Page 25 of Bennett

The moment Gabe had what he needed from him, Bennett turned and headed downstairs. The conversation about rerouting cameras and reinforcing entry points continued behind him, but his focus was already locked on the woman outside.

He pushed the back door open and stepped out, his gaze zeroing in on Laurel. The challenge in her expression was hard to miss.

And the idea of telling her to back off again?

Yeah. That was about as appealing as stepping on a landmine.

He hoped it wouldn’t come to it.

She stopped mid stride, arms still folded tightly over her chest, eyes narrowed with more irritation than a rattlesnake with a hangover.

“Well?” she demanded, before he could even get a word out. “Am I allowed in my aunt’s building yet?”

A shaft of warmth dispelled the chill from his chest. He fought back a smile. Damn, the woman was feisty. “Not yet. Sorry.”

Her chin lifted, the stubborn gleam in her eyes refusing to dim. “If you think stalling me will make me leave, you’re out of your mind.”

“Wouldn’t expect you to leave.”

That seemed to surprise her. The irritation in her expression shifted into something closer to curiosity. “So, you’re not going to tell me to go back to the diner and stay out of everyone’s way?”

He shook his head. “I’m here to make sure you don’t do something reckless.”

“Reckless?” Her eyebrows shot up. “I’m not the one vandalizing remodeling sites. I just want to see what’s going on.”

“And you will,” he said evenly. “Just not until Gabe gives the all-clear. And since you look about two seconds away from barreling in there with both fists swinging, I figured I’d do my part to keep that from happening.”

A small smile tugged at her lips. “So, what? You’re my babysitter now?”

“If that’s what it takes to keep you from making my job harder, then yeah.”

She rolled her eyes, but he could tell her temper had cooled by at least a few degrees. “You really are something, you know that?”

“Good or bad?” he asked, genuinely curious.

Mischief sparkled in her eyes, and his pulse increased in response. “Depends.”

He lifted a brow. “On what?”

Another barely-there smile twitched her pretty lips. “On how stubborn you’re planning to be.”

“Stubbornness is one of my better qualities.”

“Of course, it is.” Her gaze flicked over his shoulder toward the building. “So, did you find out anything new?”

He hesitated. Technically, he shouldn’t be telling her anything until Gabe finished his assessment. But he also knew keeping her in the dark was only going to make her more determined to bulldoze her way into the place.

“More of the same,” he admitted. “Whoever’s doing this is targeting anything that’s time-consuming and expensive to fix.”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “Why? What do they gain from wrecking things like that? It’s not like Aunt Annie’s competing with anyone.”

“Maybe someone’s trying to send a message,” he said, eyeing her carefully. “Or maybe they’re just trying to bleed her dry before the place even opens.”

The line of her mouth tightened. “It’s not going to work.”

“That so?”

“Damn straight.” Her voice was like iron wrapped in silk. “Annie’s already put too much into this. She’s not going to let some coward with a wrecking fetish scare her off.”