“Yep.” Bull grinned and cautioned the former sniper who was almost as silent as Caz, the former assassin, “Do me a favor and don’t get noisy.”

An annoyed grunt answered him. “Their numbers might be increasing. There’re more new faces in town.”

The trail branched, and Bull stopped to calculate distance and direction. “Not what I wanted to hear.” There was only one new face that interested him these days. A woman with big brown eyes, a stubborn chin, and a smart mouth. Someone who worked hard, enjoyed the customers, laughed like she meant it, and didn’t take crap from anyone.

He chuckled, and beside him, Hawk lifted an eyebrow.

“Ah, I was thinking of another new face—a recent hire at the roadhouse—”

“The New Yorker who doesn’t like you?”

Right. Audrey mentioned her during one of their patio meals. “That’s the one. She’s a delight to watch in action. The other night, when she leaned over to put a drink down, an asshole tourist shoved his face against her breasts.”

“You kill him?”

“I didn’t have to.” Bull had been a second from vaulting the bar to do so. “She dumped the entire tray of drinks in his lap, then sweetly told him and his buddies that the only service they’d get from that moment on would be from the giant bartender at the bar itself. And she pointed to me.”

“Nice.” Hawk gave a nod of approval.

“Yeah, she did good.” Frankie’d leashed her temper just enough to get her point across without it escalating into a brawl. And, hell, now he had a craving to see her when she let her emotions loose. No matter what emotion. Actually, he had one emotion in mind.

Because he was an asshole. Employee, remember? Hands off.

After giving Gryff a quick pat, Bull turned down the trail to the right.

Hawk followed.

Bull had been surprised when Hawk volunteered to come today. He seemed set on annoying Gabe whenever possible—and Gabe was the one who’d asked for periodic recons of the Patriot Zealot compound. “A shame we don’t do more hiking with everyone. Caz. And Gabe.”

A glance back showed Hawk’s expression had gone cold.

“Want to tell me what happened between you and Gabe?”

“No.”

“What the hell? You mean there aren’t going to be any brotherly confidences on our little walk?”

“Asshole.” Hawk’s mouth twitched. He might be a withdrawn hardass with a shitload of triggers to set him off, but one of his redeeming traits was his ability to laugh at himself.

“Fine.” Bull ducked under a low-hanging branch. “Now winter’s over, you got any plans on what you’re going to do? I can use you in the restaurant or bar. Or with managing Mako’s foundation.”

“For fuck’s sake, get real.”