Page 82 of No Mistakes
Benny shakes his head, his voice raspy from all the shouting. “I don’t even know who you are! How the hell am I supposed to know who she is?”
A slow, low laugh slips out of me, one that makes my brothers look towards each other, as if they know what is about to happen.
“You know, Benny…” I lean in closer, pointing a finger in his direction, my voice curling around the edges of his panic. “You’re right. Let me show you.”
My fingers hook into my mask, and I yank it off in one smooth motion. The cold air hits my face, but the real chill is in his reaction.
“Ax-Axel?” His voice cracks on my name. “You’re… you’re supposed to be dead.”
I smile, “Funny thing about ghosts…” I step in closer, “They don’t rest easy until the job’s finished. Andyou? You’re unfinished business.”
Gunnar jerks him down to his knees. The chains clink against the damp wood as Ant and Carter loop them around his arms and ankles. The sound carries across the still water, louder than it should be, a steady reminder that the night is about to end badly for him.
Benny twists and thrashes, his breath coming fast, panicked. “I swear, I didn’t even know who she was!”
I crouch, gripping his jaw so hard my knuckles ache. “Wrong answer. Let’s try something easier. Marco is dead. Who’s running his crew now?”
He freezes, eyes darting from one mask to the next as Flynn walks down the slope towards us, his blue mask shining against the dark. “I… I don’t know. Nobody’s saying-”
Carter yanks the chain tighter, forcing Benny’s shoulders forward with a choked grunt.
I lean in, my voice like ice. “Lies make me impatient.”
I stand, pacing the length of the dock, “Where’s the next shipment coming from? Who are the cops working with?”
He stammers, spilling names and streets, tossing out half-truths and rumours, hoping something will stick. The desperation in his voice is ugly, like a rat cornered in the dark.
From the shadows, Flynn’s voice cuts in, smooth and certain. “Some of that’s legit.”
I glance back at Benny, offering the barest smile. “See? Youcanbe useful.” But my tone shifts, dropping lower, more dangerous. “Now… about earlier.”
His breathing turns ragged. “Iswear… I didn’t mean to touch her, Axel, it was a mistake.”
I crouch in front of him again, resting an elbow on my knee as my head rests against my fist. I tut at him. “Oh, that wasnomistake, Benny, and you’re about to learn averyhardlesson about touching what doesn’t belong to you.”
Gunnar pins his left hand flat to the dock as Flynn steps forward, carrying a bolt cutter towards him. The steel jaws snap open with a cold, metallic click.
Benny starts shaking his head violently. “No-no, come on, I told you what you wanted. I-”
I smirk, “Talking was never going to save you.” I look towards Flynn, giving him a nod of approval, and he crouches down, one knee resting against the dock as he places the mouth of the cutters around Benny’s wrist. The cutters slam shut. The sound of bones and tendons breaking amongst the screams that break through the night air like a siren as blood splatters over us.
I stand, brushing my gloves together, letting the sound die in the air. “You don’t touch what’s mine. You don’t even think about her.”
Gunnar and Carter haul him upright, shoving him towards the edge. The weights clatter over first, pulling the chains taut. Benny stumbles once before they kick him backwards.
“Goodnight, Benny,” I say, giving him a final wave.
The splash is swallowed by the black water. His muffled shouts vanishing under the surface, leaving nothing but ripples that fade fast in the glow of the Chicago skyline.
I turn, scanning the top of the slope. Eva’s there, her hair spilling loose over her shoulders as it dances with the wind. Mandy stands beside her, but I barely register her, because Eva’s eyes are locked on me.
She’s not looking away, not even after what she’s just seen. The city lights catch in her gaze, making them glint like she’s just claimed something for herself. Me.
Her lips part the smallest bit, like she’s holding back words, or maybe a breath. I feel it in my chest, the invisible tetherpulling taut between us. It’s not fear in her eyes. It’s something far more dangerous.
My pulse slows, steady now, as if my body already knows hers is the only gaze I’ll ever answer to. And in that moment, I know that Benny won’t be the last man I send to the ground for her.
CHAPTER 35
