Page 34 of No Mistakes (No Mercy #2)

AXEL

I grind the phone into my palm as I pace the driveway, each turn on the gravel sending sharp crunches into the cold air. Gunnar texted twenty-five minutes ago, saying something had happened with Eva. No details. Just enough to light a fuse under my ribs.

Since then, I haven’t stopped moving. My body’s a loaded weapon with no target, rage simmering hotter with every lap I make. I keep picturing her face, pale, hurt. The image of her on that floor reappears in my mind, and my hands curl until my knuckles ache.

On the porch, my brothers watch me without a word. They’ve learned not to speak when I’m like this, not unless they’ve developed a death wish.

The sound of an engine stops me in my tracks, my head snapping towards it. I see Gunnar’s car slow down, stopping just before the gates, and I find myself already walking towards them.

The metal gates groan as they swing open, and the black SUV glides through slowly. My phone slips from my fingers without a second thought.

My steps turn into a sprint as I race towards Eva, my shoes pounding against the driveway until I’m standing dead centre in the middle. Gunnar has no choice but to brake, the hood rocking forward from the sudden stop.

I’m at the back door before anyone has the chance to stop me, and I yank it open.

There she is.

Eva’s eyes find mine, and her composure shatters. “Axel-” her voice breaks, the rest of her words swallowed by a sob.

Something inside me cracks, and I reach in, lifting her out without a word, her weight folding into my arms as though she’s been waiting for me to take it from her. She buries her face into my shoulder, her whole body trembling as she cries into my shirt.

My arms lock around her, possessive and unyielding, my chin resting on the crown of her head as I turn away from the SUV. I don’t ask what happened.

I don’t stop until we’re inside, the door slamming shut behind us. My shoes thud against the stairs two at a time, her arms still looped around my neck, her breathing ragged against my skin.

My room is the first place that feels right, even though I have memories in here that haunt me; I hope it gives her a space to feel safe from whatever happened out there. I nudge the door open with my shoulder and set her down gently on the bed. Her fingers cling to my shirt until I ease them free.

“Stay here,” I whisper, though my voice comes out more like a growl.

She curls onto her side, knees to her chest, shoulders shaking. The sight burns a hole in my chest.

The next moment, Mandy bursts in. Her gaze jumping from me to Eva, reading the room instantly.

“What happened?” My tone sharp.

Mandy’s eyes flick to Eva, still crying quietly into the pillow. She swallows hard, then jerks her head towards the door. “Outside.”

I hesitate. The thought of leaving Eva even for a second twists in my gut. But I follow, pulling the door shut behind us.

Mandy paces the hallway as she runs a hand through her hair as if she’s debating whether or not to tell me.

She takes a deep breath, stopping in front of me, her eyes full of worry.

“We were about to leave when he…Benny…He grabbed her. Full hand, up the skirt. Right in front of people, Axel. He even got a...” She stops herself, but she doesn’t have to say the words for me to know exactly what he got.

“We got her out before she had to say anything. But… Axel, she was shaking the whole way back.”

Heat floods my body, not the kind that warms you up at night, but the type that burns until you don’t have a choice but to release it. I stare past Mandy, focusing on a painting on the wall that my mother created, so I don’t put my fist through it.

“Where is he?” I ask, my voice low as I try to remain in control.

Mandy shakes her head. “She needs you right now, not a scene.”

I drag a hand over my face, looking towards the closed door. I exhale slowly, forcing the rage back down where it can’t hurt her until the time is right. “Fine. But when she’s steady. He’s mine.”

I force myself to take one deep breath. Then another. Until I’m certain, I won’t storm out the door and drive straight to that bakery, to rip his head clean off his body.

Mandy leaves me to go find the others, and I push the door open slowly. She hasn’t moved. Still curled on her side, her blonde hair spilling like sand across my pillow. Her breathing is uneven, shaky, and for a second, I hate myself for not being there the entire time.

I should have put her first. Not just now, but always. I’ve been so focused on taking back control, I lost my way with her.

I drop to one knee beside the bed. “Eva.”

Her head lifts just enough for her eyes to find me. They’re red-rimmed and glassy, but the moment she sees me, something in her face crumples. She reaches out, not for my shoulder or my chest, but my wrist. Her fingers grip onto me, holding me tight like I might disappear at any moment.

I sit on the edge of the mattress, letting her keep hold of me. My free hand brushes the hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. “You’re safe,” I murmur, my voice low. “No one touches you, Buttercup. Not while I’m breathing.”

Her eyes close, and a single tear slides down to my thumb. I wipe it away softly, catching it before it falls because there is no way in hell I am letting her tears fall for a man like him.

For a while, we stay like this, her holding on to me while I do everything inside to hold on to my patience, as my pulse hammers against my ribs, the rage begging to be let free.

I look at her, watching as she sleeps peacefully next to me, as I remind myself that she’s here. She’s safe. And that’s all that matters right now.

When she finally exhales, it’s steadier. I shift further onto the bed, sitting back against the headboard. She stirs, moving her head onto my lap, and my heart swells at the fact that she wants me here, even though I don’t deserve her.

Her head moves to rest against my chest, and I wrap my arms around her, covering as much of her as I can.

“I’ve got you,” I say into her hair. “Always.”

Her fingers curl into my shirt, and for the first time since Gunnar’s message, I feel my own heartbeat slow.

A hand rests on my shoulder, shaking me awake.

I blink against the dim light, my body instantly tense until I see Mandy leaning over me. “Go get something to eat or drink,” she says quietly. “I’ll stay with her.”

I glance towards Eva, sleeping next to me. She hasn’t moved, still curled in my bed, my blanket pulled to her chin, her breathing shallow even in sleep.

Leaving her now feels wrong. My chest tightens with that restless need that’s been clawing away at me since I pulled her out of the car. Every instinct I’ve got is screaming to stay, to keep watch, to make damn sure no one gets close to her again.

“Axel,” Mandy whispers, and I look towards her, seeing her expression steady, unshaken. She’s been with Eva through everything, supported her when she had no one else. If there’s one person I trust with Eva, it’s her.

“I’ll be back soon,” I say, my tone hushed. I lean down, placing a gentle kiss on top of Eva’s head before slowly sliding away from her.

The hall outside is cold and quiet, shadows stretching across the floorboards.

December’s early darkness presses against the windows, and the air feels heavier somehow, like the house itself is holding its breath for what is about to happen.

I follow the low hum of voices until it draws me to the games room.

We never used this room much when we came here; it was always the room our father brought his friends to, where they had adult parties, and fuck knows what else, but it’s exactly what you’d expect from a house that once belonged to a mafia boss.

Warm wood paneling. A long bar stocked with more liquor than a high-end club.

A pool table in the middle, the green felt worn at the edges.

A dartboard in the corner, one dart stuck dead centre, the rest scattered like someone got bored halfway through.

The air smells faintly of aged whiskey and old cigar smoke.

My brothers are scattered across the space, each one of their voices overlapping as they talk to each other.

Carter leans against the pool table, idly spinning a cue in his hands.

Gunnar’s got a beer, his shoulders tight, pacing by the bar, his gaze locked on the floor.

I look to the other side, spotting Flynn perched on a stool, legs stretched out, looking too relaxed for the tension in the room.

Ant’s in the far corner, laptop open on the bar, a glass of whiskey sitting next to it.

I clear my throat. The sound cuts clean through the noise like a blade. They all look over, rising to their feet in unison as the room falls silent.

“Is she okay?” Gunnar asks first, his words sharp.

“She’s resting,” I say, not wanting to give them too much insight into how Eva is.

Gunnar’s jaw works as he takes a step towards me, his hand guiding me towards the door. “Then let’s go.”

Carter’s grin is already forming as he goes to follow Gunnar. “Yeah, let’s pay Benny a little visit.”

“Calm down, attack dogs,” Flynn drawls, tipping his bottle towards them. “Maybe we can talk about not going in like a pair of overcaffeinated psychos for once?”

Carter throws him a look, Gunnar ignores him entirely, but Ant’s already typing, pulling up a file for me to see. I walk over, my hands leaning against the gold railing that surrounds the bar.

“Benny Romano,” I start, “Forty-six. Married, two kids… One is in college, one is still in high school. Owns a side business moving ‘unclaimed’ warehouse stock to third parties. ” I drop my head, looking towards the floor as I try and remember who he used to work for.

“Didn’t he use to run for the Cobra’s?” I ask, directing my question to Ant.

Flynn answers first, joining me as he leans against the bar, throwing his empty glass into the bin. “No, that was Bryce. Benny used to work for Francesco, not sure who he runs for now though.”

We spend the next thirty minutes going back and forth, each one of my brothers telling me what we should do. Carter is pushing for confrontation, Gunnar is suggesting that we drag him somewhere quiet, Flynn is arguing for patience, and Ant… well, he’s just observing, amused.

“Axel, what do you want to do?” Flynn says, looking towards me. The room falls silent as all eyes land on me, waiting for a verdict.

“We do it the Ashford way,” I say finally, letting the words hang. “Fast, clean, and loud enough, he knows exactly who came for him.”

Footsteps sound behind me, and I turn to see Mandy, her hand on Eva’s arm like she’s trying to hold her back.

“I tried to keep her upstairs,” Mandy says, her eyes flickering to all of us, one by one.

Eva steps forward, shaking off Mandy’s hand as she holds her chin up high. “Whatever you’re doing… count me in.”

I can’t help but smile at Eva as she takes back control. Deciding what she needs for herself. I turn back towards my brothers, giving them the order. “Grab the masks. Tonight, we hunt.”