Page 107 of No Mistakes
Down three flights, my heels slam against the metal, the sound powerful as we speed towards the underground lot. A black SUV sits waiting, headlights cutting across the cracked concrete, guiding us towards it. Gunnar sits in the driver’s seat, his eyes scanning the area while Carter paces, his gun still drawn.
Axel’s voice slices through the night, his brothers looking towards him immediately. “Where the fuck is Flynn?”
Carter straightens, rounding the car to jump in the passenger seat, sliding his weapon back into its holster beneath his suit jacket. “With Vinny. They’ve got the survivors. They’re on the way to the safe location.”
My heart stammers at the word survivors. My gaze darts back to the hotel door that we just emerged from, praying that meant every single one.
Axel’s jaw flexes, but he doesn’t argue. Instead, he jerks his chin at us, opening the door to the back seats. “In. Now.”
Ant’s hand is firm on my back, pushing me into the SUV before I can protest. My body trembles as I slide across the seat, watching Axel secure Eva in before rounding to the trunk, climbing inside, and locking himself in.
Within seconds, we’re moving, weaving between cars that have been abandoned. Las Vegas blurs past us as we enter the strip, a storm of neon lights blinding the terrors that live here. Police cruisers cut across intersections, racing towards the hotel, walking into a mass murder.
I hold my breath every time the sirens pass us, praying silently that they leave us alone, and every time, they do. Completely unaware of who we are.
Inside the SUV, the silence presses heavily. Carter stares out the windshield, his body tense, mask dangling from his fist, ready to use it if needed. Axel checks his weapon, and I hear thesound of him reloading as we speed off into the darkness, leaving the city of lights behind us.
Ant’s arm comes around my shoulder, pulling me against him. My head rests against his chest, the steady thud of his heart the only thing keeping mine from spiralling out of control. For the first time since stepping into that ballroom, I let my eyes close. Just for a second.
My eyes snap open as we come to a sudden halt. The SUV’s brakes squeal against the gravel, throwing me forward before Ant’s arm tightens, steadying me against him, panic threatening to take over for a split second until I see the shadow outline of a warehouse ahead.
Axel gets out first, complaining about the space in the trunk before walking around, opening the door for Eva.
Ant turns towards me, his voice steady, “You ready?”
I link my hand into his as he opens his door, the cold air wrapping around us. “As long as I’m with you, I’m always ready.”
We walk towards the metal doors, hand in hand. The sound of them creaking as they open, and what waits inside steals the breath straight from my lungs.
Rows of people-huddled, frightened, but alive-fill the space. Some sit slumped against the walls, blankets draped over their shoulders, and others cling to water bottles like lifelines. The smell of damp concrete mixes with food and antiseptic, a jarring kind of comfort in the middle of all this madness.
Ant squeezes my hand, leaning closer. “Over there,” he nods toward a tall man barking orders while guiding people to chairs, “that’s Vinny. One of Axel’s closest allies. He’s the reason half of this is running smoothly tonight.”
My gaze shifts as Ant gestures again. “That’s his mother,” he adds, pointing to a woman passing out bottles of water, her face lined but kind. “She took us in after our parents passed. Treated us like her own. Kept us alive when we didn’t know what to do with ourselves.”
Emotion swells in my throat at the softness of his voice, at the history hidden behind his usually guarded eyes.
Axel and his brothers move ahead of us, their figures breaking apart as Carter and Gunnar cross to Vinny, clasping hands like old friends. Axel, though, doesn’t follow. Instead, he pulls Eva into him, her forehead pressing to his chest, his hand covering the back of her head like he’ll never let her go again. Their voices are too quiet to catch, but I don’t need to hear the words. The look on Eva’s face says it all. They’ve found each other again, and this time, it feels permanent.
The sight makes my chest ache differently. Happiness. Relief. Maybe even hope.
We pass them, weaving through the survivors when my feet come to a sudden stop. In the corner sits the girl I bidded for, wrapped in a blanket, trembling. Flynn crouches beside her, his tone low, coaxing her to sip from the bottle in his hand. The gentleness in his face makes my throat tighten while I watch our hardened family doing everything they can to put the pieces back together.
I glance up at Ant, catching a flicker of pride in his eyes. “I wish I had gotten to meet your mom,” I whisper, noticing the shadow of sadness crossing his expression.
“She would’ve liked you, y’know.” His lips tug faintly into a smile. “She always said she hoped I’d find a woman who could put me in my place.”
A laugh shakes out of me, quiet, broken, but real. My gaze sweeps the room-his brothers working, survivors resting, Axeland Eva clinging to each other-and I can’t stop myself from asking, “Will you ever tell me what your father did?”
His eyes find mine, steady and soft, a weight behind them I can’t quite touch. “Maybe,” he murmurs. Then he glances away, his gaze locking on Flynn, still crouched with the girl. “But I think someone else could tell that story better.”
I lean my head against his chest, taking this moment in, my voice barely a whisper. “We did it… We saved them.”
He lifts my chin with his finger, our eyes locking onto each other as he leans in, “Yousaved them,” he murmurs, his voice low and certain. “Just like you savedme.”
The world blurs around us as his lips find mine, sealing the night with the kind of promise that feels unbreakable.
The End.
