No More Good Girl | 18+

Chapter 41 - Leverage

Danila was sitting in a car, watching a young woman with a toddler walk across the street as she smiled at the little boy. She walked into the kindergarten building and in a few minutes, emerged alone and began walking back.

Getting out of the car in the darkness of the early morning, he swiftly approached her and began walking with her as she stopped in her tracks, her face changing from neutral to scared.

"Don't be scared. You're Lyosha's sister right?" Danila's eyes sparkled with threat when he looked at her.

The young woman gulped and raised her hand at him and slowly began backing away,

"Please...please...don't...I have nothing to do with him...please..." she begged as tears stung her eyes.

Danila pouted his lips and then smiled,

"Shh...shh...I said don't be scared. I haven't done anything yet. I just want to talk. Get in the car." He firmly grabbed her upper arm and began nudging her to his car but she resisted so he added,

"Do you want little Sasha to see his mom dead on the sidewalk outside his kindergarten? They're going to go out for their morning recess soon. If not, walk." He spoke gently as the young woman was now turning red and breaking down into real tears.

Danila opened the car door for her and sat down in his seat as he locked the car. The young woman sat beside him shaking and crying.

He hated doing this. It was always, always the vulnerable women who were used as leverage.

And it never failed.

"Your name is Masha, yes?" Danila was looking at her with a smile. "Why are you crying? I haven't done anything. Calm down, calm down. I won't touch you." He spoke reassuringly as he looked out the window and scanned to see what was happening outside.

A few gulps later, Masha did calm down and wiped her tears.

"How did you find me?" She asked Danila as she sniffled.

"Masha, come on. You know you can never escape. Just because you moved cities and have a different last name, doesn't mean we don't know that you live in apartment number 37, building number 5 on Soviet Army street." Danila smiled at her as she looked at him stunned. "Time for them to rename the streets, don't you think? We live in the Russian Federation now, there is no more USSR, no more Soviet Army." He spoke matter of factly, like he was discussing it with a friend.

Masha stayed silent and looked down as she sat there, scared for her life.

"Masha, I'm not going to touch you. I just wanted to meet you, that's all. How many kids do you have?" Danila asked her and watched her start crying again.

"T-two" she barely managed to get out as sobs overpowered her body. Danila waited for her to calm down and spoke again,

"Two is good. Your daughter is in grade three right? And Sasha is still in kindergarten. He's a heartbreaker, what a cute kid. Does your husband know what your brother does?" Danila continued on as she tried her best to keep it together.

She shook her head and wiped her nose with her manicured fingers.

"No." She gulped out, "Please, please don't touch my family. We haven't done anything, please...I haven't talked to Alexei in years." She continued crying as images of her dead family floated in her mind.

"Masha...why are you lying? I know you keep in touch. I know everything, Masha. I know that Lyosha really loves you. Like the good older brother that he is. I got lucky, I don't have any siblings." Danila spoke almost mocking her.

"What do you want from me?" She pronounced in a quiet voice as her tears continued crawling down her face.

"Nothing. For now. I just wanted to meet, that's all. Hey, why are you crying so much? I just wanted to meet Lyosha's sister, that's all." He paused but then turned to her and leaned in. "You're pretty...more so than I thought..." Danila leaned even closer and she flinched away from him and pressed her body against the car door.