Chapter 17 - Vadim
VADIM
Mina's voice cracks through my phone and I'm grabbing my keys before she finishes her sentence.
Marko Boskovi?'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 gear and 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 Milo? 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 to Russia.
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.
"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 Milo? 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.
"Danica." I keep my voice soft. "Look at me."
Nothing happens and she just keeps staring at the wall with those blank eyes. I try again and get the same result. She's locked inside her own head, and I need to snap her out of it before the shock gets worse.
I pull my hand back and slap her across the face hard enough to sting. Her head snaps to the side and for a moment, there's nothing. Then she sucks in a sharp breath and her eyes focus on me.
Recognition floods her face and then she's crying harsh sobs that shake her entire body. She reaches for me blindly, and I catch her before she collapses completely.
"I've got you." I pull her against my chest and wrap my arms around her. "You're safe now." The relief I feel is so overwhelming, all I can do is kneel there cradling her. I'm not a weak man, but when tears well up in my eyes, I know my life is fundamentally changed.
The instant I got that phone call from her friend, I knew I couldn’t lose her. I went mad with rage and fear. Fear—not concern or frustration. I felt terror for the first time in my life, and at the thought that Marko would kill her, all I could think was to get to her as fast as possible.
She clings to me like I'm the only thing keeping her from falling apart. Her fingers dig into my shirt and she buries her face against my shoulder. The sobs keep coming and I let them because she needs this release.
This is the first time she's ever shown me real vulnerability. She's letting herself break down in front of me like she trusts me, and it makes me hold her harder. Nothing in my world would give me greater pleasure than to go kill that motherfucker right now, but she needs me.
The shock was bad enough that she might be traumatized from this and have nightmares for weeks or months. I've had it happen to me and it's not pleasant. But Danica isn't a soldier and she's never been trained to handle this kind of violence. I have no idea how she'll handle it.
I slide one arm under her knees and lift her off the floor. She doesn't protest and her head lolls against my shoulder. The crying has quieted to small hiccupping sounds and stutter breathing, but she's still trembling.
"We're leaving." I carry her toward the door. "You're never coming back to this place."
My car is still parked at the curb, and I settle her in the passenger seat. Her eyes are closed now and she's not crying anymore, but she's not really present either. I buckle her seatbelt and close the door gently.
Vuk is waiting by the driver's side when I walk around. He looks at Danica through the window and then back at me.
"Marko's gone." He hands me a burner phone. "Money's being delivered now. He won't be a problem anymore."
"Good." I take the phone and tuck it into my pocket. "Make sure he understands that if he shows his face near her again, he's a dead man."
"Already made that clear, Boss." Vuk steps back from the car. "She gonna be okay?"
"I don't know," I grumble because I don't. The word "okay" is subjective. Will she die? Probably not, but I'm not sure she'll ever be the same.
I get in the car and start the engine. Danica's still staring straight ahead with that blank expression on her face. I pull away from the curb and head toward home. This is going to take time for her to recover from. Time for the trauma to fade and for her to feel safe again.
But I have time, and I'll use every second of it to make sure she heals from this.