Page 19 of No Mistakes (No Mercy #2)

AXEL

We really should have left over an hour ago, but between last-minute gear checks, Mandy disappearing every five minutes, and Gunnar refusing to pack light, the entire morning’s been an absolute shit show.

I stand outside, growing more agitated by the second, waiting for everyone to haul their asses out of the house.

The engines have been running for over twenty minutes, and the majority of the bags are already loaded. And I’m just standing here, useless and stressed.

Carter and Flynn had gone to the safe house after our morning meeting, bringing back every piece of gear we’d stored there over the years. Now, it’s all dumped into the vehicles, waiting for the moment that promises blood.

I pace, kicking loose gravel across the driveway, my fists clenched by my side. But movement by the front door stops me in my tracks.

My head snaps up, just as Eva walks out, and instantly, I’m captivated by her.

Fuck.

She doesn’t look at me, but you bet your ass I’m looking at her.

Her hoodie’s pulled up like armour, like she’s trying to shield herself from everything. She looks smaller somehow. Breakable. But beneath that hoodie, beneath all her walls, she moves like she’s made of lightning. Like if you looked too closely, she’d strike.

The strap of her bag digs into her shoulder, her posture stiff, as she walks with determination. She stares straight ahead, the morning light catching the strands of hair that fall from her hood.

Last night gave me hope. The way she looked at me… the way she didn’t run when I told her why I did what I did.

I thought maybe it meant something. That maybe, just maybe… She’d stop treating me like a stranger. That I still had a way back in. But the second we got back to the house, it was like everything I told her in the parking lot never happened.

She walks closer, her gaze focused on the vehicles, but still, I look at her like she hung the fucking stars in the sky.

I hurry around the front of the car, stepping to the passenger side, opening the door for her. It’s not a grand gesture, but it’s something. A chance. A thread to pull.

“Eva, the ca-” I start. But she breezes past me like I don’t exist.

She grips the strap tighter and veers for the SUV behind mine, climbing in without hesitation before slamming the door shut.

I don’t move, still holding the door open, while pride bleeds out of me like a fucking knife wound.

Mandy appears beside me, her own bag slung over her shoulder, a smirk already forming.

She taps my arm. “Yikes,” she mutters. “Rejected, and it’s not even noon. You sure you’re ready for thirteen hours of this?”

She doesn’t wait for a reply. Just tosses her bag into the other SUV and disappears into the back like we’re casually going to get coffee.

The sound of boots crunching against gravel pulls my attention from Eva, and I turn to see my brothers walking towards me.

Gunnar strolls up, like we’re not already hours behind schedule, and casually walks to the back of the car, tossing his bag into the trunk.

Flynn quickly follows, tossing his bag before jumping into the back seat.

“About time,” I mutter, slamming the passenger door shut. Gunnar shoots me a look, clearly amused. “What’s the rush? It’s not like we’re driving into a goddamn war zone.”

I roll my eyes. I’m in no mood for his humour right now. Not until I find out what he said, to make Eva laugh.

“Alright, no war jokes. Gotcha.” Gunnar holds his hands up, sliding into the passenger seat like this it’s his regular ride.

I grit my teeth, stalking around to the driver's side. The second I sit, the front door swings open again.

Carter and Ant emerge, arms full of the rest of the gear that stayed in the basement, their expressions set to stone.

Carter glances towards the second SUV before looking back towards me.

I lower the window as they approach, giving them a short nod, confirming that it’s their vehicle. Ant nods back, his jaw locked.

Once all the doors shut, Carter reaches out of his window and knocks twice on the roof, indicating that we’re good to go, and I grip the wheel tight.

Chicago, here we fucking come.

The road quietly stretches for now.. Flynn dozed off, listening to his music, while Gunnar sat next to me, playing games on his phone. We haven’t spoken, but his posture has shifted, less casual than earlier as he runs his hands up and down his leg restlessly with force.

My knuckles ache from gripping the wheel. I ease off, flexing my fingers to get the blood flowing again, as the sky bleeds orange behind the clouds. Dusk is coming in slow, and it always makes me think of home… Of what used to be home.

“Have you ever wondered,” I say into the quiet, “how different it would’ve been if they hadn’t died?

Gunnar shifts in his seat beside me, but doesn’t say anything.

“Our parents,” I add, quickly looking in his direction. “If they hadn’t been caught in that fire… if the house had been just a few feet further from the warehouse. If we hadn’t gone out that night.”

He locks his phone, looking out the window as the silence deepens. It’s not uncomfortable, not with Gunnar. He knows grief like I do. Like it’s a shadow that follows even in moonlight.

“I still see it sometimes,” I admit. “That last night. Mom made lasagna. Flynn wouldn’t shut up about wanting extra cheese. Carter tried to sneak out. Dad had that tired look he always had when business was about to go sideways.”

“They knew,” Gunnar finally says. “They knew what was coming.”

“Maybe,” I swallow hard. “But I didn’t.”

I was the oldest. I should’ve known. Should’ve paid attention to the signs, should’ve-

“You were a kid , Axel.”

I blink at the windshield, my face hardening as I remember running towards the flames, screaming their names. “I stopped being a kid that night.”

Gunnar doesn’t argue. There’s not much he can say about it all. He was too young to fully understand and we both know it.

We drive a few more minutes in silence before I glance at the rear-view mirror, watching Ant follow closely behind. “What did you say to Eva?”

He quirks a brow. “When?”

“Earlier. Before you entered the kitchen. I saw you talking to her. She laughed at something you said?”

Gunnar smirks, unapologetic. “I told her you were a grumpy bastard who probably wouldn’t speak to anyone unless she was by your side.”

I grit my teeth, but Gunnar shrugs, still smiling. “Relax. I also told her you loved her.”

I blink, his words taking me by surprise. “You said what ?”

“She looked like she was about to bolt. You weren’t gonna say it. So I did.” He leans closer towards me. “You’re welcome.”

My stomach twists. “You-”

“I didn’t say it like that, you caveman.” He places a hand on his heart, sitting straighter like he’s about to pledge allegiance. “I said ‘ He might be a silent monster of unresolved trauma and poor communication, but he’s not the kind of guy to lie about who his heart beats for. ”

I turn my head, staring at him for a few seconds.

“She laughed, and then I told her she’s the only woman I’ve ever seen knock the wind out of you, just by walking into a room.”

I exhale, rubbing a hand down my face. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Like I said, you’re welcome.”

I shake my head, the tension in my chest easing a little. The ache is still there, dull and permanent, but it’s less sharp now.

“She smiled after,” Gunnar adds quietly. “That kind of smile people don’t fake.”

I don’t respond; my mind racing at a million miles per hour from everything he’s just said.

I smile, a small laugh leaving my lips at the fact that my youngest brother is the most supportive of all, even if he does have a strange way with words.

But fuck, if it helps me get Eva back, he can say whatever the hell he wants.

I just have to sit and wait, because maybe after all is said and done, there could still be hope, even for a man like me.