Chapter 14: Chapter 14

XIV

Axel's P.O.V.

Holy fuck.

I can feel my blood slowly turning colder and colder in my veins as I numbly watch the television.

I think Sophie sat down next to me, but I'm not sure.

I don't say anything. I don't know what to say because, frankly, I don't know what to think.

I know, however, that this is not good.

What if they figure out that I'm a part of this gang - or was a part of it?

What if they find my handprints or whatever, a hair?

I'd lose my career. I'd lose my fans. I'd go to jail.

Again.

I can't go to jail.

I'd lose Sophie.

I wouldn't be there to see the birth of our baby boy.

That's if it's going to be a boy.

Oh god, this can't be happening, not now.

You changed your identity, Axel, they can't do shit to you ; that's what I tell myself but it doesn't calm me down for shit.

I feel like I've been frozen on the sofa for what feels like a week, when my phone rings.

I don't stand up to get it - I can't move my feet to be able to do that. Instead, I feel Sophie move towards the phone and she looks at me with a frown on her face as she picks up the phone.

"Hey, coach." she answers, her eyes still on me. "Yeah, he is involved in all this mess and we just saw the news. Axel seems to be in shock about it, what do I do? It's scaring me." she asks and then waits for him to reply.

"Okay, I'll put him on." she says into the phone and approaches me, pressing the phone against my ear.

Soon, coach's voice fills my ear. "Axel?" he says as softly as possible for him. "What did you do, Axel?"

I don't reply.

"Stop overreacting, you're scaring Soph and it's not good for the baby. You're not Axel Jarvis anymore, remember?" he tells me, but I don't say anything in return again.

He sighs into the phone. "Can you please say something so that I won't feel this much of a fucking idiot, and know that you're actually on the other side of the line?" he persists.

"No." I say and hear relieved exhale from Sophie.

Coach doesn't say anything for a few seconds. "We'll be there in 20 minutes." he finally announces and hangs up.

Great, now I'll have to look at his face as well as the news.

Sophie removes the phone from my ear when I place my head in my hands, rubbing my face and taking deep breaths.

She doesn't say anything, probably having no idea what to say either, just rubs my back in comforting movement.

True to their word, they arrive in less than half an hour, barging in without ringing the doorbell.

"Axel!" coach calls for me and Sophie answers, telling them we're in the living room.

They both rush towards us, coach's hands on his hips. "You have something to do with this, Axel?" he asks with a raised voice, and then adds after a few seconds:"Did you kill someone there?!"

I don't say shit; whose genious idea was to bring my future mother in law here to listen to me confess to kiling someone? She'll never let Sophie marry me if she finds out about all I've ever done.

Sighing and groaning at the same time, I stand up, heading to the gym. "Follow me." I order coach in a low voice.

I sit down on the little bench in my gym, this is the place I feel most comfortable yet my nerves go up again when I see coach standing in the same position, looking at me with raised eyebrows. "Tell me what the fuck you did in America. I deserve to know." he orders and I sigh, going into the story.

I tell him everything; about the gang, the drugs, the smuggling that I used to do, the rape attempts on Sophie, the threats and in the end about the murder of Greyson.

Without realizing, there are fucking tears streaming down my face by the end of my cheerful fucking story and they multiply at the disappointed look on coach's face.

"Goddamn it, son, you're much worse than I thought." he sighs then sits down next to me. "I mean, it was self defense, but there's no way to know if the jury will buy that."

My breath hitches at the mention of jury. "I can't fucking go to jail. Do you have any fucking idea what that would mean for me? I'd lose my career and reputation, and fans! I'd lose Sophie, coach! I wouldn't be there at the birth of our child!" I'm almost screaming by the end.

He gulps, thinking over the options, and I can't remember the last time I felt the same kind of a parental care.

He's becoming more and more of a father to me and I've fucking let him down. I've let him down, my mother in law and my girl.

This is the first time I have an actual family and I've fucked it up - way to go, Axel. Brilliant fucking job.

"We can fake a death certificate of Axel Jarvis, and pray to god they don't find any fingertips from you on the scene, and possibly connect them to your ass. I've no idea what else to do." he finally says, sighing. "Do you have a better idea?"

I shake my head. "No, but I can tell you that the rest of the gang fucking hates my ass; they'll rat me out as soon as possible and that's probably already happened. I bet they volunteered to have an interview just to tell them that I killed Greyson, the police will be on my doorstep in less than 24 hours. And then what? I still have the same face, even if I have a different name."

"Yeah, but statistics say that each of us have four doppelgangers, and you could simply look identical to Axel." he tries to calm me down, but I shake my head.

"That won't work if they find a fingerprint." I say and he shrugs. "Let's hope they won't find one, then."

I gulp, nodding my head. What the fuck have I gotten myself into?