Page 94 of Sling’s Awakening

“A man is freaking the fuck out in the garage. Said it’s urgent, and he needs to talk to you. I told him to wait outside. Dude is high as a kite,” Barbie tells me.

I’m walking through the door into the garage before Barbie finishes.

I know who it is.

I didn’t think he would have the balls to show up here on my territory.

I don’t see him as I exit the bay. It isn’t until I’m standing in the drive that I see him frantically pacing back and forth near the side of the building.

“Yo!” I yell, throwing my hands up in the air.

If it’s a scene he wants, today is his lucky day.

Russ’s head flies up and snaps in my direction. Even from here I can tell he has his sights locked on me as he eats up the distance until he’s standing a foot in front of me.

“Sling,” he greets, his eyes round as saucers. He looks like a goddamn tweaker. “I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

I look him up and down, noting he’s still in the same clothes he left in last night.

My nose turns up as I get a whiff of him. Jesus, he fucking reeks.

“Well, I’d say it must be since you had to balls to show up here on my territory uninvited,” I say, my tone hard as I cross my arms and glare at him. “What did I tell you last night?”

“You said you’d be in touch. I waited and waited, but you never got in touch,” Russ says, his tone sounding as frantic as the way his eyes are darting around. “So, here I am.”

What the hell is wrong with this guy?

Barbie was right. He’s high as a kite.

“Did you get any sleep last night?” I have to ask.

Russ looks at me, stunned that I asked. “No. I was waiting for you.”

Alright.

This has gone too far.

I take a step toward him. “I said I would be in touch. Not you.” I point at him. “That doesn’t mean you show up to my fucking garage like a goddamn psycho. You smell like ass, dude. I’m not talking to anyone who smells like Bomber just dropped a shit.”

I hear Val laughing his ass off in the garage behind me before he’s smacked with something.

Russ holds his shirt out as he looks down at himself.

I still don’t think anything is clicking upstairs.

“Go home and take a shower, Russ,” I tell him as I take a step back before telling him what I told him last night, except this time slower, hoping it registers upstairs. “I’ll be in touch.”

“But I need your help today.” Russ’s bloodshot eyes meet mine.

He sounds desperate, and as much as I want to know what’s making him desperate, it’s just not my fucking problem.

I want Blake’s side before I dive headfirst into dealing with him.

“Go home, Russ. You’d be surprised how many problems can be solved by taking a shower and getting some sleep.”

And not being high as fuck for days on end.

Russ begins to back away as he rubs his hand down the back of his head, looking down at the ground. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll figure it out. I just wanted to run things through smoothly.”