Page 28 of No Mistakes
My head snaps towards her, “Excuse me? First of all, I always behave and two… why the fuck doIneed to behave?”
The reflection of the headlights hitting something catches my attention, and I look to see a black G-Wagon parked in front of us.
It looks like his.
The day I found out he was still alive, he had a row of them sitting outside the house. It was like each brother had their own personal blacked-out version.
The engine of our vehicle slowly dies as Mandy kills the engine, silence falling over us as we stare outside.
“You coming?” She asks casually.
I don’t answer right away, trying to find the words to decline and to demand to go back home, but I know no matter what I say, she will do whatever the hell she wants.
Shoving the door open, I step out into the cold night air and instantly spot Ant as he exits the shadows to stand in front of us. He looks the same, dark clothes, hood up, eyes locked on Mandy like he’s trying to read what could possibly be going on in her mind.
We don’t say anything at first, instead we just stand there like the silence is heavy with all the words. He lifts a hand slowly, giving me a small wave, and I exhale, feeling all the tension from inside my body starting to fade away.
Okay… This isn’t going so bad. He hasn’t tried to kill us, so I guess that’s a start.
“Hey,” I say softly.
He nods, his expression unreadable like always, but it’s not cold. It’s just… Ant.
I don’t know much about him, only what Mandy has ever told me, but he seems like a kind, quiet guy.
“I’ll be back in a second,” Mandy says, before indicating for Ant to follow her. I don’t really have the chance to stop her and ask her where she’s going before she disappears into the darkness. I look around me, feeling vulnerable, standing alone in the empty parking lot.
Moving towards the hood of Ant’s car, I lean against the bonnet to keep myself warm, but it doesn’t take the edge off. The cold settles into my bones, mixing with the nervous energy buzzing under my skin. I glance towards the dark where Mandy and Ant disappeared, straining to hear even the smallest amount of what could be said.
“Fuck sake,” I say out loud, pushing myself away from the warmth to go find out what has to be spoken about in silence. I only get a few steps away before I feel the hairs on the back of my neck lift.
It’s not the cold. It’s something else.
That strange, unspoken feeling of being watched.
I straighten, turning my head slowly to look at where I was just standing.
Something shifts behind Ant’s G-Wagon, and I brace myself, slowly moving my hand towards my pocket where I now keep a knife after what happened.
A shadow steps out, and I inhale sharply when I see it’s him.
It’s like my heart has forgotten how to beat, then overcorrects and slams against my ribs hard enough to hurt.
He’s standing there, hands tucked into his pockets like he’s trying to look casual, but he’s not. There’s tension in his shoulders, in his jaw. In the way his eyes are already lockedon mine, like he’s been preparing himself for this moment. My breath catches in my throat, and I feel myself panicking inside.
He looks the same but also slightly different. A little rougher, more tired, but fuck, he is still infuriatingly handsome.
I take a half-step back, bumping into Mandy’s car.
This wasn’t part of the deal, Mandy told me Ant would be here. Not fucking Axel Ashford.
I clench my jaw, trying to push the rising tide of emotions back where it came from, but it doesn’t last when he takes a step closer, and everything inside of me explodes.
Red clouds my vision as I storm towards him, fingers curling tight around the knife in my pocket like it’s the only thing that’s anchoring me.
He doesn’t move, not even a fucking flinch. He just stands there, like he didn’t rip my world apart and walk away like it meant nothing.
I pull the knife free, pointing it in his direction to try to tempt him to lie to me again. “Say something,” I snap, my voice shaking. “Go ahead. Lie to me again and see what happens.”
