The cold war 37

“Why are you doing this”? Ben asked in a shaky voice.

“Let me tell you a story”, Danila said lifting up his right leg to rest on his left knee, “of a young couple madly in love and with a dream to escape Vladivostok and start a new life in America”.

Seeing the two feminised men listening intently, he continued, “life wasn’t so bad back home, but with very few opportunities for making money in a crowded market, it was time to spread our wings, the problem, money to start-up a new life and acquiring an American green card”, he said with a dramatic sigh, “but all was not lost, you see, back in those days, my girl was a wild one, willing to do whatever it took, what a woman, My Elena used to be”.

“You mean, Elena, as in Irina’s mother”? Ben gasped.

Danila chuckled, “yes, the same woman you have lived with for the best part of a decade, ah, how I miss the old days”, he said staring off into space.

“But, what about Irina, is she… your…your…” Ben said unable to finish his sentence as Danila’s bombshell had really shaken him up.

“Daughter”, Danila said watching Ben nod slowly, “no, well not biologically anyway, but there was a time I would change her diapers as she called me Papa”.

“This can’t be”, Ben mumbled softly, “none of this makes any sense”.

(See image 8.2)

Danila smiled, “that’s because I haven’t finished my story”, he announced, “you see my Elena, may appear to be a diligent mother and model citizen from the outside, but she has a wicked side like no one I’ve ever met. It was her idea to marry an American man, the plan was ingenious, have him fly her over to America where she would bleed him dry before arranging for a little accident to befall him”.

Danila watched as the mouths of the two men opposite him fell open in shock, “she was the ultimate femme fatal”, he added chuckling loudly.

“You’re saying, she killed someone”? Jake blurted out who up until this point had kept quiet like he was supposed to when he was in his presence.

“Yes, Jacqueline, three men to be exact or four if you count Bunny’s father here, but I’m not sure if she is solely responsible for that one with him catching a bullet but then again the poison she was feeding him in his meals couldn’t have left him in peak physical condition”.

“What! No, you’re lying”, Ben shrieked as tears started to form in the corner of his eyes, and his leg started to shake uncontrollably.

“Afraid not”, Danila replied, “She really was a wild one, too wild, not one for taming as I found out when she tried to kill me before running off with you, little Irina, and most of my money, It took me years to track you all down”.

A tear slowly rolled down Ben’s cheek as Jake leaned over placing his manicured hand on his shoulder to offer some comfort, “so all this has been about revenge”? Ben asked shaking.

Danila smiled, “now your catching on girl”, he said loudly, reaching down inside his jacket and revealing a pistol.

As Ben and Jake watched on terrified, Danila placed the gun on the table between them, “pick it up Bunny, I have one final task for you, tonight over dinner as the three of you tuck into whatever delicious meal Elena has prepared, pull it out and shoot the evil bitch right between the eyes”.

Ben blinked a few times as the room began to spin, he felt dizzy all of a sudden as if he was about to faint, “no, I won’t”, he replied firmly.

Danila sighed, “I guess you need some motivation”, he announced picking it up and pointing it straight at Jake’s head who looked on petrified, “you will do this for me, Bunny, or I redecorate this apartment with your friend's blood, what will it be”?

Ben never got to make a decision as a deafeningly loud sound filled the room sending him flying from his seat and onto the hardwood floor.

“FBI, everybody down”, came the cry from the entrance as men in riot gear piled in through the remains of the door that had just been blown from its hinges.

In a flash, Danila, Igor, and Boris were pounced on, restrained, and placed into handcuffs before being dragged to their feet and taken from the room.

It all seemed so surreal as he sat there next to Jake on the floor, Danila shouting obscenities, but he was unable to make out the words due to the loud ringing in his ears.

“Are you two alright”? said a man appearing above him.

Looking up, Ben recognised him as Detective Peters and nodded slowly. He was helped to his feet and placed back on the sofa where he had sat a moment earlier in a state of shock.

Peters took a seat in the chair Danila had been sitting on moments earlier and sighed, “you two are lucky to be alive after the stunt you just pulled”, he said looking over at Ben, “I told you to leave things to the police, we’ve been tracking Mr Abramov and his associates for a long time, and you almost blew our whole case never mind almost getting yourself killed in the process”.

Shaken, Ben broke down in tears, “I’m sorry”, he sobbed.

“Well, what’s done is done”, replied Peters obviously uncomfortable faced with the water works, “the main thing is you too are all right”.

“So, it’s over”? Ben asked looking around the destroyed apartment.

“Afraid not”, Peters replied, “even with Mr Abramov on tape plotting murder, chances are he’ll still walk unless you two agree to testify”.

“You were listening in the whole time”? Jake suddenly blurted out.

“Yes, Mr Fuller”, Peters answered, “we’ve had the apartment tapped ever since your friend here tipped us off to your location”.

“And you just left me here, like this”? Jake replied distraught waving his hand over his fancy skirt suit and feminine body.

“I’m sorry, but we needed some evidence so we could put that monster away for good this time, we would never have let anything bad happen to you”, Peters said in a calm voice.

“Nothing bad! look at me, what the hell do you call this”? Jake exclaimed.

Sensing the tension, Ben changed the subject, “you want us to testify”? he asked, “will we be safe”?

Peters sighed loudly once more, “we can protect you, but it will mean changing your identities and going into witness protection I'm afraid. We’ll need to really hide you well; Mr Abramov’s network runs deep. If we don’t, chances are he’ll find you and things won’t end well, I’m not going to lie to you, it won’t be easy but it’s the best chance you’ve got of making it out of this alive”.

Ben looked over at Jake who just stared blankly back at him, in a few moments, his whole world had just been ripped apart, life as he knew, would never be the same again, and it scared the shit out of him.