“He’s helping James set up the fucking machine. Oh, hell, he’s coming over here. Don’t leave, okay?”

“Not going anywhere,” Sadie promised, and grabbed Olivia’s hand.

She held on to it, grateful for the support, as Kyle approached.

He looked good, she noted absently. The summer tan went well with his blond hair, and he looked fit in his leathers. He stopped a few feet in front of her and nodded. “Olivia.”

She raised her chin. “Kyle.”

“Kyle,” Sadie drawled, and smirked when his gaze flickered to her. “What brought you crawling out of your hole?”

His eyes narrowed. “Good to see you, too, Sadie.”

Her response to that was a derisive snort, and Olivia had to bite her lip to keep from smiling.

After a tense, five-second staring contest, Kyle looked back at her. “Do you have a minute to talk?”

“No, she doesn’t,” Sadie interjected with a saccharine smile. “So if that’s all—”

“Excuse me, do you mind?” Kyle said, his tone so condescending that Olivia squeezed Sadie’s hand tighter to prevent her from killing him.

“Yes, as a matter of fact I do mind,” Sadie said, acid dripping from her words. Her eyes had narrowed to slits. “You were a colossal dick to my friend, and she doesn’t owe you anything.”

Kyle gave up all pretense of politeness and glared at Sadie, his jaw clenched so hard Olivia could hear his teeth grind. “Someone,” he said softly, “needs to put you in your place, little girl.”

Sadie, who despite her slutty Catholic-school uniform could never be mistaken for a little girl, stepped forward without hesitation. “Give it your best shot, dickhead.”

“What’s going on, here?” a new voice said, and Olivia sagged with relief as Jack stepped forward. He was wearing the reflective vest that indicated he was on dungeon monitor duty, and Olivia had never been so glad to see anyone in her life.

“Sir.” She straightened a little as he turned his dark eyes on her, an automatic response to the authority he wore like a cloak. “Sadie and I were setting up for the wax play demonstration. We were just finishing when Kyle came in.”

Jack’s gaze flicked to Kyle, still locked in a staring match with Sadie. It might have been funny if not for the distinct possibility of bloodshed. “Why does Sadie look like she wants to rip his throat out?”

“Because I do,” Sadie declared.

“He said he wanted to talk to me, but I asked Sadie not to leave me alone with him. And she kind of…”

“Went bulldog,” Jack finished, a twinkle lighting his gaze before he turned to look at Sadie. “Sadie, step back.”

“No,” Sadie said, never taking her eyes off Kyle.

“Sadie,” Jack snapped, his voice like a whip, and the warning in it sent alarm skittering up Olivia’s spine.