Page 4 of Tight Spot

I cupped my hands around my mouth and lost my absolute shit. “Crystal!”

She had to be kidding me.

Of course she wasn’t.

Crystal was on the hot mess express train, and until I grew a pair of balls and did what my parents had done years ago, I was along for the ride.

For better or for worse.

Yee-freaking-haw.

CHAPTER1

DAWSON

Six weeks. She’d been here for less than two months and this time, I was done. D.O.N.E. Done with my sister.

Giving her money was one thing. Taking an unknown amount of ibuprofen to deal with the headaches she caused was workable.

Spending a night in county jail because my sister was a batshit crazy freaking lunatic?

Unacceptable.

I slammed my front door behind me. I needed a shower. Wash away the stench from the bar the night before. I hadn’t been able to congratulate my teammate, Davis, or his girlfriend Maggie on a killer first showing on stage singing live music because my sister had, once again, caused a scene to make the night all about her.

I stunk like stale beer, piss, and vomit, thanks to the drunken assholes that had been hauled in at two o’clock in the morning.

And as I walked into my kitchen, Crystal was there, showered, made up, sipping what was most likely a mimosa, and smiled. Right before her nose scrunched up as she took in my wrinkled clothes.

“You’re late. You said you’d take me shopping today, and we need to get going.”

I dropped my keys to the counter and stared at her. “Are you serious?”

“Stores open soon.”

She was kidding. Had to be absolutely joking. I’d laugh, but the look on her face told me she was one hundred percent serious.

“I spent the night in jail over your bullshit last night, Crystal.”

“I know. That’s why I said you need to shower.”

She was right. I needed a shower. I needed a damn minute to calm down before I picked up my own sister by her skinny ass and chucked her straight through my glass front door.

“You’re a fucking piece of work,” I mumbled, but she was back to staring at her phone screen, ignoring me.

I headed up the stairs toward my bedroom, and my phone rang in my hand.

“Damn it.” This day kept getting worse, and I wasn’t sure that could happen after being arrested less than twenty-four hours ago. “Hey, Dad.”

“Tell me what I’m seeing on the news is false. An over exaggeration. Something. Anything, Dawson.”

“I haven’t seen the news.”

I’d barely seen my own face until I walked into the bathroom and caught my reflection. A night in county jail apparently made you look five years older. Great.

“What happened?” He bit it out and then sighed. “And are you okay? That’s most important, I should have started with that.”

Harrison Butler had been the best man in the entire world when I was growing up. At least, that was until my parents divorced, and he threw himself into work to avoid coming back to an empty home. That home was eventually sold, and Crystal and I barely saw him outside birthdays and holidays after Mom moved us into boyfriend’s one, two, three, four, and five’s houses while she went through the rich men of Tennessee, working to find someone to treat her right which for my mom meant, opening up his bank account.

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