“Who wants a belly rub—”
I’m cut off by a knock on my front door.
“It’s me,” Breslin says from the other side. “Can I come in?”
Like she even needs to ask.
“Of course. Mi casa es tu casa.”
My front door swings open and Breslin barges inside, looking all kinds of upset.
This can’t be good.
I sprout up. “What’s wrong?”
She looks around the foyer. “Where’s Preston?”
“He’s visiting his mom.”
It’s been two weeks since she broke her leg in the car crash and he’s been going over there daily so he can take care of her.
I’m sad I can’t help, but he said she loved the basket of goodies I sent him over there with last week. I’m hoping when she’s feeling better he’ll cave and I’ll be able to meet her.
Breslin’s forehead creases. “Kit, I need to talk to you.”
The serious tone of her voice has my anxiety spiking. “What’s up?”
When she starts pacing, I know it’s bad because Breslin isn’t a pacer.
“I stole Asher’s phone last night and called his mom.”
That’s…a little weird. “Why?”
“Because I thought it was odd that she was here spending all this time with her youngest son but couldn’t spare a second to see her other son.” She stops pacing and looks at me. “As awful as it sounds, the woman is nothing but a gold digger. From a logical standpoint, it just didn’t make any sense that she wouldn’t try to repair her relationship with Asher who’s loaded, yet was suddenly acting like mom of the year to Preston who’s…you know. The whole thing just seemed off. So, I called her.”
So many thoughts run through my mind at that, but she reaches for my hand. Like she knows her next words will pull the rug out from under my feet.
“Kit, honey. She said she hasn’t seen Preston in years. She’s been in Boca Raton this whole time.”
My first impulse is to deny it, because while Preston has no problem deceiving others, he’d never lie to me. Plus, we’re in such a great place right now and I have no reason not to trust him.
“Nope.” I shake my head. “I don’t know why she told you that, but I’m sure there’s an explanation for it.”
Maybe she hates Breslin. Maybe she doesn’t want to see Asher because she’s pissed he inherited her husband’s estate.
Maybe she’s the big, fat liar pants on fire.
But then my mind flashes back to all the times he’s walked into the house late and how whenever that damn phone rings, he doesn’t hesitate to leave.
While I have no doubt that Preston cares about me, there’s always been one thing he cares about more.
The one thing he loves.
My stomach twists sharply, and I have to lean against the wall for support. “Oh, God.”
“I’m so sorry,” Breslin says. “Trust me, I’ve never wanted to be more wrong in my life.”
My mind races. Gambling makes sense, and it doesn’t.
“He gets these calls on his secret phone a few times a week. Every time it rings, he stops whatever he’s doing and runs out the door.” I rub my temples, willing this all to make sense. “Obviously it’s not his mom like I thought, but it can’t be a casino calling him, right? That would be bizarre.”
About as bizarre as me thinking I could trust an addict to quit his drug of choice in exchange for sex.
God, I feel like such a fucking fool.
Breslin winces. “Casino? Doubtful. Bookie? Definitely. Asher said he used to have a couple on speed dial. In fact, after he left town, he had the PI he hired talk to this Buster guy Preston dealt with regularly.” Her eyes narrow. “And let’s not forget his little stint with a certain bookie at Woodside that put Asher directly on the chopping block.”
I inwardly shudder. Vincent Dragoni.
Ignoring the sharp zing of pain that last name produces, I force myself to take a deep breath and process all this.
The secret phone makes a whole lot more sense now.
“Okay, so he’s obviously still gambling.” I wipe my sweaty palms on my leggings. “I want to confront him about it, but without proof…”
“He’ll just deny it,” Breslin fills in.
“Exactly. And it’s not like I can track down whatever bookie he’s dealing with so I can catch him red-handed.”
I also can’t be at multiple casinos simultaneously, either.
She chews her thumbnail. “No, but there is a way you can track him. Put a secret app on his phone while he’s in the shower.”
As sad as it is that it’s come to that, it’s not a bad idea. “Okay—” I deflate when I realize. “Nope. I can’t. Preston changed his pass code shortly after I told him I was snooping.” I hold up a finger when it hits me. “On his secret phone. Not the one I bought him.”
Heck, he doesn’t even have a passcode on that one. However, he does bring it with him everywhere since it’s the number I use whenever I call or text him.
Leaning down, Breslin gives Lola a scratch behind the ears. “That’ll work. We can hop in the car and follow him the next time he leaves.” She squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry, Kit. This situation is shitty, and I know you’re hurting.”
“Yeah.” My hands fist at my sides as a pang of ache shoots through me. “Dammit. I want to trust him, B. I want this all to be some horrible misunderstanding where we find out his mom is the one lying for some reason, but…”
“Your gut is telling you that’s not the case.”
“My gut is telling me there’s something else he deems more important than me.”
And it hurts like hell.
However, Preston isn’t the only one who lied. “Asher covered for Preston. He said their mother was in town visiting friends.”
And now his comments about Preston not deserving good head seem a lot more sensible.
He knew Preston was still gambling behind my back.
A deep frown mars her face. “I know. Unfortunately, Asher’s always been Preston’s enabler. The one time he tried putting his foot down about gambling Preston skipped town for three years and came back with one hell of a grudge.” She hangs her head. “I think Asher was so desperate to fix things and have his brother back, he was willing to do just about anything…including lie to us on his behalf.” Her gaze sharpens. “He’s at training camp, but when he comes home tomorrow, believe you me, I’m going to let him have it.”
She gives Lola one last scratch behind the ears. “I have to go home and break the news to Landon, but I’m right next door if you need me, okay?”
I give her a hug. “Thanks.”
“I wish I didn’t drop this bomb on you.” Her eyes close as we break apart. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I truly believe Preston cares about you in his own way. He’s just…an addict. And that means he’ll continue to hurt the people in his life until he decides to stop for good.”
I look down at my shoes, hoping my best friend won’t judge me for what I’m about to say. “I hate that he lied, but I also know it’s only because he has a serious problem. Gambling aside, he would never intentionally hurt me.” I curl my arms around myself. “As long as he agrees to get help, I won’t give up on him.”