"Looking for this?" Marko is standing in the doorway holding my coffee can when I spin around to face him. He shakes it, and I can hear coins rattling inside. Not bills. Just coins. Everything else is gone.
"Where's the rest?" I take a step toward him thinking naively that he'll let me see, but he glares at me. "There was almost four thousand euro in there."
"Was there?" He sets the can on the counter. "Funny. When we searched this place, we only found about three hundred in change. Not nearly enough to cover what you owe."
"You're lying." I can't believe that lying sack. His men came in here and took my money and now he wants me to cough up more! "That money was there. I know it was."
"Maybe your brother came back for it." Marko shrugs. "Or maybe you're lying about how much you had saved. Either way, you're standing here with nothing to give me, and I'm still owed twelve thousand euro."
"I'll get it." I'm backing up without realizing it until my hip hits the counter. "Just give me more time."
"Time's up." Marko reaches behind his back and pulls out a gun, raising it up to point it right at me. "I told you I'd start collecting in other ways if you didn't pay. You should've taken me seriously."
I cringe as he moves toward me, and I see the gun coming toward me, but I can't move fast enough. Metal connects with my cheekbone and the world explodes into white-hot pain. I hit the floor hard and taste copper in my mouth. Blood runs down my face and drips onto the dirty linoleum.
Marko crouches down next to me with the gun still in his hand, pointed at my head. His face swims in and out of focus.
"Consider this a down payment on what you owe." His voice sounds far away like I'm underwater. "Next time, I won't be so gentle."
I try to respond, but nothing comes out except a wet, gurgling sound. The pain in my face is overwhelming everything else and I can't even think straight. It's hard to keep my eyes open, but I hear another set of footsteps, and then Marko's breath isn’t in my face anymore.
What the fuck am I going to do? And what's he going to do next?
17
VADIM
Mina's voice cracks through my phone and I'm grabbing my keys before she finishes her sentence. Marko Boskovic's name is all I need to hear before I start moving. If Danica is in trouble, I know exactly where he'll take her and he won’t fuck around long. Everyone in Belgrade knows Marko and everyone with half a brain stays away from him. He's not just a loan shark collecting debts. He's the kind of man who enjoys making examples out of people openly so anyone else who owes him will be scared shitless and fall in line.
I dial Vuk while I'm jogging through the warehouse and he answers on the first ring.
"Yeah, Boss," he grunts casually, not knowing a bomb's about to go off in our proximity.
"Get two men and meet me downstairs," I growl. "We have a problem and I need to get to my wife fast."
There's no hesitation because Vuk knows better than to ask questions when I sound like this. By the time I reach my car, he's there with two of our best men. I throw the car into gearand the tires screech as I peel out and race across town. Traffic laws don't mean shit right now. I weave between cars like they're standing still.
"What's the situation?" Vuk's got his weapon out already, chambering a round.
"Marko's got Danica at her old place." I run a red light and barely miss clipping a sedan that's too slow. "He wants money for her brother's debt." I'm such a fool. God, what an idiot. I knew she had this problem—she told me that first night when I forced her to lie in bed with me.
I just didn't make it a priority. I figured she'd cough up the info at some point because I promised to pay her, but I didn't realize her debt was to Marko. And with Miloš putting pressure on me to get out of the country and Yuri demanding progress, I've been so focused on my own tasks, I didn't think about anything else.
Vuk makes a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. He knows exactly what kind of man Marko is because we've had dealings with him before in the past. Nothing pleasant and nothing I'd ever want Danica anywhere near.
"How many men does he have with him?"
"Danica's friend said there were at least three outside the building when he took her." I take a corner so hard, the car drifts for a second. "There could be more, but we can't just sit around and do nothing."
The streets blur past and I'm not thinking about anything except getting to Danica before Marko does something I'll have to make him pay for dearly with his life. If it comes to that, I'll really be forced to give up this manhunt for Lebedev and go back toRussia. I won't be given a choice. I'll end up in prison if I don't. I can't let that happen.
We pull up to her house, and I can already see Marko's men posted outside like they own the place. Two of them are standing near the door trying to look casual, but their eyes are scanning the street constantly. Another one is leaning against the corner of the fence smoking and pretending he's not watching the street.
I roll right up on the lawn and park on the grass in front of the house because I don't care if they see me coming. In fact, I want them to see me so they know exactly what's about to happen to them.
"Take the one on the corner." I point as I get out of the car. "The other two are mine."
My men move without needing more instruction, and I race straight toward the entrance. The two guards notice me immediately and one of them steps forward to block my path.
