Page 93 of Corrupt Me

I couldn’t get over his face. It was like he wore Halloween makeup. It didn’t seem real. “Why did he beat you within an inch short of death?” I fired back.

He slumped against the pole, his shoulders sagging in a defeat Preston wasn’t known for. “It’s my fault. Tristan…” Preston groaned, not making a lot of sense.

The mention of his brother caught my attention. “Did you talk to Tristan? Where is he?” The questions sped out of my mouth. Had something happened to him? Was that why Preston was here looking like a middleweight boxer after a fight?

“I don’t know. Can you call him?”

“I don’t have my phone. Preston, what happened?” I pressed, my panic making me short with him. “What do you mean it’s your fault?”

His head dropped back, and despite the swollen nature of his face, something like regret descended into his features. “I owe Angelo money.”

I wasn’t shocked, but I was also alarmed. “How much?” I almost was afraid to ask him why he owed someone like Angelo money.

“More than I have access to,” he sighed dejectedly, eyes closing briefly.

I took the end of my borrowed hoodie’s sleeve and dabbed it carefully at Preston’s temple. “Why would you owe him money?” It didn’t make sense to me, not when Preston’s parents took care of everything. Money had never been a problem for him. What changed?

He shrugged as best as he could in his current condition. “It started as poker night with the boys, but then Oliver took me to ahigher stakes game. We won. It was quick cash. So, we went back a few more times. We kept winning. The streak continued to roll until it didn’t. I hadn’t realized how high the pot was the first time I lost, and I told myself I just needed one big win to make it back, but…”

Oliver was Preston’s closest friend. We’d never really gotten along but tolerated each other for Preston’s sake. “Let me guess, you kept losing.”

He nodded. “I didn’t have the money, not without dipping into my fund, and to do that, I needed my parents’ approval.”

“You went to Tristan for help,” I guessed, remembering every time Tristan had saved his brother’s ass or covered for him. They might not be as close as they were when they were younger, but there was nothing Tristan wouldn’t do for family, including breaking all the fucking rules.

“Yeah. I stopped. I told myself I would never play another game. I promised Tristan I was done. And then you showed up at my dorm, and I saw you withhim. I spiraled. I started drinking and hitting the tables, staying out all night. I skipped my classes.”

“So, you basically got swindled like a bunch of dumbass rich boys. What the fuck, Preston.” My hand was in the air, inches from shoving him before I halted, remembering his fragile state. “Tristan is out doing God knows what because you owe a shark money.”

Preston snorted. “You’re worried about him when I look like this,” he said with the woe-is-me attitude he did so well.

“You’re unbelievable,” I snorted, irritation flaring. “You have no one to blame but yourself for your problems. You and only you got yourself into this mess, but the worst part is, you drag everyone else down with you.”

Wincing, he leaned a bit more to the side he favored, his breathing coming with difficulty. “You’ve changed.”

“Yes. I have. I woke the fuck up.” I couldn’t believe it had been Preston this whole time, not Tristan. I’d wrongfully blamed Tristan for so many things, and the prick let me think it was him. He’d protected his little brother and the image Preston tried so hard to keep up. For as selfish as Preston was, Tristan was equally selfless. Flashes of every weird thing that happened to me in the last few months flipped through my memory. The guys who threatened me at school. The ones who jumped Sam and me on campus. Tristan acting ridiculously overbearing, more so than usual.

Preston’s aqua eyes scanned the warehouse, suddenly becoming more alert of his surroundings. “We need to get out of here,” he whispered.

I wanted to feel nothing, but the reality of his condition made my heart twist. Despite everything, there had been a time when I’d loved him—when he’d been someone I trusted. But that was before the lies, before he cheated on me, before he got a girl pregnant, and before everything went wrong. “And how do you propose we do that? He has guys stationed everywhere,” I said, deliberately avoiding using Angelo’s name.

Preston’s eyes zeroed in on something in the warehouse, and I followed his stare.

Surprise fluttered in my chest and made me question what I was seeing. “I-Is that your car?” I stuttered.

“Not anymore.”

My gaze dashed to his. “You gambled your car? Are you insane?”

“I’m fucked. That’s what I am. And now you are too.”

Thanks a lot, asshole.That’s what I wanted to say. “Yeah, because of you. Why would you involve me?”

“I didn’t. Not intentionally. I might have talked about you during the games,” he admitted, his head hanging low.

“And Angelo’s guys took note,” I muttered.

“I didn’t know about his crew or that they ran the games. You’re my girlfriend.Weremy girlfriend,” he corrected. “He threatened to hurt you if I didn’t pay.”

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