Page 8 of Fastlander Fealty

“No,” Ace said sternly the second Owen entered the gas station.

“Oh pipe down, I will probably pay,” he muttered as he passed by the counter where Ace was scribbling onto an inventory clipboard.

Ace stood up straight in a blur and sniffed. “Why do you smell like Lucia Novak?”

“Because we are besties now. You could be besties with her too if you would just accept that she had your mate’s best interest in mind.”

“Bullshit.”

Owen walked backward toward the beer section, arms out. “Just this morning I heard Corey announce she was no longer allergic to yogurt, and guess who is to thank for that.”

“Not Lucia fucking Novak!” Ace barked.

“Lucia Novak!” Owen said, turning just in time to meet the fridge he wanted. Canned margaritas were secretly delicious, but he only admitted that to the girls when he crashed their girls’ nights. The guys would roast him if they saw him drinking one.

Owen pulled out a case of a multi flavor pack of margaritas, and then opened the next door and pulled out a twenty-four pack of yellowjackets, or, as normies called them, canned Coors Banquets.

“You said a twelve-pack,” Ace growled as he approached the counter.

“I’m paying, dipshit, I’ll get a ninety-pack if I want. Hey listen, if I was going to make someone my girlfriend, what should I do to get her attention?”

Ace had been ringing up his gas station wares, but at Owen’s question, his face went completely blank. “What?”

“How do I get a woman to want only my wiener?”

Ace sighed. “Why are you being weird? There’s a line behind you. Pay and move.”

“Look, clearly Corey is out of your league, so how did you trick her into liking you?”

Ace leaned across the counter and his eyes brightened as he snarled, “I don’t have time for you today. I’m busy.”

“As your best friend—”

“You’re not even my friend. Pay.”

“—I think you are supposed to give me woman-advice. Her name is Silver.” He waited to see a reaction on Ace’s face, but he really didn’t know the lioness that was hunting him. Huh. “Cool name, right?”

Ace clenched his fists in the air and then looked around Owen’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry,” he said to the lady waiting behind him. “He’ll be done soon.” He lowered his voice. “Or I’ll gut you.”

“Whoo, truth. You mean it. That’s not very best-friend of you—ack!”

Ace’s hand appeared around his throat and squeezed. “I’m fighting every urge to kill you right now, Owen, take your credit card, and tap it, and let me live in peace until seven tonight, where you will unquestionably waste all of our time with whatever you want to say at this Crew meeting. Again.”

Owen pried his fingers from around his throat and scrunched up his face at Ace. “The last meeting was very important.”

“You wanted to discuss our favorite colors.”

“For the T-shirts I’m having made for us, you ungrateful cactus.”

Ace gave him a dirty look and pointed to the credit card machine.

Owen tapped his credit card and tucked the booze under his arms. “Can I have a beef jerky stick?”

“No.”

“I forgot to pick it out before I paid. I’m really hungry.”

Ace’s face went vampire and his fangs extended and his skin thinned and morphed into something terrifying before he composed himself again. “Please leave.”

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