I stared at him, shaking. But the clang of metal behind us and the blast of a horn brought me back to where we were—on uneven dirt, surrounded by moving equipment and sweaty, impatient men in orange vests.
I yanked my arm away, still glaring. “You better fix whatever petty bullshit you have in your mind about Marcus and me. Because if you don’t, I will go home, Theodore. I’m not playing.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, then gave a tight nod. “I understand. Just let me get you somewhere safe.”
I turned away from him, heart still hammering in my chest, but before I could take more than two steps, I heard another voice cut through the noise.
“I can drive her back.”
I looked over to see Vince standing a few feet away, a little too casual for someone witnessing a relationship on the rocks. He nodded toward the parking lot. “I’ve got my car. The office isn’t far.”
Theo’s entire body went taut beside me.
“No,” he said immediately.
I froze, glancing between them. “I can get a ride with him if I want, Theodore.”
“I’ll send my driver,” he said tightly, jaw clenched. “Just wait by the trailer.”
“I’d rather not wait,” I said, folding my arms.
Theo stepped forward. “Carmen—”
“I’ll take her,” Vince cut in again. “It’s just a ride.”
Theo’s eyes locked on his, but Vince held his ground. I didn’t wait for another pissing match.
“Thanks, Vince,” I said, brushing past Theo before he could say anything else. “Let’s go.”
Theo grabbed my arm. “Carmen. I said no.”
“Let me go, Theodore.”
But his grip only tightened. “I’m calling a ride, Carmen.”
I met his gaze. “Let. Me. Go.” I warned.
Our eyes held in the silence that followed, neither of us backing down. Until. He finally, slowly, released me, and I turned away instantly.
I could feel Theo’s glare burning into the back of my head as I walked.
I didn’t look back.
Doubt: Yes! Let him sit in it. Let him feel it.
Not now, you.
Vince unlocked the car and swung open the passenger door for me, releasing a tired sigh as I slid inside. He rounded the front, muttering something under his breath as he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
“He’s gonna rip my head off.”
I buckled my seatbelt with a little shrug. “Probably.”
Vince shook his head as he pulled out of the dusty construction lot, tires crunching over gravel. “I don’t even like you like that. He knows that, right?”
I tilted my head, still simmering from the argument but faintly amused. “Does he?”
“God, I hope so.” He glanced over at me, then back at the road. “He had that look in his eyes. Like he’s gonna throw me off the damn scaffold.”
