The Swiss Murder | Completed

7. Seeing Red

Hello readers! This chapter is dedicated to @9ice_for_what. Thank you for your support! 

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"What did you just say?"

One would expect these words to come out of Eric, but Anthony beat him to it. He held Mark's cool gaze with a steady, level gaze of his own. Nobody insulted his best friend like that. Nobody.

"You don't need to speak for me," Eric said, torn between letting go and lashing out. "As for you," said Eric, focusing his steely Blue eyes on Mark, "I'm not answerable to you, a total stranger with a permanent scowl on his face."

Mark seemed totally unaffected by it, however, that was not the case. He leaned towards Eric, leaving very little space between them, and said in a very low voice,

"If I were you, I'd refrain from saying such things," Mark spoke, his voice low and threatening.

"Yeah, or what?" Eric looked straight into his eyes, challenging him silently.

Mark just smiled menacingly, pushed back his chair and swiftly left the room. His wife followed after him hastily, but not before apologizing for her husband's behavior. Levi and Charlotte left the dining hall too, leaving the friends to themselves.

"Eric, what the hell is wrong with you man? You've been acting so strange ever since we left New York!"

"Back off Carter, just give him a break, alright," Anthony said to him while stealing quick glances at Eric.

Eric was staring at the breakfast sandwich, his leg tapping with short and quick motions on the ground. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to block out everything around him.

"Why should I give him a break, why does he even need one?!" Carter was losing his control and came dangerously close to snapping at Eric. He tried to keep his voice normal, but it only came out angrier.

Eric's behavior coupled with the fact that he was the reason he couldn't get to Emma, made it all the more hard for him to not lash out. He didn't even want to control himself, he realized.

"You've been acting like a complete idiot, for what reason I have no idea," Carter said to Eric, standing to his full height.

"You don't know what you're saying," Eric said in a low voice. "Don't test my patience."

"No."

"No?" Eric replied, his eyebrows pulled together. He was already confused and this conversation didn't make any sense to him anymore.

Eric's eyes fell on Emma and all he wanted to do was talk to her, tell her about everything. He came around the table, paying no heed to Anthony and Scarlett and went straight to Emma. Once he reached her, he grabbed her hand and said,

"Can we talk now, please?"

Emma looked at Eric, now almost unrecognizable with the way he was looking and behaving. His eyes held panic in them and were desperate. How could she say no?

But before she could utter a single word, Carter pushed her out of the way and came face to face with Eric.

"I wasn't done with you."

"I don't care, I'm done with whatever this is." Eric wasn't even looking at Carter. "I don't want to fight, alright?"

Eric grabbed Emma's hand again and turned to leave the room. Carter saw this and he felt his blood pressure started to rise, his nostrils flared and at that moment, all he saw was Red. He took one step towards Eric, grabbed his shoulder and pulled him towards himself.