Bree’s mouth tightened.
Good, he thought savagely. She can see for herself what kind of circus that is.
Marcus turned toward Bree. Even from across the pits, Hank saw the way Marcus’s gaze swept down her body and back up; saw the way he adjusted his posture, shoulders back, chin up, smile turned on full wattage.
Hank’s hands curled into fists.
“Easy,” Colby said.
“I’m just watching,” Hank replied.
“Your jaw says otherwise,” Brian added.
Marcus said something, and Bree shook her head, a small, firm motion. Carmen shifted, putting herself slightly more between them. Heidi swung one long leg, crossing it over the other, and rested her elbow on her knee in a pose that screamed Look at me.
Marcus didn’t. His attention stayed locked on Bree.
That was enough.
Hank grabbed a rag from the table, wiped his hands, and started walking.
“Here he goes,” Brian said quietly behind him.
Colby’s sigh followed. “Sam’s on duty. If this turns into a thing, at least we know who’s going to be writing the report.”
Hank ignored them. The distance between the pits felt longer than usual, each step punctuated by the roar of an engine or the clang of a dropped tool. He kept his pace even, his expression neutral. The last thing he needed was to look like he was charging in.
He wasn’t her keeper.
He just didn’t like seeing her in the middle of a pack of wolves.
By the time he reached the edge of the Red Dragons’ taped boundary, he’d smoothed the worst of the heat out of his tone.
Mostly.
He stopped just outside their line. They’d strung red caution tape in a neat rectangle, stakes hammered into the hard-packed sand. A sign on one post read, “Crew Only”.
Carmen saw him first. Relief washed over her face, quick and unguarded.
“Hank,” she called. “Hey.”
Bree turned. Her eyes widened when she saw him; surprise, a flicker of guilt, then something warmer that hit him square in the chest.
Marcus pivoted lazily, then smiled, all teeth.
“Hank James,” he said. “What a coincidence. I was just getting to know your friend.”
“Yeah,” Hank said. “I saw.”
He kept his gaze on Bree, not Marcus. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face. “Carmen brought me over to see the other side of things.”
“So she could see how a real team operates,” Heidi added.
Up close, Heidi was all sharp angles and shine; glossy black hair, red lipstick, a tank top that showed off toned arms, and a lot of skin. She swung her leg again, the movement deliberate.
Carmen shot her a look. “Heidi.”
