Page 38 of No Mistakes
Mandy crosses her arms, leaning against the island. “Then how do we get on the list?”
Before anyone answers, the kitchen door swings open. Gunnar steps through, followed by Eva. She’s laughing at something he says, bright and unguarded in a way that makes Axel’s entire posture snap to attention as something sharp flashes across his face as he watches them closely. “Nice of you to finally join us.”
Eva’s smile drops the second their eyes meet. She halts mid-step, and Gunnar instinctively peels away from her, crossing to the far side of the room without another word.
Axel doesn’t look away, keeping his eyes trained on Eva, “We leave for Chicago within the hour,” he states, addressing the room but still staring at her. “We need to be ready before we hit Vegas. Pack your bags. Get your shit together.”
“Why are we going to Chicago first?” Mandy asks, ignoring the tension surrounding us.
Axel finally shifts his gaze, eyes flicking to her. “We’re going home,” he says. “Back to Ashford Manor.”
CHAPTER 18
AXEL
Wereallyshould have leftover an hour ago, but between last-minute gear checks, Mandy disappearing every five minutes, and Gunnar refusing to pack light, the entire morning’s been an absolute shit show.
I stand outside, growing more agitated by the second, waiting for everyone to haul their asses out of the house.
The engines have been running for over twenty minutes, and the majority of the bags are already loaded. And I’m just standing here, useless and stressed.
Carter and Flynn had gone to the safe house after our morning meeting, bringing back every piece of gear we’d stored there over the years. Now, it’s all dumped into the vehicles, waiting for the moment that promises blood.
I pace, kicking loose gravel across the driveway, my fists clenched by my side. But movement by the front door stops me in my tracks.
My head snaps up, just as Eva walks out, and instantly, I’m captivated by her.
Fuck.
She doesn’t look at me, but you bet your ass I’m looking at her.
Her hoodie’s pulled up like armour, like she’s trying to shield herself from everything. She looks smaller somehow. Breakable. But beneath that hoodie, beneath all her walls, she moves like she’s made of lightning. Like if you looked too closely, she’d strike.
The strap of her bag digs into her shoulder, her posture stiff, as she walks with determination. She stares straight ahead, the morning light catching the strands of hair that fall from her hood.
Last night gave me hope. The way she looked at me… the way she didn’t run when I told her why I did what I did.
I thought maybe it meant something. That maybe, just maybe… She’d stop treating me like a stranger. That I still had a way back in. But the second we got back to the house, it was like everything I told her in the parking lot never happened.
She walks closer, her gaze focused on the vehicles, but still, I look at her like she hung the fucking stars in the sky.
I hurry around the front of the car, stepping to the passenger side, opening the door for her. It’s not a grand gesture, but it’s something. A chance. A thread to pull.
“Eva, the ca-” I start. But she breezes past me like I don’t exist.
She grips the strap tighter and veers for the SUV behind mine, climbing in without hesitation before slamming the door shut.
I don’t move, still holding the door open, while pride bleeds out of me like a fucking knife wound.
Mandy appears beside me, her own bag slung over her shoulder, a smirk already forming.
She taps my arm. “Yikes,” she mutters. “Rejected,andit’s not even noon. You sure you’re ready for thirteen hours of this?”
She doesn’t wait for a reply. Just tosses her bag into the other SUV and disappears into the back like we’re casually going to get coffee.
The sound of boots crunching against gravel pulls my attention from Eva, and I turn to see my brothers walking towards me. Gunnar strolls up, like we’re not already hours behind schedule, and casually walks to the back of the car, tossing his bag into the trunk. Flynn quickly follows, tossing his bag before jumping into the back seat.
“About time,” I mutter, slamming the passenger door shut. Gunnar shoots me a look, clearly amused. “What’s the rush? It’s not like we’re driving into a goddamn war zone.”
