Page 2 of Fastlander Fallen

“Sorry!” she called. “I…” She frowned as she scanned the enormous crowd of strangers. “I didn’t know Hallie was having a party.” Another wave of hurt flooded through her.

She didn’t know anything anymore.

She threw the car in park right there, blocking the exit. She shoved the door open, got out, remembered the bagel, and slid back into her car just long enough to grab it and get out again. She slammed the door and aimed for the trailer.

“Your car smells like oil,” one of the men called.

“You smell like beef.” What? Why had she even said that?

The man frowned, but didn’t say anything else. His eyes were glowing green. Shifter. That’s all Hallie cared about anymore.

Corey weaved through the crowd toward the front door that was propped wide open.

Hallie chose that moment to come out with a clipboard in her hand. She looked frazzled as she scanned the crowd and called, “Captain…Oh shit.” She frowned at the clipboard. “Captain Walker.”

“What?” came a growling demand from inside the trailer. “Tell him to fuck off!”

“Hey!” Corey yelled from the middle of the crowd.

Hallie’s attention snapped right to her, as did the complete attention of the quieting crowd.

“Corey?”

“Oh my God, I’m so happy you remembered my name.” She held up the bagel. “Forget something?”

“Um, I…” She looked around fast. “I had something come up.”

“Yeah, obviously. A call would’ve been nice.”

“I texted you hours ago!”

“Oh yeah, right. I sat at that stupid café for an hour, Hallie. I still exist!” This was the part where she was supposed to launch the bagel at her, but instead, she shook her head and looked around. She had to concede, right? This was what Hallie wanted to do instead of spending time with her?

“I almost lost my job yesterday,” she said.

“Oh my gosh, Corey. What happened?”

“It’s fine now. I got into it with Debra the Rumor Spreader for saying I’m the one stealing our boss’s yogurts out of the refrigerator, and then I was the one who got in trouble for popping on her.”

“You’re allergic to yogurt,” Hallie pointed out.

“Yeah, I know. I just really wanted to hang out. I was going to tell you at breakfast.” She shook her head again, and looked up to the closest person beside her. He was a tall man, lean but muscular. He wore a dark blue shirt that made his bright-blue eyes even brighter. His hair was pitch-black, and he wore a slight frown as he stared at her. “Here,” she said, handing him the bagel.

His impossibly-bright eyes drifted to the food she offered, and he took it gently from her fingertips. “You shouldn’t do that,” he murmured.

“I’m not hungry,” she murmured, and then turned and walked back toward her car.

“Corey!” Hallie called, and she could hear her voice was closer.

Corey rolled her eyes and pushed through the crowd faster.

“Corey, wait!” Hallie caught up and grabbed her elbow, pulled her to a stop.

“What?” Corey asked.

“Look, I texted you!” she said, poking around on her phone. “Damon put it out there that we are starting a Crew, and everyone started showing up this morning, and I didn’t know! I texted…oh. Uh-oh.” Her hazel eyes darted up to Corey, and back to her phone. “I accidentally sent the text to Cadence.”

A lash. That’s what it felt like. Hallie’s words were a lash against her heart. It was rubbing salt in an open wound. “You accidentally sent your text to me to your new friend, and stood me up to build a new life with your new friends, and you didn’t even tell me any of this was happening?”

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