Bad Desire: New Beginnings - Fast Forward

Chapter 63

"Steph?! What the hell?" Jess' mouth dropped open when one of her closest friends of many years began walking towards her.

She had been stood at the bar for the past twenty-five minutes trying to get someone to serve her a glass of water. However, with the crowded room, alongside everyone's need for alcohol, it was proving a much harder task.

But, when she looked up to see the brunette rushing over to her, she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. It had been years since she had seen Steph and due to the fact she lived in Las Vegas, it didn't make any sense why she was here.

"Oh my God, I missed you." Steph pulled Jess into her arms, holding onto her so tightly as Jess hugged her back.

The unexpected moment caused tears to well up in Jess' eyes as she was so overwhelmed by it all.

"What are you doing here?!" Jess squeezed her hands as they pulled apart.

"I know I should have told you but I wanted it to be a surprise!" Steph began. "I was going to text and see where you were but then I heard you were coming here..."

Steph was so full of excitement she was finding it difficult to form a sentence and get everything out that she wanted to say. Pushing her hair back from her face, she reached out and took a sip of the water Jess had finally been handed before continuing.

"Okay so me being back here is good because I get to see you! But... you need to know that I'm mostly here for one reason."

A frown was now etched on Jess' face as they previous happy atmosphere seemed to turn serious and a worrying look displayed across her friend's face. Leaning in closer, Steph was not only trying to shout over the music but also trying to ensure no one surrounding heard her words.

"The whole gang's back, Jess. They're all here and I couldn't let them come back to Brighton alone... not with the way they have all been acting. They need someone to keep them sane."

Steph's words made Jess' stomach sink. That had not been what she was expecting.

Yes, she was beyond excited at the thought of seeing them all after so long but Steph's way of phrasing the fact that they were back didn't sound all that good.

"What do you mean? How have they been acting? Why are they even back here?" Jess went onto ask question after question.

"Jay's been acting weird... since his argument with Matt, things have been so tense. No one will tell me anything but I know they're back here to deal with 'unfinished business' and that's not just gang shit."

The fact that Steph looked worried was enough to show there was something to worry about. She was usually so calm about everything and nothing gang related ever had her on edge. However, it seemed as though this did.

"I'm not following, Steph."

"I don't want you to worry... you know Jay would never let harm come to you. I just wanted to warn you that they're back and that means business is back. Anyone who has ever had anything to do with these guys needs to stay well away, just to be cautious."

It was clear to Jess that even Steph wasn't fully aware of what was going on or what she should be expected to happen. However, what was clear was that they were back. The gang was back and they were here to jump straight back into old habits with every single person in this town fearing them.

"I also want you to be prepared for Jay... he's fine but he's not the same. Him and Cole have hearts of rock at the moment and it's shit. They're trying to make it to the top of the gang names and with that they're getting rid of every caring bone in their body." Steph spoke with a serious tone in her voice.