Phoebe
“ E vening. Please come in.” said, opening the door for Isaiah, anxious to find out what he’d learned from Sheen.
“Thank you. Sorry I couldn’t come earlier,” Isaiah said, his shoulders heavy. His stubble had got further on its way to a beard since the last time they’d talked in person.
“Please don’t apologise, we understand that you’re busy,” said. “We’ve been hoping you had some good news.”
Isaiah didn’t look all that hopeful as he removed his black jacket.
“I think we should get everyone together before we talk,” he said, following her through to the kitchen.
She wondered if Sheen had decided to recant his confession. Maybe he’d been paid to keep his mouth shut? He had a talent for self-preservation, and had already demonstrated he was morally corrupt when payment was involved.
Isaiah stood at the end of the island while she poured him a cup of coffee. Axel, August and Nick gathered in the kitchen, each taking a seat.
“Did you manage to find him? I hope he had a good excuse for not showing up this morning,” Nick said, pissed Sheen had wasted their time.
“I did,” Isaiah said, and felt like all the air had been sucked from the room. “We sent someone to his apartment to do a welfare check. Unfortunately, he was found deceased.”
They all stared at Isaiah like he had two heads.
“He’s dead?” asked, unable to process what he was saying.
“The cause is suspected insulin overdose. He was a type one diabetic, and the medication was in his name.” Isaiah sipped his coffee.
“Do you think it was intentional?” Axel dared to ask. “Suspicious that he died just before he was about to confess.”
“Right now, it’s being ruled as accidental. There was no forced entry or sign of a struggle. There is no evidence to suggest that someone else was in the apartment,” Isaiah said, but it felt like there was something he was leaving out.
“What are the chances of a type one diabetic accidentally overdosing?” asked.
“Guilty conscience?” Nick countered.
“Given his attitude last night, suicide doesn’t make sense. He didn’t want to die,” said, recalling how he was afraid of the person behind all this.
“I wish I had more answers, but there’s something else I want to show you,” Isaiah said, opening some photos on his phone. They all leaned in. “Sheen’s apartment was like a shrine to Brothers of Anarchy. Posters, fan art, signed T-shirts, photos, articles. There was a heavy focus on Cillian, even a couple of photos of them together and a napkin with Cillian’s signature.”
“This is intense,” Nick said, swiping through the disturbing photos. Sheen was far more than just a fan.
August was the first to back away. “I feel like I need a shower.”
“I believe Sheen was responsible for the harassment entirely,” Isaiah said. “When you caught him last night at the gallery fire, he might have wanted to appear like the hero. When you weren’t willing to fully accept his story, he might’ve realised he was never going to get close to you all like he’d hoped.”
“What about the cash? Sheen said he was paid?” Axel asked, looking for any evidence of another person’s involvement.
“I searched the room with the other officers. No one found any loose cash, and he’d made no recent bank deposits. However, we found a few burner phones in his desk drawer, and envelopes identical to the one he gave you. There were also packs of single razor blades in his bathroom.”
“So that’s it. It was just him. There really isn’t anyone else?” asked, needing certainty.
“We found no other evidence of another person’s involvement. We checked the footage outside the Reid Gallery, and there is a hooded figure who is seen throwing a lit bottle through the front window and leaving. Only a few moments later, we see Sheen come down the same street and start busting in the gallery door.” Isaiah told her. “He either passed the person responsible or did it himself.”
would’ve felt better if Lena had got the video footage from LouderTech, but given what she’d been through last night, she wasn’t going to push for her involvement.
“That’s it, investigation over?” Axel didn’t sound all too relieved.
“We’re waiting for the autopsy, but he sent an email to LouderTech telling them he was solely responsible for the break-in at the studio, and that he was sorry for the destruction he caused and the harm he did to both and the company’s reputation.”
“It all seems too easy. I don’t like it,” Axel said, pacing.
“He wasn’t a criminal mastermind,” Nick said. “Sheen was an obsessed fan who didn’t get what he wanted and gave up.”
“What do you think?” Axel asked, looking to .
“I want to believe Sheen was working alone, and that he’d been manipulating us last night. But the overdose, the confession, and all the evidence feel too good to be true.”
“I’ll keep digging,” Isaiah said, “but don’t let Sheen get into your head. I don’t want any of you looking for shadows that aren’t there.”
“So that’s it?” Axel said. “We return to normal?”
“I don’t see why not. Just be cautious until we get the final results from the evidence we found and the autopsy.”
“Thank you for everything.” Nick shook his hand.
Axel sat down solemnly, and could hear his mind going a mile a minute.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get to him sooner so I could get you a real confession,” Isaiah said, and it was obvious he wasn’t too happy with this ending either.
August started washing the dishes to self-soothe, and Nick grabbed a beer from the fridge.
“You’ve done more than enough. Thank you for helping us,” said, walking Isaiah to the door.
He pulled on his jacket. “I’ll be in touch with the results. Look after each other, and call me if there is anything else you need.”
He left with a quick goodbye, and she couldn’t believe it was over, just like that.
When she got back to the kitchen, Nick and August didn’t look like they were in the mood to chat about the new development, and Axel was gone.
“He’s down in the basement,” Nick told her. “We’re going to take Bart for a walk.”
guessed they wanted to give Axel and her some space.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
She knew they’d suspected that Cillian’s death wasn’t an accident. If there was some maestro behind the curtain targeting all of them, then they had hope that Cillian wasn’t responsible for what had happened. Isaiah had quashed that hope with reality.
“It’s over, like Isaiah said. Let’s not look for shadows,” Nick said, resting a hand over hers.
She nodded, not wanting to put doubts into their heads. After so much going wrong, maybe she just couldn’t believe this because it felt too good to be true. But seeing Sheen’s shrine in the photos had confirmed all she needed to know. It made sense that he’d targeted her; there was no phantom orchestrating everything. Cillian’s accident was an accident, and Sheen was just an obsessive fan who blamed her for Cill’s death and resented her close relationship with the rest of the band. He’d fed on their fears to try and get close to them.
hesitated at the basement door. After everything Axel had done for her, she felt a surge of guilt and wasn’t sure whether to disturb him or give him some space. The news about Sheen was a lot for them all to digest; going down to the basement to play was code for “Axel needs space”, but she wanted to make sure he was okay. She turned the doorknob and figured that since the door wasn’t locked, he wasn’t too opposed to visitors. Padding down the steps, she heard him curse as he made a mistake.
“Are you going to hide down here, or do you want to talk?” asked, playing with the long sleeves of her black dress.
His head snapped up before he started again.
“I’m not hiding, I just needed some time to process.” Axel’s shoulders relaxed as she approached him. “Playing is the only way I can get my mind to stop racing.”
“Do you want me to go?” she asked, even if leaving was the last thing she wanted.
“Don’t you dare. Come over here.” Axel reached out for her, bridging the gap between them.
She handed him the small towel from the amplifier beside her. Watching the beads of sweat run down Axel’s chiselled torso only reminded her of how his body had felt against hers, and she didn’t want her desire distracting her from their conversation.
“I can’t seem to forget that Sheen won’t have to suffer for what he put you through, but having you beside me is a much more effective distraction.” He put down his sticks and wiped the sweat from his brow with the towel.
“I’m sorry so much of this has landed on you,” she said, running her hands down his bare chest. “I know how worried you’ve been about all of us. I wish Sheen was still alive so I could kick his arse into jail for making these past few weeks so much harder.”
He pulled her close until her head rested on his bare chest. His lips hit the sensitive skin on her neck.
He held her waist. “You never have to apologise to me for someone else’s actions. None of this is your fault. Though I will admit you’re sexy when you’re mad,” he teased, and she rolled her eyes.
“I’m trying to be serious,” she said, swatting at him.
In one quick motion, he placed her on the stool, trapped in by his drums. She thought he was going to kiss her, but he pulled back.
“I’m serious when I say I can’t breathe when I don’t know if you’re safe or not.” His hands gripped her hips. He pressed his body against hers, and when she arched to get closer, he inched away, furthering her frustration.
“I’m serious when I say I love how stubborn and protective you are about those you care about,” he said, his lips teasingly close. Her breath quickened as his fingertips brushed beneath her T-shirt, and all thoughts of their conversations drifted away.
“Axel,” she groaned as his lips trailed down her neck, increasing the ache within her.
“I thought you wanted me to be serious,” he said with a smirk, and she resented how much his proximity intoxicated her.
She reached for the buttons on his trousers and saw a wicked grin appear on his lips. unzipped his trousers, her eyes never leaving his. Stroking the length of him, she could feel how ready he was. She gripped him tighter, and delighted in his sharp intake of breath.
“I’m serious about how much I want you,” she said, struggling against him, but he held her still.
Removing her hand from him, he pinned her hands to her sides.
“Keep squirming like that, and I’ll fuck you on the floor.”
His mouth claimed hers, the sweet taste of his tongue driving her wild. He released her hands only to stand her up, and before she could touch him again, he ripped through her button-down black dress.
“That was my favourite dress!”
He quickly silenced her as he wrapped her legs around his waist. The feel of him against her core only increased her desire, and she forgot about her ruined dress.
“I’ll buy you a new one.” Axel dropped her onto his bed, and she landed with a thud on the duvet. Her laughter silenced as Axel towered over her, a demanding look in his eyes. She could feel the aching pulse between her legs.
He watched as she rose in her underwear. Kissing his chest, she trailed down his chiselled stomach until she reached his belt. He grabbed her chin, and she whined as he ended her exploration.
“Keep your eyes on mine, and hands on my chest,” he ordered, and she nodded, eager to please.
His hand went to her waist, sliding over the curve of her ass, and she tried not to squirm. dug her nails into his chest and cried out when his fingers slid over her lacy black underwear.
“I told you not to move.” Axel spun her around, pressing her back against his firm body as his fingers brought her closer to the edge, the other hand massaging her breast. The heat of his body only heightened her desire to move with him.
“Stand still,” he said against her ear. His lips trailed down her spine as he shifted her underwear down her legs.
Before he could issue any more orders, she straddled him on the floor. She loved the surprised look in his eyes; his need for her only increased her insanity. He sat up, and slid his lips along her collarbone as he freed her from her bra.
“What do you want?” His teeth clamped down on her hardened nipple as he began to stroke between her legs.
“You.” stilled and kissed him gently. “I need you,” she rasped.
His hungry gaze disappeared, and gentleness took its place. He groaned as she slowly rocked against him. All she heard was their laboured breathing as she finished pulling his trousers off.
“I’m serious when I say this is mine.” Axel lifted her onto him, easing inside her.He groaned, and she remembered how good he felt stretching her, filling her in a way that made her lose all sense of self until there was only them.
“God, I love you.” His rough words brushed her ear so quietly she thought she’d imagined his confession. She wanted to reply, but he started to move. Gripping his shoulders, she met his thrusts. She brought her lips to his, and his calloused hands dug into her hips as he moved deeper into her. She felt herself tightening around him, getting closer. She arched her back, allowing him to take her deeper. He groaned, biting her neck, and she erupted around him. The sting of his teeth only heightened the ecstasy until they were both left out of breath and clinging to each other for support.
“I love you too,” she whispered, and she met his smile with a kiss.