Ilić and Bilbija tracked him to an unfurnished room in Matonge, which Ilić proceeded to redecorate with the dealer’s blood while Bilbija waited outside in the car. When Ilić had finished, he summoned Bilbija to help cut up the victim and place the remains in black bags, which would then be dumped at various locations around Brussels. Unfortunately, just as they began cutting off his arms, it became apparent that the dealer was not as dead as Ilić had believed, but Bilbija finished him off before he could make too much of a racket. Bilbija had never killed anyone before. He found the experience messy but interesting, and later wrote a poem about it in the modernist style of Vasko Popa.

After that incident, Bilbija became an integral part of the Vuksan hierarchy, especially once the Vuksans assumed complete control of operations in Amsterdam. He took his orders from both brothers, but always ran Spiridon’s commands past Radovan before proceeding. In this way, a certain amount of unnecessary violence was avoided, if at the cost of complete trust between Spiridon and Bilbija. This trust had been further eroded by Bilbija’s refusal actively to engage in rape and femicide at the house in Amsterdam. He might have been prepared to hurt females, but he drew the line at killing them himself, and he was not a rapist. Among his tribe, Luca Bilbija was what passed for a man of principle.

Bilbija did not like what he had witnessed at De Jaager’s safe house. It had caused him to reconsider his future relationship with Radovan Vuksan. He was aware that the Dutch police would soon connect the Vuksans to the killings, and it was entirely possible that he would be connected to them in turn. This seemed terribly unfair. He had not harmed anyone at the safe house. He had tied the women to the beds, and later helped nail De Jaager to a wall, but by then the old man was already dead. Bilbija’s role in what had occurred was, therefore, largely limited to driving and cleaning up after, and in his view hardly merited a custodial sentence.

When the Vuksans’ situation grew more complicated following the death of Nikola Musulin, Bilbija decided that his period of employment with them had come to its natural end. He had privately informed Radovan Vuksan of his decision to leave the fold while they were hiding out at the farmhouse of Gavrilo Dražeta. Radovan had placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered:

‘Say nothing of this to Spiridon or the others. For now, you remain one of us.’

‘Why?’ said Bilbija.

‘Because circumstances have changed,’ said Radovan. ‘We are wanted men, and any desire to depart will be viewed by Spiridon as a prelude to treachery. He will have you killed the moment you turn your back on him. Zivco will do it in a heartbeat.’