"Wrong address," he snarls. He's got a scar running down his left cheek and his hand is already moving toward the gun at his waist. "Turn around and walk away."
I don't bother responding because talking is a waste of time right now. My fist drives into his throat before he can get his weapon clear and he drops to his knees, choking and gagging. The second guard swings at me, but I duck under his arm and drive my elbow into his ribs hard enough to feel something crack.
He doubles over, and I bring my knee up into his face, where blood explodes from his nose and he drops like a stone. Behind me, I hear the sound of the third guard hitting the pavement and I know my men have done their job.
Vuk appears at my side with zip ties in his hands. He secures the guards while I head for the entrance, and I don't wait to see if he's keeping up. My heart's hammering in my chest but it's not from exertion. It's from the cold rage that's building with every step closer to Danica. If Marko's hurt her, I'm going to make sure he regrets every second of it before I kill him.
When I step into the living room, I can hear voices and one of them is definitely Marko. He sounds amused, which makes my blood boil even hotter. I draw my weapon and push the kitchen door open so hard it slams against the wall.
In the middle of the chaos is Marko with a gun pressed to Danica's temple while she kneels in front of him on a pile of debris that looks like shattered plates and cups. They've trashed her place and from what it looks like, they've emptied every cupboard.
Blood is running down her face from a cut above her eye and her cheek's already turning purple from a fresh bruise. She's shaking so badly, I can see it from across the room, and her eyes are wide with terror. But she sees me and whimpers, then tears stream down her cheeks.
Marko looks up at me and grins like he's been expecting me all along. He pushes the barrel of the gun harder against Danica's head, and she makes a small whining sound that makes me want to tear him apart with my bare hands. All this fury over a woman—what's gotten into me?
"Gravitch." He draws out my name like it's funny. "Your wife owes me money and she's been very difficult about paying up." He's obviously had a little chat with Danica, almost like he's been standing over her waiting for me to get here.
I would fear that this was something else Miloš had done to set me up except that I'm not sure Danica has told anyone about her debt other than me.
"Take the gun away from her head." My weapon is trained on his chest but I can't risk the shot with how close he is to her. "Right now." My fingers are restless, wanting to pull the trigger and squirming on the gun grip.
"Or what?" He yanks Danica's hair back and she cries out. "You'll shoot me? Go ahead. But my finger's on the trigger and if I go down, she goes with me."
Vuk and the other two men appear in the doorway behind me and spread out to cover the room. Marko's eyes flick between them and I can see him calculating his odds. They're not good and he knows it. It's in his favor to listen to me and be reasonable. I don't have to kill him, but I will if he so much as breathes her name again.
"How much does she owe you?" I keep my voice level even though everything in me wants to put a bullet between his eyes. "Give me a number."
"Thirty thousand." He's still grinning, but there's sweat starting to form on his forehead. "Plus interest and fees. Call it forty and we're done here."
"I'll give you double." I don’t have to think about this. It's fucking pocket change and he has my wife. "Eighty thousand euro right now if you walk away and never come near her again."
That gets his attention and the grin falters for a second. Eighty thousand is more money than he'd see in six months of breaking legs and collecting debts. It's also more than Danica's brother ever owed him in the first place.
"Double?" He's trying to sound skeptical, but I can hear the greed in his voice. "You expect me to believe you've got that kind of cash on you?"
"Vuk." I don't take my eyes off Marko. "Show him."
Vuk pulls a thick envelope from inside his jacket and throws it on the floor between us. Bills spill out across the broken glass and scattered debris.
"It's half of what I promised and the rest will be delivered within the hour," I tell him. "You just name the place.”
"Forty thousand," Vuk grunts. "Count it if you don't believe me."
Marko stares at the money, and I watch the internal debate play out across his face. He wants to take the cash but he also doesn't want to look weak by backing down. His pride's going to get him killed if he's not careful.
"You try anything and she dies first." He shoves Danica forward and she sprawls across the floor. "I want the rest of that money in one hour or I'm coming back to finish what I started."
"You'll have it." I lower my weapon slightly. "But if you ever touch her again, I'll hunt you down and make you wish you'd never been born."
He scoops up the envelope and the few stray bills that've spilled from it, then backs toward the door with his gun still trained on me. My men move aside to let him pass, and I listen to his footsteps thunder down the front steps. A few seconds later, I hear a car door slam shut and his engine rev.
"Make sure he leaves," I order as I holster my weapon and turn to Vuk. "Then get him the rest of the money and make it clear that if he comes back, he's dead."
Vuk nods and gestures for the other two men to follow him out. They close the door behind them and suddenly, it's just me and Danica alone in the destroyed house.
She hasn't moved from where she fell on the floor. Her whole body is trembling and her eyes are staring at the wall without really seeing anything. I've seen this kind of shock before on men after particularly brutal fights or when they've made their first kill. She's in shock, and it can be deadly if I don't do something.
I kneel down beside her and put my hand on her shoulder. Her skin's cold under my fingers and she doesn't react to my touch at all. It's like she's not even here anymore.
