CHAPTER 14 LINCOLN

Practice starts in a half hour, and that's when I hear a knock at my office door.

Asher appears there, and he's wearing another ridiculous fit as he walks into the room. He shuts the door behind him, and I can't help but feel like one of the cats on his button-down shirt is staring into the depths of my soul.

It might even be funny to me if I could muster up any emotion other than anger right now, but I can't seem to.

"What?" I hiss.

"I took some time to think it through, and you're right, bruh. I should come clean to Jack. Will you go with me?" he asks.

My brows pinch together as I stare at him in surprise. "Are you serious right now?"

"Yes, sir."

"What changed your mind?" I ask.

He lifts a shoulder. "Not Dad."

I chuckle. "Obviously."

"I haven't told him, but I chewed on your words all night, and ultimately, you're right. I do feel guilty. I feel ashamed of myself that I broke a rule, and I'm even more ashamed that people will go back and study every play to see if I was doing something more sinister to affect the outcome of the game. I would never go that far, man. Never. But this is my reputation, and I decided the best thing I can do is man up and tell the truth. And, of course, get the help I need."

"Wow," I say, shocked at his words. But that's Asher—forever surprising everyone with his unpredictability. "That's…wow. I'm so proud of you for doing the right thing, man."

He presses his lips together and nods once. "Thanks."

I realize only then that those aren't words he'd ever hear from our father. Dad doesn't give a flying fuck if we do the right thing. He only cares if we do the thing that will most benefit ourselves. What a sad way to live. What a horrific thing to do to your own conscience.

Even now, I'm reminded of what my father did and why. I've carried immense guilt over that for two decades, but what good would it do anybody to admit it at this juncture?

It would only further the divide between our families at a time when we need to find a way to bridge them back together.

I'm not sure if there is a way, but I'm intent on searching for one.

"Do you want to do this now?" I ask.

He nods. "I need to get it over with."

"Then go change your shirt and we'll head on up." I grab an Aces tee off the pile on the credenza behind me and toss it to him.

His brows dip as he looks down at the shirt then back up at me. "What's wrong with my shirt?"

"You're welcome to use my bathroom if you'd like privacy," I say, nodding toward the door.

He doesn't bother with the bathroom, instead unbuttoning his shirt where he sits before pulling the Aces shirt over his head as he mutters, "Seriously…what's wrong with the cats?"

I shake my head with a bit of a chuckle, and I buzz Jack's secretary. "Is Jack available for a meeting?"

"He has a nine o'clock call, but he's free now," Lily says.

"Great, this won't take long since practice starts soon anyway. Be right down."

Once he's changed, he glances at me and draws in a deep breath.

"Ready?" I ask.

He nods, and a nervous tingle runs up my spine. This is my first big player issue. The first time I'm coming to Jack with bad news. The first time in my career I've dealt with something of this nature.

And the worst part of it all is that it's my brother.

This was supposed to be our first season playing together. All eyes would be on us as we took the field next Sunday, the new starting tight end and his new head coach, a brother-brother force to be reckoned with, the first of its kind.

Instead, all eyes will be watching as the truth comes out about Asher. He'll be criticized and scorned, and that's not something I can protect him from. It's not something Dad can protect him from, either.

But it's something he has to deal with. He knew it was wrong, and he did it anyway. He knew the consequences, and here we are.

If he'd gone to someone else for the money instead of implicating me in his crimes, maybe he would've gotten away with it. But that's not how it panned out, and now he has to face Jack Dalton.

My phone buzzes with a text on my way to Jack's office, and I check my watch. It's Jolene texting me, but I can't deal with it right now.

I know she'll want to be the one to break the story, but if I let her do it now, it'll just look like I'm playing favorites with the media, and I can't do that.

Instead, we'll put out a press release. This isn't the sort of thing I'd hold a special press conference for. I don't want to answer questions about what my brother did. I just want to get it over with so we can focus forward.

Lily calls into Jack's office when we approach her desk. "Mr. Dalton, I have Coach Nash and his brother Asher here to see you."

"Send them in," he says back, and I open the door to let myself in. He's tapping away at his computer, and he glances up at us once we're seated in front of him. "What can I do for you?"

I glance at Asher, who's gone pale, and then I say, "Asher has something to share with you."

Jack shifts his expectant gaze to my brother. "Asher?"

He clears his throat, his eyes trained on the ground, and then he finally looks up at Jack. He clears his throat. "I bet on our first two preseason games."

"You what?" Jack roars.

"We won, so I doubled down, and then we lost. I got myself into some trouble and owed these guys a lot of money. I went to Lincoln for help, and he convinced me the right thing to do was to come clean. I'm ashamed of what I've done." His voice is low as he says words that protect me in all of this, and I'm transported back to when I was a teenager who had to break up with the girl I loved and he was just a young kid in second or third grade.

I spent a lot of time in my room back then, and at the particular time I'm recalling, it was because I was devastated over what my father had done to me, to Jolene, to Joseph. I remember crying over it—one of the few times I've allowed myself to shed tears in my life—and I heard a quiet knock at the door.

It was Asher, and he was checking to see if I was okay. He was just a kid, but he knew something big was going down.

I remember telling him he could come into my room, and I remember telling him that our father had done something bad.

I'm not sure why that memory pops up now of all times, but I remember the look on Asher's face like he'd just lost his hero.

I felt the divide between us after that. He didn't trust me. He thought I was the one who'd done something bad, and I ended up letting him think that as a way to protect him. He had another decade under my father's roof while I was about to bust out.

He couldn't see our father for who he was, and I couldn't tell my brother what he'd done to prove my words true…so I let him believe what he needed to believe.

I always figured the divide came because I left after that. I went to college, and I separated myself from my family. The biggest age gap in the family is between Asher and me at nine years, so I always thought that was why we never grew close.

But I don't think it was the age difference at all. I think it had far more to do with how my father poisoned him against me.

And as he sits in the chair now, looking small and vulnerable, he reminds me of that little boy. He's scared, and he knows things are about to change for him, and not in a positive way. But I wasn't there for him before. I will be this time. I won't let him go through this alone. I'm more than just his older brother now, after all.

Jack sighs as he rubs his forehead with his fingertips. "You know I have to report this."

"I understand that, and I'm prepared to face the consequences."

"The league takes gambling incredibly seriously to protect the integrity of the game. You're likely facing a yearlong suspension if not a complete ban from the league. I'm so disappointed in you, Asher."

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm disappointed in myself, too, and I'm committed to making this right. Lincoln suggested gambling addiction counseling, and I think it's a good idea."

"As do I." Jack grabs a pen off his desk and pulls a pad of paper close. "I need to know what games you bet on and how much money you bet."

"I bet two fifty on the first preseason game, won, and doubled down."

Jack raises a brow. "Five hundred grand?" He lets out a low whistle. "Jesus, that's a lot of confidence in your team on a game that doesn't affect the regular season."

Asher looks remorseful as he sits there. "I bet on us to win. It's not like I threw anything."

"I need a word with the coach," Jack says, effectively dismissing my brother.

Asher stands. "Am I still…" he trails off. "Should I still attend practice?"

"Until we submit the violation to the VP of operations and a punishment is issued, you are a member of this team. I'd thank you in advance not to discuss any of this with anyone until we have more information," Jack says.

Asher nods. "Of course. Thank you."

He walks out of the office, closing the door behind him, and Jack raises an eyebrow at me.

I shrug. "I knew the kid was spontaneous, but this is stupid even for him."

"My thoughts exactly. But we brought him here together, and you did the right thing having him come to me," Jack says. "I appreciate it." He taps his pad of paper with the back of his pen.

"I feel responsible for all my players, but I told him last night if he didn't come clean, I'd do it for him. I can't let a violation like this slide just because he's my brother."

Jack shakes his head. "No, you're right. If anything, that puts you two under an even larger microscope. I'll deal with the league, and you get down to practice."

"He's not going to get a ban from the league, is he?"

"Depends on whether the commissioner is in a good mood today." He says it like a joke, but the truth is that I'm worried about my brother. "All I know is that those caught doing the same thing last year were handed heavy punishments. Some were banned, some got a year. Given his youth, his cooperation, and his history of keeping his nose out of trouble, he'll probably get off on the easier side."

I press my lips together as I can't help but think there's nothing easy about any of this. "So…Graham?"

Jack nods. "Graham. But let's wait until we hear from the commissioner before we make any moves."

"Understood. I need to get down to the locker room ahead of practice."

"Of course," Jack says. "I'll get moving on this now."

My chest hurts for my brother, but it was his own decisions that landed him here.

And now I need to keep my mouth shut as I wait for whatever decision the league will hand down.