Page 31 of Sling’s Awakening

“You going to piss her off again? She seems like a firecracker.”

Oh, I’m going to do something.

“Every encounter I’ve had with her she’s been pissed. I’m pretty sure if one of them had been in private she would’ve whooped my ass.” And I would have liked it.

Val laughs as he passes the blunt back to me. “You’ve always liked your bitches a little crazy.”

I shrug with a smirk on my face as I bring the blunt to my lips. “Someone has to keep me on my toes.”

“You think Russ is going to be a problem?”

“It’s hard to say because we don’t know much about him,” I say as I tap some ash off into the ashtray before passing it back. “I haven’t heard his name mentioned with the usual crowd we have run-ins with.”

Val hums in agreement.

“I’ve thought about hitting Cain up and calling in a favor. I know one of his boys is a decent hacker.”

“That’s the Dirty Devils’ president, yeah?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “They’re good people.”

“I’ve only met them a couple of times when I rode out to Ravenna Heights with you but they all seemed chill.”

“I just don’t want any blowback coming on the club.”

Val thinks it over for a moment. “You think someone talked?”

I stare at Blake’s dark house as I answer. “It’s crossed my mind. I don’t know who would be stupid enough to. They know they're as good as dead. I haven’t gotten wind of anything.”

Doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, though.

Just as I’m rolling another blunt, headlights turn into Blake’s drive.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in.” Val smirks as I check the time on my phone.

She’s home earlier than usual, so she must not have been at work.

“Think she had a date?” Val asks.

If I find out she was on a date, I’m going to lose my shit.

“Don’t know. Don’t care if she was.” I shrug, playing it off as I light up the blunt.

Val snickers next to me. “Yeah, okay.”

We settle into an easy silence. Not much time has passed before lights come on and the sound of her patio door opening has our heads turning. Blake steps out onto her patio wrapped in a blanket and a brown paper bag in hand.

She looks exhausted as she sits down and lights up a cigarette.

Her situational awareness is shit. If she had any at all, she would feel Val and I watching her.

“Not very observant, is she?” Val mumbles next to me.

“Doesn’t look like it,” I mumble in return.

Just as I bring it to my lips, Blake’s head shoots up so she’s staring right at us.

“Took her long enough,” I say as I wave at her with a smirk on my face as I bring the blunt to my lips and take a hit.