Page 39 of No Mercy
Her response takes me by surprise, I watch her for a moment. Fascinated by the fact she isn’t scared of us. Taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her, I lean forward, “You’re not scared of us?”
She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, mocking my tone with a dramatic flair. “Ooh,not scared of us!” She raises her eyebrows as if I’ve asked the most obvious question in the world. Flynn snorts, Carter chokes back a laugh, and I feel like I’m the only one not in on some joke.
She leans forward, closing the gap between us, “You really think I’ll be scared of you guys?” She points to Flynn on her right, “This one, was singing Barbie girl all the way here. Full volume may I add,” she points to Carter, “And he, don’t even get me started on him complaining about the girl he was just banging a few hours ago.”
This time I’m the one laughing as I switch between Carter and Flynn, both sitting there staring at her with their mouthsopen. “I don’t know what you’re laughing at pretty boy, you’re the least intimidating of them all.” She says sharply.
I smirk at her, fluttering my eyelashes. “Pretty boy, you think I’mpretty?”
She rolls her eyes with a groan, mumbling something about stupid boys. I already know we’re not going to get anywhere with her at the moment and I need food. The clock sitting on the wall behind Mandy tells me it’s lunch time, one of my favourite times of the day.
“Flynn, or should I call youParker? get some food in for everyone. I have a few things I need to do.” I tell him as I stand up.
Sensing Gunnar staring at me, I gesture for him to meet me in my room so we can talk, something that should have been done years ago. “On it boss. And don’t call me that name again.” I hear Flynn shout as I close the door behind me and my younger brother.
I gesture towards the chair in the corner of the room, “Sit.”
Gunnar doesn’t move, deciding to take a stand against me. Literally. He stands there staring at me, testing the limits to see how far he can go. If he wants to be brought in to this world, it’s about time he learnt a few rules.
I walk over to him, standing just a few centimetres away as I tower over him. Dropping my tone lower, I point towards the chair one more time. “I said… Sit.”
His eyes give him away, as a flicker of doubt shifts through them. He lingers in front of me for a few seconds before doing as he’s told.??As he finally sits, I keep my gaze steady on him, not giving him any room to breathe easy.
“Do you know why we’re here, Gunnar?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest. He looks up at me, a flicker of defiance still in his eyes, but he doesn’t answer. Silence. Just what I expected.
“I’ll take that as a no.” I pace a little, letting the tension sit heavy in the air. “You want in on this world—our world—but you don’t get to just walk in and pretend you know the rules. You don’t know the sacrifices, the choices I’ve had to make. You’re my brother, and I’ll protect you. But loyalty? Respect? Those are things you’re going to have to earn.”
He shifts in his seat, his fingers tapping impatiently on the armrest, but he stays quiet.Smart move.
“And if you want any chance of surviving out there, you’ll start by showing it right here,” I add, leaning down to meet his gaze. There’s a pause, just long enough to see that hint of doubt surface again in his eyes. Good. Maybe he’s finally realising this isn’t some game.
“So, Gunnar,” I say, dropping my voice even lower, “are you ready to learn?”
By the time Flynn knocks on my door, announcing the food has arrived, the confident boy who sat across from me at the start is long gone. In his place is someone smaller, almost fragile—a glimpse of the kid he once was. Sighing, I move to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Look, I know this is a lot but… It’s our life Gunnar and you wanted in. There’s no backing out now.”
He hasn’t said a word since he sat down a few hours ago, his face drained of colour at all the stories I told him. The kidnappings, the murders… and how he will have to be initiated into the family business. I feel nauseous at the thought of sending my little brother out to do the devils work, but if anyone is going to prepare my family for what is about to happen. It can only be me.
“Let’s go eat, you’re going to need it.” I tell, opening the door.
“What… What are you going to get me to do?” Gunnar blurts out, his voice full of fear. I pause in the doorway, walking back towards him. His question hangs in the air between us like a weight neither of us is ready to carry.
“Gunnar…” I start, choosing my words carefully, “the kind of work you’ll be doing—it’s not going to be easy. But I’ll be there to guide you, step by step.” I let the words sink in, though I know they offer him little comfort. “I’d never ask you to do something I wouldn’t do myself.”
His eyes search mine, looking for some kind of reassurance, something to make all this less terrifying. But there’s no sugar coating it; this is the life he’s chosen and there is only one way out of it.
“Just trust me, alright? I’ll make sure you’re ready when the time comes.” I give his shoulder a firm squeeze, hoping to transfer some of my own steadiness to him, even if it’s barely holding together. He swallows hard and nods, though he still looks like he’s barely keeping himself together. “Okay,” he whispers, almost too low to hear.
I nod back and offer him a faint, reassuring smile. “Let’s go eat,” I say again, leading him out of the room. “We’ll start tomorrow.”
It doesn’t take long for Gunnar to fall back into his old habits, diving straight for the sofa where the food waits. I glance around, checking if Ant has shown up, but then I notice someone else missing.
“Where’s Mandy?” My voice tightens with concern. How the hell have they managed to lose her already?
Flynn points behind him toward Ant’s room. “She went to go see Ant.”
My head snaps toward him, and I stare, speechless. “You let her go see Ant? Are you out of your fucking mind?” I shout.
He throws his hands up defensively. “Have you seen her when she’s mad, Axel? I don’t think so!”
