds to escape. If she faltered or got caught, she knew
what the men would do to her, especially without Hayden there.

She
hesitated no more. With one quick motion, she held on tightly to the knife
handle as she lifted her knee into the man’s balls as quick and hard as she could.
The kiss broke as the man curled forward, allowing the knife to be pulled
easily from his waist. She wasn’t going to stop there though. She used the
moment of weakness to stab the man in the thigh. The whole event only took
seconds, but it felt like a lifetime.

The
man cried out in pain, but Ava didn’t dare stop or look at him. Instead, she
ran naked towards the exit, grabbing her clothes and the rifle from the fence
and speeding off into the forest.

The
forest was thick with plant life, which would help her stay hidden, but
hindered her as she felt the numerous twigs and plants scrape her body and
feet. But she wouldn't stop. She couldn’t. She ran as fast as she could with
all the strength she had. She ran for her freedom. Ran for the opportunity to
see her friends and family again. Ran for the chance to go home. Ran for the
life she thought she’d lost.

***

Hayden
stared at the road ahead of him. His phone call with Stevenson had told him
exactly what he had questioned. Stevenson refused to tell him any more
information. Refused to tell him how Ava was linked to
Thornakorn
.
He also didn’t seem happy that Hayden was asking questions. Hayden had hoped he
would have told him something, anything. It wasn’t until the very last part of
the conversation that confirmed Hayden’s worst fears, when Stevenson told him
to forget about getting the information from the girl. Instead, focus on
keeping her captive, as the kidnapping would hopefully make
Thornakorn
come forward on his own for Ava’s release, after we gave him proof of life.

Hayden
wasn’t stupid. No terrorist with a criminal past like
Thornakorn’s
would voluntarily give himself up for a girl, even one like Ava. Terrorists
like
Thornakorn
, only cared about one thing, and that
was themselves. To him, Ava was replaceable.

Stevenson
had lied to him. But why? Who was Ava really? She was important to Stevenson,
but he didn’t know why. He doubted that Ava had some kind of connection with
Thornakorn
. She probably was telling the truth when she
said she knew nothing about him.

So
why Ava?

He
rattled his brain trying to think of the connection she might have with
Stevenson as he drove back to the house. But all thoughts quickly vanished when
he pulled up to the house, the Thai men running into the forest screaming.

Hayden
pulled the handbrake on and pushed the door open. “What the hell is going on?”
He yelled out to one of the Thai men as he ran up towards the house.

“It’s
the girl. She escaped,” the Thai man replied as Hayden ran up the stairs,
taking two at a time.

He
pushed through the front door, following the Thai man when he saw
Aun
on the couch, holding a rag to his bleeding leg.

Aun
saw him walk in and started yelling at the top
of his lungs. “That
fuckin
’ bitch! I’m going to kill
her.”

“Where
the fuck is she,
Aun
?” Hayden yelled at him, furious
that he’d trusted
Aun
.

“She’s
gone! She fucking came onto me in the shower! She was naked and rubbing herself
up on me. Even fucking kissed me, the stupid cunt. Then she kneed me in the
dick and stabbed me!”

“You
deserved to be stabbed, you idiot! All you had to do was watch her while I went
out! Why the fuck were you with her in the shower!” Hayden roared at him.

How
stupid could
Aun
have been? Now Ava had escaped and
was somewhere in the Thai forest.

“She
said she pissed herself and wanted a shower. Argh!”
Aun
yelled, clutching his leg. “I’m going to rip her apart when I see her again!”

Hayden
turned towards the door.

“Where
are you going?”
Aun
called out to him.

“I’m
going to fix your problem that you’ve created. I’m going to find her and bring
her back.”

“But
what about my leg?”

Hayden
turned to
Aun
. “You think I give a fuck about your
leg? You just let our prisoner escape! The best thing you can do now, is hope
to God nobody finds out, or it won’t just be a leg you’ll lose, it will be your
life.”

He
slammed the door behind him as he started ordering instructions to the Thai
men.

When
he’d thought his day couldn’t get any worse, it just did. Strangely though, he
hadn’t been pissed off that she’d escaped, and had managed to pull it off so
well. He’d been pissed because her life was now in danger. If she managed to
survive in the forest with no supplies, food or water, he doubted she’d survive
now if the Thai men caught her before he did. He would have to find her, and
save her from them. He didn’t know for sure she was as innocent as she claimed,
and right now, it didn’t matter. It would be on his head and conscious if
something happened to her, and he couldn’t let that happen.

*** 

Ava
wasn’t a very fit person, but the adrenaline she felt and the need to survive,
made her run through the forest for hours. He throat ached for water. Her feet
sore and cut from the forest floor. She hadn’t been able to hear the screaming
men for a while now. She didn’t want to stop, but she desperately needed a
break so she could catch her breath and put her clothes on. Being naked didn’t
worry her when her life was on the line, but her body was now covered in cuts
and bruises. She needed to put her dress on to help stop any more cuts against
her skin. So, she gave in and stopped running.