Her tone made it clear that was the end of that.
She stepped over the tape line, careful not to catch her foot, and moved to Hank’s side. He felt the subtle brush of her shoulder against his arm and had to bite back the urge to slide an arm around her and walk her out of here like they were a unit.
“Carmen?” Bree asked.
Carmen shot her sister another warning look. “I’m right behind you.”
Heidi hopped off her stool with exaggerated grace. “Don’t be long. We’ve got fittings to finish.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Carmen fell into step on Bree’s other side. “Don’t blow anything up while I’m gone.”
They’d barely cleared the tape before Carmen blew out a breath. “Well. That was a lot.”
Bree let out a quiet laugh. “You weren’t kidding about intense.”
“Marcus is a jerk,” Carmen said. “Einstein’s tolerable. The rest are a hazard to themselves and others.”
“Einstein?” Bree asked.
“Nicknamed Einstein,” Hank said. “He’s their tech guy. Smartest one in the bunch. Knows engines inside out, but he doesn’t say much.”
They’d reached the safer stretch of sand between pits. Hank slowed his pace a little so they could talk without shouting over every engine.
Bree glanced back over her shoulder toward the Red Dragons’ area. “I didn’t like the way Marcus looked at me.”
“Then you’re in good company,” Carmen said. “I don’t like the way he looks at anybody.”
Hank watched her expression closely. “He didn’t say anything else?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Bree’s jaw firmed. “He wanted to know if I was with you. I said I was here on my own.”
That stung more than it should have. He nodded anyway. “Probably safer that way.”
Her gaze snapped to his. “Safer?”
“He likes to make trouble,” Hank said. “If he thinks there’s a connection he can exploit, he will.”
He didn’t say: He’s already thinking about how to use you. He didn’t need to. Bree wasn’t stupid.
Her fingers tightened on the sketchbook. “I’m not part of this pissing contest.”
“I know.” He bumped her shoulder gently. “But you’re walking through the middle of it, so you’re going to catch some spray.”
Carmen snorted. “That’s one way to put it.”
They reached Hank’s pit. Brian looked up, sunglasses pushed on top of his head, gaze flicking from Bree to Hank to Carmen and back like he was cataloging everyone’s emotional state.
“You made friends,” he said.
“Temporary alliances,” Carmen replied. “Don’t get excited.”
“Too late,” Brian said. He offered Bree his chair. “You want a seat?”
“I’m good, thanks.” Bree glanced around, taking in the neatly organized tools, the bike on its stand, the calm rhythm of their work area. Her shoulders eased. “This is… very different.”
“From the circus down there?” Brian grinned. “We aim for less chaos, more control.”
“Chaos is where the accidents happen,” Colby added. He’d set the laptop aside and was checking tire pressures again, his movements efficient. “Respect for the machine, respect for the track. Anything else is asking for trouble.”
