Bad Secrets (Bad News Series Book 2) *Under Major Edit*

Chapter 7

Isabella's POV

Me and George spent the day at mine, him trying to do everything and anything he could to keep me distracted. On the most part it hadn't worked in the slightest, I had been pacing up and down trying to figure out where everything went wrong. I had kicked up a fuss over and over again, screaming at him for not understanding why I was in such a state, yet he still remained calm and cool, reminding me over and over again he would sort it. It hit 9pm sharp and we both finally got dressed in the time span of about 20 minutes, and were now sat in his car on our way to his place.

I stared out the window the whole journey, watching as the rain hit powerfully against it. The drops looked as though they were racing against each other on the glass, excelling at a speed, picking up extras on the way. I would choose my favourite and watch it travel against another, all the way down to the bottom until it joined into one big stream.

This was similar to life in a way, we would travel alone to begin with, sure we could fight each and every battle alone. Yet, along the way we would then realise the help and need we had to have another by our side, whether it was physical or emotional support, you always needed that extra being to push you on your way.

Turning to the side I peered over at mine, George, one hand hanging over the steering wheel, the other holding a cigarette, the smoke exhaling from his lips and vanishing into mist out the window.

“5 minutes Purcell and everyone needs to be ready to fucking listen.” He ordered into his phone that was sat on his lap on loud speaker.

How one guy could concentrate on so many things at once and still be alive, I did not know.

“Alright, see you soon” Was Brent's reply before ending the call.

George flicked the finished cigarette out of the window and moved his hand over to place on my knee, drawing my attention away from the daydream of thoughts dancing in my head. Linking his fingers through mine he forced a smile, gave them a squeeze and then let go, all in one swift movement.

“Like I said, we'll find her.”

*

We hurried up the pathway in the rain to the house. The place where all the guys were now cooped up living in to ensure they were together, prepared for any sudden gang emergencies they may come in contact with. It felt strange because it had been a while since I had walked up here and the previous time we were preparing to leave and runaway.

Now here I was, yet again, but with a whole new drama panning out before me.

“Missed it?” George asked, turning around once he realised I had come to a stop in the middle of the path.

Looking back at him I didn't answer, because to be honest I didn't know how to answer that. I had missed him without a doubt, but this house meant one thing only. It was a gangs lad pad and I was now beginning to realise the trouble that came along with it. It also occurred to me that Joe must have spent a good amount of his time here, and that thought alone had me uneasy.

Giving George a faint smile, I placed my hand in his outstretched one as we made it up the rest of the driveway and into the house.

The first person I saw as I walked through the door was Brent, followed by each of the other guys giving me cautious greetings. I guess they didn't know where they stood with me, how much on that large scale of one to ten I disliked them. However, luckily for them, the number was very small. I was grateful more than anything.

Looking around the hallway everything was pretty much the same, everything about the house was simple. There was no mess, surprisingly, but there was also barely anything in the house that could create mess. The floors were laminated, no comforting carpet making it feel homely, it always felt more like a base.

All the lads had now been gathered into the living room; phones, laptops and guns, not too far reach of them. I sucked in a breath, trying to calm myself and get use to this unfamiliar scenery all over again. I knew it wasn't me they were going to hurt, but just the sight of so many weapons that could so easily end a life, gave me that nervous feeling all over again.

Sitting on the sofa with George's arm hung over my shoulder, my body curled up against him, his finger tracing along the line of my bare skin. Brent, Matt, Jay and Josh all had joined, waiting on George's explanation of the call for the meeting, I knew this was a usual, everyday thing for them, but for me, it felt alien.

It also felt strange because things had changed more than I realised over the past 6 months. It was no longer just George with the girl in his life, it seemed Brent, Josh and Matt had all found girls of their own.

Brent's going by the name of Anna, Josh's by Steph, and then Matt's by Juliet, whom of which I knew, considering she was Elliot's sister. That was something that hadn't gone down to well when the relationship first started out, more trouble that what it was worth being thrown about. I understood where the worry was coming from, but sometimes in life you just have to roll with what feels right, even if it seems wrong.