Breaking Down (The Breaking Series Book 4) Read online

  “Not that cool, when you don’t really want to do it,” I muttered, shoving my spoon in my ice cream.

  “Give it a chance,” Gui said. He had already finished his chocolate bar. “Maybe you’ll love it and won’t want to do anything else.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “You'll see,” my brother said. “I bet it’ll change everything.”

  Hilary scrunched her nose. “March. What an odd time to start the semester.”

  “You have to remember that it’s still summer there right now,” Pedro said, surprising us. I thought he was lost in thought, but apparently he had been paying attention to our conversation. “The school year goes from March to early December, with a two- or three-week break between semesters in July, when it’s winter.”

  Hil nodded. “Right. I keep forgetting that.” She turned her eyes to me again. “Just two more weeks, then. I don’t get it. It’s impossible that you aren’t at least a little excited.”

  I groaned. “At first, I thought I would be, but now that it’s getting close … ugh, I’m so not ready for this.” And, even though I had just turned twenty, most of my classmates would be eighteen or nineteen. I know. One or two years didn’t really make a huge difference, but since I was trying to run away from college, any excuse was a good excuse. “I want to play polo.”

  Pedro frowned. “I thought you were playing. Don’t you have a tournament coming up?”

  “I wish. I have six gurias on my team, and if I can get two together to practice, it’s a miracle. As for the tournament …” Frustration filled my chest as I remembered it. “The club isn’t having it. There will be no women’s category. Again.”

  My brother tsked. “That sucks.”

  “It does,” I whispered. “If only there was a women’s team at the club here. They could hire me and give me a visa, like they did with you guys.”

  “I don’t think there are any women’s teams around here,” Gui said.

  “Yeah, never heard of any,” Pedro said. “Only private groups, I think, but those won’t get you a visa.”

  My chest deflated some more. “I know they won’t.”

  Hil reached across the couches and held my hand in hers. “Don’t worry too much, Gabi. I’m sure things will work out the way they are supposed to.”

  I squeezed her hand and offered her a small smile, glad this beautiful, amazing girl was my brother’s girlfriend and my dear friend.

  Although, as much as I would love to believe her, I wasn’t so sure.

  I should have given Bia some credit. My cousin wouldn’t do anything halfway, so when she mentioned having Garrett’s surprise birthday party at a restaurant, I thought it was odd. At a restaurant? So it would be only us—and “only us” was already a lot of people. I had expected more from her.

  We stopped at the restaurant’s hostess. She led us to a back room and I knew I had been right. Bia didn’t do anything halfway.

  The back room was a large event room with tables and chairs lining the place, a bar along the back wall, a small dance floor in the middle, and double glass doors that led directly to the restaurant's bar.

  When we arrived, the place was already half full.

  “I thought Garrett was from out of town,” I said as we walked into the back room.

  “He is, but you know Bia,” Gui said. He held Hil’s hand tightly in his. It was cute. “She’s friends with everyone, so everyone is friends with Garrett too.”

  Beside me, Pedro groaned. “I think I’m gonna just …” He gestured toward the bar, and without saying hi to anyone, he sidestepped and made a beeline to the bar.

  Before we left the apartment, Pedro had complained about having to come to a party. We almost left him there, but Gui insisted Bia would be upset with him, and Garrett was his friend, so Pedro agreed to come. I guess he'd be drowning his sorrows with alcohol all night long.

  “I wish there was something we could do to make him feel better,” Hil said.

  “Have any of you talked to Iris?” I asked.

  “Bia said she tried, but Iris shut her out,” Gui said.

  That didn’t make sense.

  We reached the sea of people and found the rest of our family. A big table had been set up for us. Tio João Pedro and tia Agnes sat in the center, while Ri, Leo, and Hannah stood a few steps behind them, talking and laughing. In the small crowd, I also recognized Reese, Malcolm, Lucas, Megan, Blaire, and Andrea, and more people from the club. But there were a lot of twenty-something girls and guys here who I didn’t know.

  After greeting a few people we knew, Gui, Hil, and I joined tio João Pedro and tia Agnes at our table. Tia Agnes pulled me into a hug. I had arrived yesterday afternoon, so I hadn’t seen most of my family yet.

  “Glad to have you around for a few days,” tia Agnes said. “When the guys are practicing and you don’t have much to do, come have a chimarrão with me.”

  I smiled at her. “I sure will.”

  I greeted Leo, Hannah, and Ri—I embraced them like I hadn’t seen them in an entire year.

  “I heard you’re starting college soon,” Hannah said with a smile. “Decided to settle down, hm?”

  “Decided? More like was obligated.”

  “I know it’s not what you wanted, but you should give it a chance,” Ri said. “College is a good thing.”

  I scrunched my nose. I knew what they were trying to do—sounding all cheerful and happy, like college was a great thing, to make me feel better—but it wasn’t working.

  “Not good, apparently,” Hannah said.

  “Sorry, guys. I know college is a good thing and there are a lot of people who would do anything to be accepted and can’t, but … it’s not exactly what I want.” I felt and sounded like a broken record. They all knew what I wanted.

  Gui changed subjects and asked Ri about his latest girlfriend. Or whatever he was calling the girls he spent time with. He had been Gui’s wingman when both of them were single and my brother was the one with all the girlfriends, but since Gui started dating Hil, that had changed. Ri now was out all the time and with a different girl every weekend.

  At least that was probably the only topic that didn’t involve horses or riding or ranching or polo. Living with this family wasn’t easy.

  Hannah’s phoned beeped and she glanced at the screen. “They're coming,” she said to us. Then, she turned around. “Everyone, Bia is bringing Garrett now. Get ready.”

  Excitement made its way through my chest. I loved a good party, and even though I didn't know Garrett well, he seemed like a good guy.

  Someone turned off a couple of lights, making the room darker than it already was, and we all stayed out of the main door’s line of sight.

  “Just a second. I need to check on something,” Bia’s voice was low. The sound of boot heels clicked across the tile flooring.

  “What is it?” Garrett asked, his voice just outside.

  Bia stepped into the room, pulling Garrett by his hand.

  “Surprise!” we yelled together.

  The lights came back on, casting the place into its previous dim mood.

  With wide eyes, Garrett stared at Bia, then at the guests, then at Bia again. “You’re sneaky.” He smiled at her. “You did all this?”

  Bia shrugged. “Not alone.”

  Still stunned, Garrett went around, greeting the guests.

  Our group was the last.

  After I embraced Garrett and congratulated him, Bia wound her arms tight around me. “Guria, so glad you’re here!”

  “Me too,” I whispered in her ear.

  Our circle grew with Bia and Garrett added to the mix. Then, Malcolm joined us and suddenly the subject switched back to polo. The practices, the next tournaments, their rankings … It was all too much for me.

  “I’m gonna go get a drink,” I muttered to no one before weaving through the crowd to the bar.

  “Here.” A hand closed around my arm and pulled me to the side. “Gabi will decide for us,” Megan said.
>
  I stared at her, then at the smiling faces of Blaire and Andrea. “What did I do?”

  Megan chuckled. “Nothing, silly. We just need another opinion.”

  I frowned. I couldn’t say Megan and the others were friends of mine, but they were people from the polo world. Their families belonged to the club where the guys played. Despite myself, I felt a little jealous they had been born amid it all. I had, too, but in another country.

  I straightened. “Okay.”

  Blaire hooked her arm on mine and leaned in close. “See that couple standing with Reese and Lucas over there?” She jutted her chin out and I followed the line until my eyes landed on a couple talking to Reese and Lucas. I was used to overhearing Megan, Blaire, and Andrea gossiping about guys like they were on the runway, and most of the time, they were model material, but this guy wasn’t. The young man was tall and looked regal in slacks and a dress shirt. What the guy was lacking in looks, the girl had in spades. She was stunning, and she wore a red dress that had been molded to her body.

  “Sim. What about them?”

  “Their names are Bryce and Alyssa, and they are new members at the club,” Andrea said. “Since they joined a couple of weeks ago, a rumor has been going around.”

  Megan showed a sly smile. “They say that Alyssa is poor, like almost the homeless kind, and only married Bryce for his money.”

  I glanced at girls. They smiled widely, and even though they probably didn’t even notice it, their bodies were turned to each other, their arms always touching—that when they weren’t absently touching each other on the arm or waist.

  “I don’t know,” I finally said.

  “Come on,” Blaire said, tugging on our hooked arms. “She is obviously trying too hard.”

  Maybe I was seeing things, but the girl’s smile did look too wide, and she did smile at her husband way too often. But that could simply be love. Passion. She was in love with her husband and that was a good thing.

  “I honestly don’t know.”

  “Ugh, you’re no help.” Andrea rolled her eyes. “We have to find out.”

  “It’s not like I can glance at them and read their minds.”

  “We know that,” Megan said, only missing a duh at the end of her sentence. “But we thought maybe you could see something we were missing. A telltale gesture or something.”

  “It’s okay,” Blaire said. “We can continue investigating.”

  The three of them chuckled, and they suddenly reminded me of three witches plotting to take over the town. Or the club, in this situation.

  I stepped back from their circle, afraid they would notice me sneaking off, but they were already too engrossed in the next rumor. Those three were all about the rumors.

  To my luck, Pedro sat in the middle of the bar, and there were two vacant stools to his left.

  I took one and glanced at him. “You all right over here?”

  He didn’t take his eyes from his whiskey glass. “Never been better.”

  “Pedro …” I started, but shut my mouth because I really didn’t have any idea of what I should say to him. We still didn’t know what had happened with Iris, and I wouldn’t push the subject now.

  The bartender showed up across the counter a few seconds later. “What can I get for you, miss?”

  “A dirty Jack, please.”

  He nodded and turned around to fix my drink.

  “If you're here to keep me company, don’t bother,” Pedro said. “Go back to the others and have fun.”

  “I'm avoiding them at the moment.”

  Pedro lifted an eyebrow at me. “Avoiding them? And here I thought you wanted to move here and live near us, because you can’t get enough of us.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You know I do, but they are talking about polo and that kind of makes me frustrated at the moment, you know.”

  He gave one sharp nod. “I know. Sorry this is so hard for you. I wish I could help you. If there was any way, I would do it.” His eyes lit up. “I know. We can force Ri to retire, then you can take his place.”

  I gaped at him. “Now you’re making jokes?”

  He shrugged. “I couldn’t let that one pass.”

  “You’re terrible.” The bartender returned with my drink and I thanked him. I wrapped my hands around the cold glass. “Even if Ri retired, mixed teams are just for fun. The kind of tournaments you guys play don’t accept mixed teams.”

  “I’ll keep an eye out for a women's team. If I find one that is hiring, I’ll let you know.”

  I shook my head. “That won’t work.”

  “Why?”

  “Because ...” I lifted my index finger. “One, women’s teams aren’t big and famous like men’s teams. They don’t pay well and they certainly won’t invest in paying for a visa for one of their players. Two, there are no teams in the area. I know. I’ve looked. The nearest team is in San Francisco and that’s too far away. I want to live here not just so I can play polo, but so I can be with you guys.”

  “You're asking too much.”

  “Probably, but if I can't have it all, then I prefer to tuck my tail between my legs and go to college in Brazil.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “No, you don't.”

  No, I didn't. But what other option did I have? Apply for college here and get a student visa? International students had to be full-time students, and needed to get good grades in order to keep their visas, which meant I would need to go to classes and study—and not search for a polo team or go to practice. That didn't work either.

  Pedro fell silent, nursing his whiskey and his wounds.

  And I did the same before Bia or Hil came looking for me and dragged me to the dance floor. And, even though I didn't feel like dancing, I knew that if they came and dragged me, it would be good. I would probably be able to shed my worries and enjoy the company of my family and friends. I loved them so much.

  I wished my father wasn’t the one in charge of the ranch in Brazil. If he left it to a trusted employee, he could come to the U.S. too and be a partner of tio João Pedro here. That would get him a visa—and I would get one too. At least, until I was twenty-one. After that, even if my parents decided to move, I wouldn't be able to get a visa through them. However, I understood my father's position. The Montenegro name was big in Brazil and our ranch was known all over the world for our great polo horses and our polo school. Tio João Pedro had already abandoned ship because of his sons and my brother. My father couldn't leave all their hard work behind like that.

  I sighed.

  There had to be a solution to my problems—all of them.

  Maybe I would find it at the end of this glass of whiskey.

  2

  Tyler

  I really didn't know why I had come.

  Scratch that. I knew why. I needed a break from all the fucking problems in my life and when Bia told me it was Garrett's birthday party … well, he had been a good friend from the moment I met him a couple of years ago. I should be at his party.

  But now that I was here, I wasn't so sure I had done the right thing.

  I sat around a long table with my ex-classmates, and they all talked about classes and internships and graduation. A couple of them had already graduated last semester and told us about their jobs and aspirations—one was working with a big time veterinarian, one was working at the university animal hospital and was going to start teaching, and one was planning on opening his own clinic.

  I groaned internally, trying not to show how much it hurt me. I tipped my beer bottle and dried it in a second.

  “I’m gonna get another beer,” I muttered to no one in particular, and then stood from our table and took a step toward the bar.

  “Hey, Ty.”

  I turned toward the voice and grinned. “Hey, Garrett.” I had already told him happy birthday at the beginning of the party, but he was moving fast, going from guest to guest. “How have you been, man?”

  We clasped hands and bumped shoulders.

  �
�I’m good, good. How about you? Haven’t seen you in a while.”

  “Yeah …” I sighed.

  Garrett's brows furrowed. “How … are things? How are you holding up?”

  I suppressed a groan. Garrett was one of the few people who knew the real extent of my problems. He wasn’t being nosy, I told my defensive side. He was asking out of sympathy. “It’s … okay, I guess. As well as it can be in this situation.”

  Garrett nodded. “And you?”

  “What about me?”

  “How are you doing?”

  I shrugged and repeated, “As well I as I can in this situation.”

  Garrett clasped my shoulder. “Hey, man, I said it before and I’ll say it again. If you need anything, don’t hesitate. I’m here, okay?”

  I nodded as a lump choked my throat. “Thanks,” I forced out.

  Garrett glanced around, smiling. “No plus one?”

  “You mean a girl?” I snorted. “With all the shit in my life, do you really think I’ve been worried about girls?”

  Garrett's smile faded. “Probably not. Sorry about giving you a hard time.”

  “It’s okay.” I was getting used to it. “I’m gonna …” I pointed to my empty bottle.

  “Sure, sure, go ahead.” He stepped to the side to let me pass. “Talk to you later.”

  I nodded as I walked past him, aiming for the bar. I took the only vacant stool at the bar counter, beside a girl with pretty, long dark hair. The bartender was right there and took my order.

  I showed him my empty bottle. “Another, please.”

  Nodding, the bartender took the bottle from me. As he turned around to get me a beer, I glanced to the side and found the girl staring at me.

  I straightened. “Hi,” I said, my voice harder than usual.

  “Hm, hi,” she said, turning her stool a little more toward me. “Here for Garrett's party, huh?” She had an accent, almost like Bia's.

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  She chuckled. “Sorry. That was quite obvious, wasn't it?” She tilted her head and the light coming from the pendant fixtures over the counter hit her face exactly right. I was shocked by the intensity of her blue eyes. They were incredible, almost unreal. “How do you know Garrett?”