Page 87 of Sling’s Awakening

Chapter

Twenty-One

BLAKE

“You almost done, Gin?” Big Jack asks from the doorway of the storage room where we keep all the liquor.

I sigh as I set my clipboard down and rub my forehead. “Yeah. I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting.”

I really am.

This whole thing is fucked up.

More bottles aren’t accounted for.

I trust Crystal and know she isn’t taking more than what she’s using or stocking up with. The only other person who has access to this room is Russ, and he’s useless at this point. Any time I ask him a question, I’m met with a threat of firing me.

I’m fucking over it.

He can kiss my ass.

I push up off the floor and turn the light off. All of this will be tomorrow’s problem.

“Don’t worry about it,” Big Jack tells me.

He always says that, but I know he wants to head home. No one wants to stay in this shithole any longer than they have to. Especially if they’re just waiting around.

I give him a small smile as I hold up the clipboard. “Let me just put this away in the office and grab my stuff, and then we can go.”

Big Jack nods and leaves me to it, lingering in the hall.

Everyone else has already gone home. Hex offered to stay and help me, but she was just as exhausted as I am from having to pull extra weight tonight. She has to dance tomorrow night too, and there’s no sense in both of us coming to work in zombie mode.

I unlock the office to put the clipboard with the inventory sheet on it back in its place. I glance over my shoulder to see if Big Jack is hanging out in the doorway.

He isn’t.

Curiosity gets the best of me as I try the top drawer in Russ’s desk.

Locked.

I frown.

I try the rest of the drawers.

Locked.

Damn.

He’s never locked his desk before.

The weird, unsettling feeling is back as I look around the office trying to see if anything is out of place or if I can find something, anything, that can give me a clue of what the hell is going on.

I can’t help but feel like shit is going to hit the fan any day and I’m going to be completely blindsided.

Pushing the strap of my bag higher on my shoulder, I sigh before walking out of the office, locking the door behind me.

“Ready?” I ask as I turn to Big Jack, who is leaning up against the wall on his phone.