It didn't take long the moment Jay got off the plane in Vegas for him to pick up the phone and make arrangements to meet Buddy.
He had sent the text, using the exact words... 'We need to talk Buddy... or should I call you Stan?' And surprisingly he had received a response. He had agreed to meet and suggested a local casino.
As much as Steph had tried to stop him, begging him not to go forward with it, he hadn't listened. He felt responsible to do this for the guys and Jess' sake. He felt like he needed to shelter them, to protect them from anything that could possibly cause harm either physically or emotionally.
Jay could be firm but when anyone did anything to hurt the gang, he wouldn't hold back in doing whatever he could to get pay back.
He wanted Buddy to suffer for what he had done to Matt, George and Jess and also himself. He had reached the point where his own well-being no longer mattered to him and that was exactly why he was going ahead with this with no doubt.
Walking into the casino, he began heading straight in the direction of Buddy the moment he caught sight of him. He wasn't going to hold back. He was going to make sure he got exactly what he had given out.
"So I guess you found out?" Buddy asked as Jay got closer, leaning against one of the gaming tables.
But Jay wasn't there to talk.
Raising his fist he forced punch after punch to the man that had caused so much pain. Hits of server strength to make sure he understood he had messed with the wrong person.
But something strange was happening.
Buddy didn't fight back.
He let Jay throw the punches, even to the point where he was knocked to the floor, blood pouring from his nose.
He just let it happen.
Then the count of three was whispered from Buddy's lips and as he reached three and a smile appeared on his face, shouting was heard through the entrance doors.
Jay didn't have time to run.
He was hopelessly trapped in one position through both shock and devastation.
"Police. Step away from the gentleman right now. You're under arrest!" They shouted over the hysteria in the room. The number of people surrounding clearing out the way.
As Jay looked down to Buddy with all sorts of feelings running through him, he noticed the grin plastered across his face, making him feel physically sick.
"You set me up. You fucking set me up." He breathed, running a hand over his head feeling completely defeated.
Leaning forward Jay suddenly used the little adrenaline he had left running through him and grabbed Buddy by the shirt, hauling him off the ground and throwing him against the wall.
"We said step away." One of the police officers demanded as they got closer, taking Jay's arms as he gave up, they moved them behind his back, securing the handcuffs on his wrists.
"You're making things a lot worse for yourself, Sir."
As Buddy pushed himself up from the wall, his bloodied face looked every bit of smug, every bit of satisfaction and more.
"I know you far too well Jay Gibson." He got closer so he had no choice but to listen. "I knew you would be the one to come running out here, trying to get me killed." He chuckled. That's your problem, you care too much."
Turning his head, Jay did everything in his power to ignore the words being drummed into his head.
"I'm sure you parents were more than happy to agree to my deal and act like you don't exist. Caring makes you weak and it means you always lose."
There was nothing he could do in response but listen.
"That gang you spent so much time on will be next."
Buddy had won.
He did care too much. About the gang, about the people he looked to as family.
Protecting them and going after Buddy for their sake was only going to hurt him in the end. Yet he didn't mind, he would do anything for them and that's what made him the total opposite of a born Gibson.
"You're coming with us and don't expect to be getting out of jail anytime soon, son. You've been wanted in England for far too long, we're not going to let you go." The police spoke the words he was dreading. The exact words he hoped he'd never have to hear.
He was officially done.
His freedom being whipped from under his feet in a matter of minutes.
He was going to be locked behind bars, receiving the ending most gang members got.
It was actually happening to him.
Letting his head drop, he had officially given up. He let them guide him out to the flashing car, ducking his head as they forced him into the vehicle.
Life in this gang had officially destroyed him.
*
"He's not coming home, I'm sorry Nessa." George finished the phone call and began pacing back and forwards, not being able to control everything that was running through his head.
He and the guys had received a call from Steph a few hours earlier. She was in complete hysterics on what had happened and spent the majority of the phone call screaming and shouting, fighting every tear that wanted to fall.
Jay had been thrown in prison and there was no chance of him getting out.
Of course Buddy could have just killed him right there and then but what good would that do? It would cause no suffering on Jay's part, he knew that would have been the less painful method.
"Fuck." He breathed, running his hands over his head.
Sitting up in the bed, Isabella watched on hopelessly, knowing there was nothing she could do to help or make him feel better.
The guilt that was running through George was far beyond belief. Jay had gone out there to get Buddy back for what he did to them, the whole time he had been completely selfless, not thinking about himself.
And now he was sat behind bars, soon to be fading away in prison life.
"We shouldn't have let him go. Shit."
As he banged his hand against the wardrobe, Isabella climbed out of bed and her small feet padded across the wooden floor towards George. Standing behind him she wound her arms through to his bare chest, leaning her face against his back.
"It's okay George. It's not your fault." She tried to sooth and she felt his body relax in her hold.
They didn't need this. None of the gang did. They had been through enough heartbreak to last them a lifetime. They deserved a break.
"Why does this happen to people like us? I know we've done some shitty things but we're good people at heart Isabella." He gritted his teeth together.
"Because it's a cruel world." She placed a kiss to his back, trying not to cry.
She hated seeing him like this. So hurt yet unable to express it.
"This is wrong. It's so fucked up. All we ever did was be loyal to them bastards."
Turning himself around and bringing Isabella to his front, he held her hands in his, bringing them up to his lips and pressing a kiss to her palm.
She watched him carefully as he treasured this moment he had with her. Realisation dawning on him that it could have been him a few months ago.
"I'm going to keep you out of this. I promise." He spoke, the fear striking through him of the horrid reality.
"I'm okay George, I'm okay." She tried to reassure him.
"It's going to be hell Isabella." He continued to talk, letting it all out to the woman he loved as a form of therapy. "He's passed the leadership of the gang onto Matt. He begged him to not let it control him, but it will. I could never run a gang Iz, I don't know how he did it. Emotions take over you and you do stupid shit like he did. You turn into the main target. It becomes your life. It becomes an addiction. Matt can't be doing that right now. He can't handle it like Jay did. They're two completely different personalities."
Isabella held onto him tight as he spilled everything he was feeling.
It was clear he was in full frantic worry for the safety and wellbeing of his brothers.
You had to have the right frame of mind to run a gang. The right self-control, or you could end up digging yourself a grave.
"Come with me." Isabella said as she began walking him over to the wardrobe, pulling him out a t-shirt and passing it to him. "Put that on, we're going to Matt and Juliet's."
Shaking his head, George paused.
"What?"
"You need to speak to him. You need to see that he's okay." She tried to push for him to agree to this.
They needed each other right now. As much as they probably hated to admit it, it was the truth.
Matt was probably hurting more than he let on, his closeness with Jay had really shone through over the past year or more they had been working together. They were a team and he had lost his partner.
"Yeah... you're right." George nodded, pulling himself together and grabbing his things. "You don't have to come, you can stay here, you have Leo. I'll be alright."
Quickly grabbing her own stuff, she pulled on a hoody and began following him to the door.
"No I want to come. I'll bring him with me, he can sleep there." She spoke quickly, desperately wanting him not to fight this. Truth was, she needed to be with him right now too. She felt uneasy by the whole situation as much as she didn't want to admit it.
*
Arriving at Matt and Juliet's the pair headed in and they all sat around the living room, while Leo slept quietly in the bedroom.
"We should have known." Matt was first to speak. "That should have been one of us, not Jay."
"This is so screwed up. How did this life turn into hell? Things used to be so good. We used to just do this shit for fun." George added and Juliet and Isabella pained inside hearing them speak.
It was true, things had changed. They had gone completely out of control the moment they found out the truth about Brent and Buddy's true loyalty, which wasn't to the gang.
"We need to help him. We need to put a stop to this. We can't have the girls being dragged into this either." Matt battled with every possible negative outcome that was running through his brain.
"What are you going to do about the offer Jay gave you?" George cautiously asked, unsure of how Matt had taken his one phone call with Jay.
"I have to take it. For him. He got thrown in prison for us, I need to keep this gang alive."
He was sure about what he saying. He wanted to keep it going for not only the sake of Jay, but themselves. They needed each other and this was something they had been a part of their whole life.
"So he's serious about not being able to get out?" George questioned, not being the one to have had the conversation with him.
"He's serious. They've wanted him locked up for a long time. Steph is trying to think up every possible solution to help him, but with Jess' away she is broken."
George felt Isabella's presence near closer to him and he instinctively wrapped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her into his side.
"So it's over for him?" He asked the billion dollar question.
"Probably." Matt shrugged his shoulder, yet there was no hope behind his words, there was little they could do. "But regardless of that I need to get out there, it doesn't feel right sitting here just letting it happen."
"We should all get on a flight." George jumped to a sudden conclusion without even thinking it through.
Isabella tensed beside him, the thought of him stepping back into Vegas was the last thing he needed.
"Not a good idea man. I should go, you stay here."
And the plans were all set. Matt was going to be flying back over while George remained home with nothing to do but let thoughts possess his mind.
He had just got everything he had ever wanted back in his life.
His wife. His son.
And now he had lost a family member.
"Everything is going to be okay." Isabella lifted a hand to his face, running a finger over his bottom lip before reaching up and replacing it with her lips.
And within a few moments, a small voice was heard as quiet shuffling followed it.
As they both directed their attention over to the corner of the room, Leo was there looking up at them.
"How can one little boy make everything feel right?" George asked, looking to Isabella and then bending down to lift him onto his lap.
Whether it felt right or not, they couldn't hide the fact they were currently experiencing another section in this life they liked to call hell.
❤️
So yeaaaah nothing is going all too great!!
THANK you FOR READING ILY XX