Page 10 of No Mistakes (No Mercy #2)

EVA

The familiar Boston skyline creeps into view as we approach the office parking lot. Mandy turns the car and rolls to a stop in our usual space.

A knot twists low in my stomach at everything that’s happened in the past month. I didn’t think coming back here would feel this strange, like I’m slipping into a version of myself that doesn’t quite fit anymore.

The second we step out of the car, the cold air hits me like a warning. Sharp and bitter, just like everything I left behind.

“This feels weird,” Mandy mutters quietly beside me. She adjusts her jacket, pulling it tighter around her as the wind picks up speed.

“Yeah,” I say, staring up at the chipped brick and crooked blinds in the window we used to call the stakeout suite, where we would plan the nights for hours. “It’s like walking into a memory you didn’t agree to relive.”

I push open the front door and step into the warmth and faint smell of burnt coffee and printer ink. The office looks exactly the same. Worn chairs, chipped desks, the busted ceiling fan that never stops squeaking. But there’s something heavier in the air that I can’t figure out.

A door opens to the side of us, and a male steps out with a stack of papers.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Look who finally decided to show up.” Rob’s voice cuts through the room like a shot of whiskey. Gruff, unimpressed but also laced with a dry humour.

He stands frozen to his spot in the doorway, one eyebrow raised like we’ve walked in late from lunch instead of returning from the wreckage of hell.

“You girls get lost, or just decided to ghost me for the fun of it?” He asks, walking over to a desk to place the files down. There’s a flicker of something beneath the sarcasm, relief maybe? But Rob’s too old school to show it.

“Hi Rob,” I say, my voice surprisingly steady.

Mandy grins, “Miss us?”

He snorts in response, “Only when the phone wouldn’t stop ringing and I had to lie through my damn teeth about where you two vanished to. The executives were riding my ass about the whole thing, demanding answers, wondering why the operation got pulled by the clients.”

I open my mouth, unsure of how to respond, but he stops me with a raised hand.

“Save it. You’re here now, and thank god you’re in one piece because I don’t have time for that paperwork.”

He stands straighter and looks at me, really looks at me, and something flickers in his eyes. I can’t help but wonder if he sees the cracks. If he notices that whatever version of Eva left Boston… didn’t come back.

We start walking to Mandy’s office, but as we get closer, Mandy stops completely.

“Wait… Where’s Adam’s desk?”

I follow her gaze, and my stomach drops.

The corner where Adam used to sit is cleared out completely.

No clutter, no crumpled candy wrapper, no stupid little figurines he insisted brought good luck, and the photo of us three, which proudly sat on his desk, was gone.

Instead of everything that reminded us of Adam, there was someone new.

A woman we’ve never seen before. Her dark hair is pulled into a sleek ponytail, glasses perched on the edge of her nose.

She looks up at us with a practised smile.

Polite, professional, utterly unaware of who she has replaced.

Mandy blinks, stunned into silence as we just stare. “Wow. That was fast.”

Rob sighs behind us. “You were gone for a month, girls. Adam quit not long after you left for the case. Said the job wasn’t what he signed up for.”

I nod slowly, keeping my face neutral while my mind runs wild.

“He didn’t leave a note,” Rob adds. “Just his badge and a flash drive. I haven’t opened it yet. I haven’t had the time.”

My heart beats a little harder at the news of a flash drive. I wonder if I can find it to see what’s on it?

“Don’t go thinking you’re off the hook,” Rob continues as he backs away. “You two have a lot of explaining to do. But first… The coffee is still crap, the printer still jams, and the new girl’s name is Riley. Play nice.”

It doesn’t take long for Rob’s office door to shut before Mandy nudges me with her elbow. “Did you know he quit?” She whispers, glancing towards Adam’s old desk again.

“No,” I say, barely above a breath. “We left in such a rush that day. He was rattled, yeah, but… I didn’t think he’d walk.”

“He didn’t just walk,” Mandy says, leaning closer. “He vanished. Desk cleared, no message, and Rob hasn’t even opened whatever he left behind. That’s not like Adam.”

I glance back at Riley, who sits there prim and proper, her eyes glued to the monitor like she’s pretending not to hear us.

Like she belongs here. Like, none of this feels wrong.

“It’s weird,” I murmur. “He wasn’t cut out for field work, but he cared.

He wanted to make a difference and help someone find the answers they needed, even if he bitched about every stakeout. ”

“Exactly,” Mandy says. “Something’s off”

I don’t respond, but I can feel it too. It’s like there’s a thread dangling from above, and if we lit it. The whole place will burn.

Before I have the chance to say more on the matter, Rob’s door creaks open again, and he sticks his head out, summoning us. “Alright, heart breakers. In my office now. It’s debrief time.”

Mandy shoots me a look before taking the lead towards his office. “Can’t wait!” She says sarcastically, throwing her hands in the air, faking excitement.

I follow her footsteps, bracing myself for whatever consequences we may receive when we walk behind the doors of hell.

Rob shuts the office door behind us, locking it to keep this conversation private.

He leans against the wood as if he is preparing himself for what we are about to say before turning to look towards us.

He gestures towards the two worn-out chairs across from his desk, waiting for us to sit down and take our place.

The blinds are drawn but with enough cap to let a slither of light seep in through the cracks, giving the room an eerie feeling like we’re about to be interrogated instead of debriefed.

Mandy flops into her chair like she owns the place, flicking her hair over her shoulder before crossing her legs.

I, on the other hand, sit more carefully, my back stiff and heart still raw from everything we just left behind.

I know we can’t tell him everything that happened, but Mandy reassured me on the drive home that she will handle Rob.

I take a moment to look at him while he sits down behind his desk, grabbing folders from his drawers before laying them out in front of him.

He looks like he hasn’t slept in days. His shirt is wrinkled with a coffee stain on the collar.

His tie is loosened, and there’s a tension behind his eyes that wasn’t there before.

He leans back in his chair, his gaze flickering between me and Mandy. “So. You two wanna tell me what the hell happened out there?” He starts. “I sent you out on a simple job. A stakeout. Follow a simple woman and report back.”

I look towards Mandy, trying to figure out what to respond, but she’s already a step ahead.

She looks forward, placing her elbows on her knees while keeping eye contact with him.

“Look, sometimes in this job we have to go off the radar for our protection. It was in the training. It’s in all the contracts for every single stakeout job, and unfortunately, this time, it had to happen. ”

Rob doesn’t look convinced as he narrows his eyes at Mandy before shifting his gaze to me.

I swallow hard, feeling my body clench up from nerves of being caught for…

what? A traumatic romantic fling with someone from the mafia?

Because that would look great on my CV if I need to look for another job.

“You disappeared. No calls, no check-ins, nothing. You understand how bad that looks? I had execs breathing down my neck, threatening to shut us down for losing two of our best.”

Mandy shrugs, “But we’re not lost. We’re here. In one piece.”

“Barely,” he mutters under his breath. “What the hell went sideways out there? And don’t tell me nothing because those marks on Eva’s face say otherwise.”

I exchange a glance with Mandy. Obviously, the make-up didn’t work as much as we thought it did. She gives me the slightest nod, and I inhale sharply, picking my words with care.

“We arrived at the safe house as planned and awaited confirmation to proceed with the investigation. Once received, we followed the target.” I begin, making sure to run over the checklist for the story Mandy and I made up.

“It came to our attention that she wasn’t who we thought she was, and we didn’t receive the information that was required to execute this job correctly. ”

Rob leans forward, his elbows on the desk as he listens. “Explain.”

I take another deep breath, trying to calm the anxious feeling brewing inside of me.

Mandy reaches over and squeezes my leg, no doubt noticing the signs.

“She was connected to something bigger,” Mandy explains, stepping in smoothly.

“Dangerous people. High-level players. Not just some cheating spouse like the job described. We got too close, things escalated, so we took the actions needed.”

Rob stays silent for a while, no doubt processing everything we just said. “Are you saying the client lied?”

“I’m saying the client definitely isn’t who we thought they were,” I reply carefully, because that statement is partly true. Axel isn’t who I thought he was; he was someone completely different.

He throws himself back into his chair, exhaling through his nose. “You expect me to go on the board with that?”

“You asked what happened,” Mandy replies, “We’re telling you.”

Rob rubs a hand over his face. “Jesus. You should’ve called it in. The second it got dangerous-”

“And what?” Mandy interrupts, her tone sharper. “We were being watched. Tracked. We barely got out of there. Making a call would’ve been a death sentence.”

I watch his expression carefully, trying to figure out what could be going through his mind. Does he believe us or can he tell it’s all a lie? There’s a flash of concern that flickers across his face, buried under all the frustration and exhaustion, but it’s there.

He opens one of the folders in front of him, “So what now? You think whatever mess you stirred up is going to stay buried?”

I hold back a laugh at the thought of anything staying buried. I may not have known Axel for a long time, but something inside tells me it won’t be long until we meet again, whether I like it or not. All I know is that right now, he isn’t my problem.

“I don’t know,” I answer, “But it’s not our problem anymore. The job’s done.”

Mandy shifts in her seat, preparing herself to say something. “We need to see what’s on that flash drive Adam left.” She blurts out.

Her words grab Rob’s attention, and his eyes lift with a hint of suspicion. “Why?”

“Because something’s wrong,” she says. “You know it, too. He didn’t just quit . There has to be something else.”

He holds his hands up in the air, shaking his head. “Sorry, ladies, but unfortunately, I am unable to approve that request.”

Mandy stands, forcing the chair backwards as it scrapes across the floor, “but-”

“I will examine the contents and inform you if anything unusual comes from it.” He says, cutting her off.

She smirks, “Of course. You don’t trust us anymore, do you?”

Now, why do I have a feeling we’re about to get ourselves in even more trouble? But this time, for stealing.