That was why he’d chosen a table where he could view everything around him. His back was to the wall. Oh.

Mouth tight, she angled her chair outward so she was still beside Aric but could see the entire patio.

He nodded approval. “Check the people—and hazards—around you.”

“Go on.”

“Where’s your line of retreat?”

“Like finding the exit in a movie theater?”

His lips twitched. “If the armed fisherman starts shooting, do we defend or retreat?”

Dear heavens, did he do this with everything? Her jaw clenched. “Tell me.”

He rapped on the table. “Too thin to stop bullets, so we attack or run.”

She eyed the door into the restaurant.

“No, too many windows.” He pointed to the railing. “Jump it and hide.”

He didn’t even look around. He’d already done his own assessment. She realized whenever he looked at her or Aric, his gaze also swept the area.

“What else?”

“Watch for anomalies. At a resort, people should be relaxed. Are they uneasy or too interested in you?”

She looked around again. No one was paying any particular attention to them. Everyone appeared relaxed. “Anything else?”

“What if you can’t run?”

The thought made her stomach clench. “I don’t know.”

“Kit, find a weapon.”

“Here?” Weapons? “Like the chairs?”

“Good.” He tapped the table knife and fork. “For stabbing.”

Turning, he picked up a fist-sized decorative stone from the planter box. “Throw it. Or hit someone in the head with it.” He swung it and stopped like he’d smacked someone’s forehead.

What a horrible image. “Um, right.”

He unscrewed the lid of the pepper shaker and smiled at her. “Chemical warfare if thrown in the eyes and mouth.”

The planter box again. He touched the dirt. “Throw it in their eyes.”

“Huh, I get it. We’re surrounded by weapons, aren’t we?”

His slight nod said, now, she was catching on.

When two men sat down at a nearby table, she observed them. Dressed in suits. No observable weapons. Not uneasy. Not paying her or Hawk any attention.

Frowning, she pulled in a breath. “At the cave…what should I have done?”

“You did okay. Stayed put.”

“What about before that?”

He gave her a considering stare. “Next time, trust us.”

Ouch. She’d delayed them by not obeying Bull’s order immediately. “I’m sorry.”

“A team is stronger than a person alone. But it takes trust.”

“Oh.” That might be difficult. “You and your brothers are a team.”

“Yeah. Now.” He rubbed his neck. “At first, I didn’t trust them to have my back—or for Gabe to give orders.”

“And how old were you when you learned?”

His eyes filled with laughter. “Around eleven.”

They’d been a team for a long, long time. Why did that feel awfully sweet? Smiling, she leaned back to study the area, the people, the possible weapons. What she might do if anything happened.