Page 114 of Break Point
“Where are Gemma and Robbie?” I ask as Dad keeps steering me toward the reserved parking area where our assigned driver usually waits.
“Vlad took Gemma back to the hotel right after your match,” Dad says. “She’s still jet lagged. And Robbie? Still MIA. Probably sleeping it off. Or regretting his life choices. Or both.”
My Gemma.
If I hadn’t left my phone back at the hotel, I’d be blowing up her phone right now. I cannot wait to talk to her. To tell her every detail. To bitch about how dumb Henry and my brother were last night. But mostly? To hug her tight and remind her that whatever happens next, we’ve got us.
And Robbie …
I can’t believe he flew all the way here just to act like a complete idiot and miss my matches. If he has a shred of self-preservation left, he’ll stay far away.
“These fools got played like an old piano,” Drew says, dropping a copy ofMelbourne Weeklyonto the coffee table of my suite like it’s evidence in a criminal trial.
Henry stares at the cover with a clenched jaw while I fight the urge to grab it and analyze the three neat little circles in the bottom right corner with a magnifying glass.
Circle one: Robbie chatting with Zoya and Abigail like they’re long-lost besties.
Circle two: Robbie stepping into the elevator with them like an absolute idiot.
Circle three: Henry, trailing behind, like the world’s most reluctant bodyguard.
Ugh.
“Since Rob is indisposed,” Dad says in thatcalm-before-the-stormtone of his, “why don’t you tell us what happened last night, son?”
Henry swallows. Sits up straighter. Clears his throat.
The Holy Trinity of I’m about to dig my own grave, but do I have a choice?
And me? I’m kicking off my tennis shoes and socks, watching from the sofa across from him like it’s pay-per-view. This is not how I envisioned Henry explaining himself. I would’ve preferred it if it was just him and me. No dads. No publicists. No magazine covers. No framed tabloid humiliation.
But hey, I better get comfortable.
“First of all, I want to say how sorry I am, Joe,” Henry says, like he’s been put on the stand and whatever he says will either redeem or condemn him. “I promised to take Robbie back to his room safely, and not only did I fail to do so, but I got Belén run over with our stupidity in the process.”
Drew perks up and presses his lips like he was offended too, but he’s willing to forgive Henry if he manages to convince him with his deposition-worthy speech.
“Robbie’s an adult. He should know better,” Dad says. “His reckless behavior is not your responsibility. But I am curious to know how it all ended up on the cover of a tabloid. And for obvious reasons, I trust that your version of the events will be considerably more accurate and reliable.”
“I understand,” Henry says, shooting a quick glance my way before turning back to my dad. “We arrived at the hotel, and Robbie wanted a nightcap. I told him it was best to call it a night, that he’d had enough. But I didn’t argue with him further after he told me he wanted to talk to me about something. I figured it would be easier if I let him speak and tire himself out once and for all. You know how I’ve dealt with my share of stubborn drunks.”
Henry pauses, his jaw tightening for a beat like the memory tastes sour in his mouth. Like he’s been here before. Different bar. Different drunk. Same helpless feeling clawing at his ribs.
Remembering how, not too long ago,Iwas the drunk he was dealing with makes me take a deep breath.
“Anyway, we were back at the hotel, so I thought no harm could come of it,” he continues. “After an hour or so of talking in the lobby bar, I get up to go to the bathroom. And when I came back, the check had been taken care of, and Robbie was gone. The bartender told me he had just walked away two minutes before, so I rushed toward the front desk and saw him getting inside the elevator with Zoya and her publicist.”
Drew points to circle number two on the cover.
Henry sighs.
“I rushed over after him,” he says. “Caught the elevator just in time and got in, obviously trying to stop him from doing anything stupid. And that’s when I felt the flashes behind me.”
Drew points to circle number three on the cover like he just cracked the case of the century. Dad taps his shoulder. It’s givingThanks, CaptainObvious. Drew purses his lips and sinks back into the sofa, crossing his arms like a moody teenager grounded for the weekend.
“Zoya insisted she had a birthday gift for Belén, and Robbie was going to ‘retrieve it,’” Henry air quotes. “I knew better than to fall for it, knowing how scheming those two have been in the past. With how much they’ve tried to tarnish Belén’s reputation.”
Henry looks at me, and his eyes scream,I’m sorry. I know how much they’ve hurt you, and I would’ve done anything in my power to stop them if I knew we were giving them the space to do it again. Or at least that’s what I wish his remorseful eyes would tell me if they could speak.
