“And in local news, an animal rights group clashed with police at the Canine Memorial Fountain in Heritage Square earlier this evening. The group, Best Friends for Life, has been vocal in protesting Order 1537—the law requiring all dogs be euthanized to stop the spread of the deadly canine flu.”
Behind the reporter, footage played of police in riot gear closing in on a group of screaming people.
Something in the corner of the screen caught my eye.
I paused the video and stared at the image of my sister standing on the edge of the fountain.
Dammit. The brat is even wearing my jacket.
Eden’s dark brown hair flew around her oval face as she held up a sign that read ‘Don’t Kill Our Fur Babies.’
I felt the blood drain out of my face. “She promised she wouldn’t do this again.”
I’d spent more money bailing her out of jail over the past few months than I had on our grocery bills. My thumb must’ve brushed the play button because the reporter continued, “All protesters were arrested, and no injuries were reported. Only ten more shopping days left until Christm—”
I ended the video and looked into Cami’s sympathetic gaze. “Goddamn it. I’m going to kill her.”
“Give her a break. She’s young.”
“She’s only two years younger than we are. I’m so tired of her bullshit. She spends all her time on this stupid animal rights crap and hasn’t bothered to go on even one of the job interviews I’ve set up for her. Not that she’s likely to get any offers with her growing rap sheet.” I let out a deep breath. “Can I make a call?”
“Didn’t you finally get your own phone?”
I felt my cheeks flush. “I don’t know where it is.”
Likely my kleptomaniac of a sister helped herself to it like she did all my stuff.
Not that I’d really cared. It’d taken both Cami and Reed begging me to get with the twenty-first century before I’d agreed to get a cell phone in the first place. As a self-proclaimed technophobe, I just didn’t see the point.
“Sure. I gotta finish my face or I’ll scare the men off.”
I scoffed. “Shut up. You know you’re gorgeous.” I wasn’t exaggerating. The petite woman was a walking Barbie doll. Her light skin and blonde hair were a stark contrast to my dark coloring.
“That’s why you’re my best friend, sugar. You’re great for the ego.” Smiling, she sashayed over to her chair.
Having long ago memorized the non-emergency line, I quickly dialed the police station.
The line was busy.
That’s odd.
Deciding that finding my sister was an emergency, I called 9-1-1.
It was busy too.
What the hell? Don’t dispatchers answer all emergency calls?
Ending the call, I dialed Reed’s cell phone.
“Yaaallo,” said the voice on the other line.
“Reed?” I asked, momentarily taken aback.
“Nah. This is the Ron Meister, baby. You sound hot. You should come over and party with us.”
I could barely hear him over the sound of raucous laughter and music. My blood simmered. “Ronnie, this is Lee. Put Reed on now.”
It sounded as if the phone dropped.
“Ronnie,” I shouted.
I heard him curse and yell, “Turn the music down.”
“Oh. Ah. Sorry about that, Lee. I’ll get him right now.”
My spiking blood pressure didn’t allow me to enjoy the nervousness in his tone.
“Lee,” said a deep, velvety voice a moment later.
“Reed, tell me you didn’t let your stupid band friends throw another party at our house.”
I heard him catch his breath. “It’s just a small shindig.”
Small, my ass.
It sounded as though half the neighborhood was at the house. “Reed. We’ve been over this. The landlord said no more parties. Besides, you know how I feel about Ronnie.” The arrogant lead singer of Reed’s band had tried to hit on me one too many times. The last time he tried to feel me up I’d kicked him in the balls so hard, he’d sung soprano for a week.
“Ronnie thought we should celebrate my birthday,” Reed said in an apologetic tone.
Crap. I’d totally forgotten. My chair seemed to sink two feet into the floor. “Reed, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s okay. You’ve been pulling double shifts all week. I think you might even forget your name at this point.” His laugh was hollow. “But you won’t have to work so hard soon. I know one of these interviews is going to pan out.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Reed had been desperately trying to find work since being laid off from the coffee shop. With unemployment at record highs, jobs were in short supply these days. “I know you’ll find something soon. How about tomorrow I take you out for a nice birthday dinner?”
Assuming I have any money left after bailing Eden’s ass out of jail.
“You don’t have to do that. It’s not like turning twenty is any big deal. I’ll have everybody out by the time you get home.”
Guilt swamped me. “No. Let them stay. Celebrate with your friends. But don’t go crazy with the drinking. Okay?”
“Really?” His voice brightened.
“Just this once. Hey, have you heard from Eden?”
His silence was damning.
“Reed.”
He let out a sigh. “She got arrested again. She called me from jail to ask if I’d pick her up after her court appearance tomorrow morning. She didn’t want you to find out.”
“That little…” My fingernails curled into the armrest of my chair.
Max strode into the dressing room and motioned at me. The strained look on his sweaty face wasn’t comforting.
My heart pounded. “Reed, I gotta go. Happy birthday.”
I hung up the phone and looked up at my boss. “What is it?”
Please don’t let him fire me. I need this job.
Max rubbed the top of his balding head. “Mr. Diaz wants to see you.”
3
Reed
“Lee?” Trying to filter out the loud music and drunken laughter around me, I pressed my phone into my ear. But she was gone.
The knowledge that I’d once again disappointed the one woman I wanted to impress was a knife twist into my gut. What was I thinking? I knew Lee was exhausted and near her breaking point.
For months she’d been pulling double and sometimes triple shifts, trying to scrape enough money together to keep a roof over our heads.
Through the cloud of cannabis smoke, I zeroed in on Ronnie’s flushed face. Like always, he’d talked me into something I’d regretted. You’d think I’d have learned my lesson from all the other times he’d burned me. Like when I’d let him cheat off my test in chemistry class and we’d both gotten suspended. Or when I’d loaned him my brand-new speaker. I’d worked months of overtime to buy it, and he'd destroyed it in a single night.
Seeming to sense my glare, my drunk friend looked over at me. “What did the ball breaking bitch say?”
I rarely allowed myself to get angry, but I saw red. “Don’t disrespect her.” No one talked about Lee like that in front of me.