Page 69 of No Mercy
Carter sighs before joining me on the edge of the bed. “You read the note. Axel’s made up his mind, we need help figuring this out and that includes her.”
I swallow hard, my gaze falling to the floor. He’s right, but that doesn’t make it any easier. The note hinted at something, somethingIdid. Something I thought was buried in the past and if Mandy ever finds out.. Fuck. I can’t think about that right now.
Carter leans in closer, bumping my shoulder against his before dropping his voice softer. “You’re not the only one who’s scared, Ant. But if we don’t bring her into this, we’re not giving ourselves the best shot at bringing Axel back alive.”
I look towards him. He’s right and as much as I hate to admit he is. Eva needs to know whether she likes it or not.
CHAPTER 32
EVA
My hands gripthe blanket on my lap like it’s the only thing keeping me grounded. Every instinct screams at me to push them away, to shut them out and call for help.
Carter and Ant stand across the room, their presence sucking the air out of the room as Mandy grips my hand into hers.
My eyes flicker between them as they stare back at me.
“Eva, we need to talk,” Carter says.
I shake my head as my breathing quickens, “No. I don’t want to listen to anything you have to say.”
He takes a step closer, but I push myself further back into the bed.
“Eva,” He tries to continue but Ant stops him. He pulls his phone quickly typing something before passing it to Mandy.
“You need to listen, please.”
“Please Ev-” Carter starts but I cut him off before he has the chance to continue, “No, I don'tneedto do anything.” I snap, “Just leave me alone. I don’t want to hear about him.”
“Too fucking bad.” Carter replies, clearly losing his patience as he steps forward cornering me to the bed. “You might not want to know, but youneedto. Axel’s gone after Marco. Alone.”
For a moment, I can’t even begin to process what he’s saying as the air leaves my lungs. I shake my head not wanting to believe what I’m hearing, “No, how did you- No… why would he-” I stop myself, my voice breaking.
“Because of you.” Carter says bluntly, his gaze never leaving mine as he stares me down.
I stare back, unable to speak as I grip Mandy’s hand even tighter. Mandy winces but I don’t let go, needing to hold her for support.
I don’t want to know, I can’t know. Whatever Axel is doing… it’s his choice not mine.
“I don’t care what he’s doing,” I lie, my voice trembling as I speak. “It’s not my problem.”
Carter snorts, his expression hardening. “Don’t kid yourself Eva. He’s doing this for you. Because he loves you.”
The words hit me like a physical blow, making it harder to breathe.
The machines around us start flashing, alerting us to low oxygen as I feel my throat tighten up. Ant’s eyes widen in panic as he looks between the machine and me, as if he can feel what I’m feeling.
Mandy stands, leaning over taking both my hands,“Breath Eva, you need to breathe. Copy me.” I do as I’m told and copy Mandy as she takes a deep breath before holding it in and releasing.
“That’s it… One, two, three, hold. Now release.”
The machine beside my bed slows down as the numbers climb back up.
She glances towards Ant who returns a nod before sitting back down, never letting go of my hands.
Ant uses this moment to step forward, holding his phone out towards me.“He left a note. He’s cutting ties to protectnot just you, but all of us. But he’s risking everything to make sure Marco can’t hurt you again.”
I pull one of my hands away from Mandy, pressing it to my mouth as tears spill and a sob rips from my chest.
