Page 79 of No Mistakes
AXEL
I grindthe phone into my palm as I pace the driveway, each turn on the gravel sending sharp crunches into the cold air. Gunnar texted twenty-five minutes ago, saying something had happened with Eva. No details. Just enough to light a fuse under my ribs.
Since then, I haven’t stopped moving. My body’s a loaded weapon with no target, rage simmering hotter with every lap I make. I keep picturing her face, pale, hurt. The image of her on that floor reappears in my mind, and my hands curl until my knuckles ache.
On the porch, my brothers watch me without a word. They’ve learned not to speak when I’m like this, not unless they’ve developed a death wish.
The sound of an engine stops me in my tracks, my head snapping towards it. I see Gunnar’s car slow down, stopping just before the gates, and I find myself already walking towards them.
The metal gates groan as they swing open, and the black SUV glides through slowly. My phone slips from my fingers without a second thought.
My steps turn into a sprint as I race towards Eva, my shoes pounding against the driveway until I’m standing dead centre in the middle. Gunnar has no choice but to brake, the hood rocking forward from the sudden stop.
I’m at the back door before anyone has the chance to stop me, and I yank it open.
There she is.
Eva’s eyes find mine, and her composure shatters. “Axel-” her voice breaks, the rest of her words swallowed by a sob.
Something inside me cracks, and I reach in, lifting her out without a word, her weight folding into my arms as though she’s been waiting for me to take it from her. She buries her face into my shoulder, her whole body trembling as she cries into my shirt.
My arms lock around her, possessive and unyielding, my chin resting on the crown of her head as I turn away from the SUV. I don’t ask what happened.
I don’t stop until we’re inside, the door slamming shut behind us. My shoes thud against the stairs two at a time, her arms still looped around my neck, her breathing ragged against my skin.
My room is the first place that feels right, even though I have memories in here that haunt me; I hope it gives her a space to feel safe from whatever happened out there. I nudge the door open with my shoulder and set her down gently on the bed. Her fingers cling to my shirt until I ease them free.
“Stay here,” I whisper, though my voice comes out more like a growl.
She curls onto her side, knees to her chest, shoulders shaking. The sight burns a hole in my chest.
The next moment, Mandy bursts in. Her gaze jumping from me to Eva, reading the room instantly.
“What happened?” My tone sharp.
Mandy’s eyes flick to Eva, still crying quietly into the pillow. She swallows hard, then jerks her head towards the door. “Outside.”
I hesitate. The thought of leaving Eva even for a second twists in my gut. But I follow, pulling the door shut behind us.
Mandy paces the hallway as she runs a hand through her hair as if she’s debating whether or not to tell me. She takes a deep breath, stopping in front of me, her eyes full of worry. “We were about to leave when he…Benny…He grabbed her. Full hand, up the skirt. Right in front of people, Axel. He even got a...” She stops herself, but she doesn’t have to say the words for me to know exactly what he got. “We got her out before she had to say anything. But… Axel, she was shaking the whole way back.”
Heat floods my body, not the kind that warms you up at night, but the type that burns until you don’t have a choice but to release it. I stare past Mandy, focusing on a painting on the wall that my mother created, so I don’t put my fist through it.
“Where is he?” I ask, my voice low as I try to remain in control.
Mandy shakes her head. “She needsyouright now, not a scene.”
I drag a hand over my face, looking towards the closed door. I exhale slowly, forcing the rage back down where it can’t hurt her until the time is right. “Fine. Butwhenshe’s steady. He’s mine.”
I force myself to take one deep breath. Then another. Until I’m certain, I won’t storm out the door and drive straight to that bakery, to rip his head clean off his body.
Mandy leaves me to go find the others, and I push the door open slowly. She hasn’t moved. Still curled on her side, her blonde hair spilling like sand across my pillow. Her breathing is uneven, shaky, and for a second, I hate myself for not being there the entire time.
I should have put her first. Not just now, but always. I’ve been so focused on taking back control, I lost my way with her.
I drop to one knee beside the bed. “Eva.”
Her head lifts just enough for her eyes to find me. They’re red-rimmed and glassy, but the moment she sees me, something in her face crumples. She reaches out, not for my shoulder or my chest, but my wrist. Her fingers grip onto me, holding me tight like I might disappear at any moment.
