Page 62 of Sling’s Awakening

I cock my head as my brows raise. “Don’t be stupid about it?”

“Shit,” Sling mumbles as he tips his head up.

“Just where do you get off calling me fucking stupid…” I hiss. “Dammit, I don’t know your legal name, but fuck you!”

Sling’s eyes are shining with amusement. Once again, he thinks this whole thing is funny. What I wouldn’t give to throat punch him.

“It’s Bennett. Bennett Huxley.”

Damn.

That’s a good name.

A really hot name.

It fits him.

“Well, fuck you, Bennett Huxley.”

“You’re about to once you answer my question.”

“I am not,” I tell him. I hate that my body is betraying me. But I can’t help it. The way he’s looking at me makes my body feel like it’s on fire. “What’s your question?”

“How did you bail me out if you didn’t know my legal name?”

I freeze.

Oh shit.

I was hoping he wouldn’t figure that out.

My eyes go wide as it feels like my throat is closing in from the lack of oxygen from me not being able to breathe.

“Blake,” Sling growls. “Tell me.”

“Promise you won’t get mad?” I ask, my tone sounding unsure, but I know he’s going to absolutely fucking lose it.

“I promise,” he answers too quickly through a clenched jaw.

I look at him as if I know he’s bullshitting me. “You’re lying.”

“I’m trying really hard to keep my cool right now, toots, because I know from the look on your face two seconds ago whatever you have to say is going to piss me the hell off, so let’s just get it over with and you let me decide how I react, yeah?”

I know it’s selfish of me to want to control his reaction, but I don’t want him to end up right back in jail when he hasn’t even been out for twelve hours. I mean, we haven’t even picked up Mountain yet. I think we deserve a day of nothing happening.

“Alright…” I trail off, sounding as uneasy as I feel. “The woman working knew who you were from your road name, but she kept saying she couldn’t help me. A guy came out of the back and overheard our conversation. He pulled me into another room to talk...”

Anger is radiating off Sling in waves as he asks, “And?”

“And… once we were in the room, he told me he knew who you were and if I showed him my tits, he would tell the lady up front to let me post bond for you.”

Sling isn’t saying anything. He’s staring at me, not even blinking. He’s frozen solid, and it’s freaking me out.

“So, you know, obviously I did it,” I say, my tone softer as I look at the ground, fidgeting with my hands. “I asked if they could do Mountain too since they knew who you were. I figured they would know who he is. And he did. But, uh, it was going to cost me more, and I wasn’t willing to do that.”

The silence in the room is almost deafening.

“What was it going to cost you?” Sling’s voice cuts through the silence. His tone is tight, as if he is going to snap at any second.