Bad Bets (Bad News Series Book 3) *Under Major Edit*

Chapter 2

Seeing Sophie, Elliot and Jack for the first time in what felt like ages… and in actual fact had been ages, made my stomach do a number of turns. I felt sick with nerves, excitement and happiness all in one and the connection between my brain and voice seemed to have gone on strike when I couldn’t get any words out.

“You look great!” Sophie smiled, pulling me in for a hug. “How’s the pregnancy going?”

Nodding slowly I finally found the power to speak.

“Good. How’s being engaged?” I asked considering she had called me the day Elliot proposed, excited about the whole ordeal and I couldn’t have been happier for her.

“Amazing.” She cheesed, looking over to where Elliot was stood chatting away to Jack.

“I’m really happy for you, you know? Sorry I haven’t been around much…”

My voice got quieter as I spoke the last few words of that sentence considering it was a touchy subject. But Sophie brushed it off as if it was nothing, taking my hand and squeezing it gently.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

It hurt how much we had drifted and it had been all my fault. The moment I left Topshop and George left the gang I shut her out, unintentionally but it happened. We were trying to stay away from trouble, trying to avoid getting hurt and dragged into any mess again, but unfortunately what came with that was the loss of friends.

Even though things had been messy when we were around everyone who was here now, there had been some good times and we had lost out on all of that now.

I looked over to where George was stood with Matt, Jay and his brothers and I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I felt bad that he had walked away and not looked back. I felt like it was all my fault. Even though he insisted constantly that it wasn’t, that it was his choice, one he wanted and needed to make, I knew he sort of missed it.

*

“How are you handling it?” George casually asked Jay, trying to not act like he was interested in how the business world was holding up.

“It’s good, it’s going well. Vegas is where we really got our name and respected.”

He was confident, he was happy and content with how things were finally working out for him. Jay had always had a trouble with authority and that had always affected his ways. Now that he was running his own show, making his own rules, he was actually turning out to be a little less of a troublemaker and more of a pro at what he did.

“I bet it’s fucking amazing out there. Brent never let us leave the damn country.” George laughed, causing the others to as well.

“He was too old fashioned, always playing it safe.” Matt joined in, shaking his head at the thought of ever being run by that man.

Matt and Jay had experienced their difficulties in the past but they were now full on heading to a good brotherhood. They worked well together, partied well together and did it all without the previous deceitful nature.

Whistling was suddenly heard from Jay’s brothers as a certain Jess arrived at the edge of the group huddle.

“Jessica Montague, hot damn.” Cole announced earning a sharp glare from her.

“I’d watch it if I were you, boyfriend’s on watch.” Jay half joked but half tried to save her arse.

Her brothers were like vultures when it came to women in the gang world and Jess had always been one they had their eyes set on. She was well known in this life for the things she did and had done in the past and every guy tried their hardest to get a shot. Although they all failed now due to a certain someone who seemed to have her heart, Kye still ‘secretly’ had his wishes.