They Don't Know About Us (BWWM)

Chapter 14

Ava approached the first window she saw on the left side of the house. She kept her steps quiet, creeping up to the outside wall of the house and carefully looking through the corner of the window into the house. She saw a small living room with Gavin tied to a chair right in the middle. One man was guarding him with what looked like a pistol in his hand, the sight sending fear surging through Ava. She hadn't realized that they had guns on them. That meant she had to be even more careful. She moved on to the next window toward the back of the house, immediately hearing laughter through it. She gazed through the clear pane to see the two other men in the kitchen eating and talking to someone on the phone.

"We have him, sir. We'll bring him home to you. Don't worry," one of the men spoke into the phone before taking a bite of the sandwich he had recently made.

Ava knew she had to stop them before they dragged Gavin onto a plane and sent him back home to his father. If he got on that plane, she would never get him back, and she didn't want to go on this adventure in her life without him. She needed him beside her, and she was determined to get him back. She walked around to the back of the house to see another window, one that led to an empty bedroom. She was about to leave the window when something caught her eye on the dresser near the bed: an unlit candle. She knew a lighter had to be around somewhere, and what was more distracting than fire? She knew it was highly dangerous because the fire would spread quickly, but it would give her the distraction that she needed.

Ava tried to push up on the sliding window, but it wouldn't budge. It was locked. Ava cursed beneath her breath, feeling nearly too pressured to think. She glanced around the house, knowing it couldn't be the Ukrainian men's home. They had to have crashed it while the actual owner was gone. She spotted a small shed a few feet behind the house, prompting her to rush open and pull open the old wooden door to see a variety of gardening tools. She grabbed a pair of gardening scissors to tuck in the waist of her shorts and then grabbed a hand hoe. She headed back to the window, prying the thin blade beneath the windowpane to jiggle the latch on the inside. She shifted and angled the blade every which way until the latch bumped off of the lock, her free hand lifting the windowpane up.

Wanting to remain as quiet as possible, Ava celebrated in her head. She kept the gardening tool in one hand as she used her other to quietly hoist herself through the open window to tumble onto the bed. She paused for a moment before quietly shutting the window and getting off of the bed to approach the nightstand by the bed. She opened the drawer to find the lighter that she knew had to be in the room somewhere. She lit the vanilla scented candle and crept back through the window to get on the outside of the house where she was safer. Without another thought, she threw the candle onto the bed, watching the sheets immediately catch fire.

"I've just committed arson," Ava breathed out, a look of disbelief crossing her face as she watched the fire spread and spread, the smoke eventually setting off the smoke alarm, its shrill beeps sounding loudly throughout the area. She moved away from the window, making her way past the kitchen window to see the two men rushing toward the bedroom. She peered through the living room window to see the man guarding Gavin run off toward the bedroom as well. She saw her window of opportunity, prompting her to unlock that window like she had done the bedroom one. Once the latch gave away, she shoved the pane open and crawled in, rushing over to Gavin's side and removing the gardening scissors from the waistband of her shorts to start cutting the ropes that held him hostage.

"Ava?" Gavin mumbled, a confused look crossing his bruised face as he gazed down at her.

"It's me. I've got you," Ava murmured hurriedly, cutting through the last rope so that she could pull them off of his body to free him from the wooden chair. She looked up at him, feeling a brief wave of relief. "Let's get you out of here," she told him, her hands perching on his knees.