Page 29 of Bennett

“No.” The sheriff shook his head. “It’s her aunt’s property. My hands are tied. Maybe go talk with Annie.” Expelling a breath, Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose. “We need to catch this guy in the act. If this keeps up, someone’s going to get hurt.”

A deep chill settled in Bennett’s chest. His instincts had been right. This was only going to get worse. And Laurel was putting herself right in the damn thick of it.

“Bennett, I’m counting on you to keep that woman out of trouble. In the meantime, I’m heading back to the station to get this investigation rolling,” Gabe said before leaving the apartment.

His frustration was already boiling over, his patience stretched thinner than a wire, and now he had to convince Annie that her niece was making a colossal mistake.

Turning to Carter, he drew in a sharp breath, forcing himself to push aside his irritation. “I need a breakdown of what’s beingdone, security-wise. Everything you’ve got up and running and what still needs to be installed.”

Carter perked up, the topic drawing him away from the show Laurel had just put on. “Sure. I’ve got cameras and motion sensors set up along the back and side entrances. But whoever’s doing this knows how to avoid them. They stick to the shadows. It’s like trying to catch smoke.”

“What about the door alarms?”

“Nothing yet,” Carter replied. “Tyler should be here any minute to help, but currently we’re behind schedule.”

Scowling, he swallowed a curse. “So, if Laurel moves in right now, she’ll have zero protection?”

Carter hesitated. “From a security standpoint? Yeah. Sort of. Still need to rig the outside doors, and now with the rewiring in here, there’s no guarantee we’ll get this unit done by tonight.”

Bennett’s scowl deepened. The idea of Laurel just waltzing in here and setting up shop without so much as a working lock made his blood pressure spike.

“Fine,” he said on a released breath. “Work as fast as you can. I’ll figure something out in the meantime.”

“Like what?” Matthew asked, arms folded as he leaned against the wall.

He lifted a shoulder. “Not exactly sure, but anything that’ll keep her from doing something stupid.”

Matthew grinned. “Good luck with that. From the looks of her, you’ve got a better chance of wrestling a pissed-off bobcat.”

Bennett ignored him and turned to Carter. “Get the doors secured as fast as possible.”

Carter gave him a mock salute. “Roger that, boss.”

He didn’t bother responding. Instead, he rushed downstairs and out of the building with his sights set on the diner. If anyone could talk sense into that woman, he hoped it would be her aunt.

Three and a half minutes later, the bell over the door chimed as he pushed his way inside the diner, the smell of coffee and grilled bacon hitting him like a punch to the gut. The place was still busy, the steady hum of conversation and clinking plates filling the air. But his gaze zeroed in on Annie, who was already waving him over from behind the counter.

She looked tired, but there was still a spark of mischief in her eyes that had him instantly on edge.

“Annie,” he said as he reached her. “We need to talk about Laurel.”

Her brow rose, a smile twitching at her lips. “Ah, so you heard her big announcement.”

“Heard it, witnessed it, and tried to talk her out of it,” Bennett replied with a frown. “She’s making a mistake. Moving into that building without proper security is a bad idea.”

“Probably,” Annie agreed cheerfully, her tone completely at odds with his mood.

He blinked. “So, you’ll tell her not to do it?”

“Nope.”

His gut tightened. “Why the hell not?”

“Because she’s right.” Annie’s gaze didn’t waver. “That girl’s been worrying about me from the second she got here, and now that she knows what’s going on, she’s not going to feel settled until she’s doing something about it. Besides, if she’s staying there, then maybe you’ll be more inclined to stay there too.”

“What?” He blinked. Surely, he’d heard her wrong.

Annie chuckled, clearly enjoying herself. “You heard me. If she’s going to be there, someone’s got to keep an eye on her. And as much as I trust the sheriff and his crew to check in every now and then, I’d rather have someone actually on-site. Someone who knows what he’s doing.”