Page 95 of No Mistakes
She pushes herself off the bed, walking towards me. “Whats wro-” She starts, stopping when she sees what I’m looking at.
A folded piece of paper lies on the floor, stark against the patterned rug. My chest squeezes as I unlock the door, yanking it open before Eva can stop me.
The door swings open, and I stumble back, shocked to see him standing there.
Adam.
He looks different, like he hasn’t slept in weeks. His jaw is shadowed, his clothes rumpled, his eyes sharper, older somehow. Not the smooth-talking coworker we used to laugh with at the office.
I don’t think. I just grab his wrist, yanking him inside, shutting the door before anyone in the hallway can catch a glimpse.
He stumbles, sucking in a breath, and Eva’s already by the door, twisting the lock and pressing her ear against the wood like she’s waiting for boots to pound past.
“Adam,” I hiss, “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I had to find you.” His chest heaves, words tumbling out like he’s been holding them in for too long. “If they knew I was even talking to you-”
“Then sit your ass down and talk fast,” Eva cuts in, arms crossed tight over her chest. She looks pissed, but I catch the flicker in her eyes. She’s scared, too.
Adam drags a shaking hand through his hair and collapses onto the armchair by the window. Up close, he looks worse than I realised. Dark circles under his eyes, every feature pinched with exhaustion.
“I’m sorry I left how I did, but I had to disappear,” he says, voice low as if he’s worried someone is listening.
I crouch in front of him, my hands resting on his knees. “If who knew you was talking to us, Adam? What happened to make you leave?”
He takes a deep breath before looking at both of us. “I didn’t want to leave you. They had my sister. They told me if I didn’t do what they wanted, she’d end up in a ditch. So I played along. I got a job at your place, helped secure the case against Carter, and kept my head down. But when Axel ‘died’, they let me go. Thought it was over.” His eyes flash between us, raw and broken. “It wasn’t. It’s never over with them.”
My stomach twists, confused about what is going on. “So why now? Why show up here?”
He leans forward, elbows on his knees, desperation leaking through every syllable. “Because when I found out Axel was alive, I knew they’d find out too. And when they do, it’s not just him they’ll come for. It’s all of you.”
I look behind me to Eva, her lips part, but no words come out.
Adam continues, and I look back to him as his voice breaks. “That’s why I left the USB. You were the only ones who could do something about it. But after tonight…” His hands clench into fists. “I can’t stay. If I do, my family dies.”
“Who’s they Adam?” I ask again, panic rising inside of me.
He looks out the window towards the resort, like he’s not sure he should say it. But then the words pour out anyway. “All I can say is that Marco wasn’t the one pulling the strings. He never was. He was just a front. Loud enough to grab attention, brutal enough to scare, he was enough to make everyone think he was king. But there’s someone else. Higher. Smarter. The kind of person you don’t see coming until it’s too late.”
The air in the room turns to ice. My stomach sinks like I’ve been punched.
Eva shakes her head. “If that’s true, then who the hell are we dealing with? We need a name.”
Adam presses his lips together, eyes dark as he leans closer. “I don’t know her name.” His voice cracks on the word her. “But she’s the reason I can’t stay. The reason I left the USB. She doesn’t miss. Not once. If she finds out I came here…” He trails off, unable to look at us. “I’m dead. And not just me. My family, too.”
For a second, he just sits there, none of us knowing what to say, his chest rising and falling fast. He pushes himself up, pacing towards the door.
“Adam-” I start, but he cuts me off, shaking his head.
“I can’t stay,” he says, pain flooding his voice. “If I’m seen with you, we’re all fucked. But you need to know this…” his eyes move between us both, softer now, almost pleading. “I never wanted to hurt either of you. You were my friends. The only good thing I had while I was stuck in a world of hell. Don’t ever think I didn’t care.”
Eva’s mouth parts, her walls falling.
Adam grips the door handle, knuckles white. “Mandy-Eva-just.. be careful tonight. Please. If something happens to you…” His voice trails off, breaking off like the words are too heavy to carry.
I step forward, my throat tight. “Adam-”
But he’s already pulling the door open, slipping into the hallway without another look back. The soft click of the latch feels final, like the world just tilted a little darker.
