Page 24 of Bennett (HC Heroes #15)

He gave her a sideways glance. “Brandi was probably texting the bakery twins on her way out the door.”

Laurel groaned and dropped her head against the cabinet. “Perfect. First concrete, now gossip.”

Bennett tossed her the dish towel. “At least one of those things didn’t cause property damage.”

A small laugh slipped out of her, and damn if it didn’t hit him somewhere deep again.

Whatever the hell this thing was between them, it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

Laurel rolled the towel between her hands, the humor in her expression dimming just slightly. “So, what now?”

Bennett straightened. He was still running warm from the kiss, but her question grounded him again. “Now we double-check every camera angle, make sure the motion sensors were calibrated correctly after the new furniture arrived. Carter was waiting on a signal test.”

Laurel nodded, falling quiet. She wasn’t retreating, just absorbing. It was something he’d started to recognize in her. When she went quiet, it wasn’t because she had nothing to say, it was because she was thinking five steps ahead.

He grabbed the tablet off the counter and tapped into the security feed, thumbing through the camera views. Everything looked good so far, but unease still pressed at the back of his neck like a warning whisper.

As if summoned, a knock sounded at the door.

Matthew entered a second later, with a smirk that told him Brandi had filled him in. “Heard the cups are clean, which is good, because I could use a fresh coffee.”

A pretty blush rushed into Laurel’s face, but she didn’t shy away from Matthew’s scrutiny. Instead, she held out a mug and grinned. “For that, you get to buy and install a doorbell for me, please.”

Bennett fought a grin as warmth spread through his chest at how she’d met Matthew’s teasing with straight-up fire. That was one of the things he liked about Laurel. She never backed down, even when the spotlight hit her square in the chest.

Matthew chuckled, accepting the mug from her. “You got it. But only if I get to choose the ringtone. Something obnoxious, maybe a dramatic soap opera theme.”

Laurel played along, eyes narrowing with mock suspicion. “If it plays anything with an organ solo, I’m kicking you down the stairs.”

Bennett shook his head, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he leaned back against the counter, arms folded. “Might want to tread lightly, Matthew. She’s already got a solid throwing arm and a mean jab.”

Matthew shot him a grin. “Yeah, I saw that footage. Impressive aim for a travel-size bottle.”

Laurel let out a low laugh, the sound more relaxed than it had been in hours. “Told you I came prepared.”

Bennett’s gaze lingered on her for a beat too long, his chest tightening with a mix of admiration and something heavier he wasn’t ready to name. She wasn’t just prepared, she was quietly resilient. Smart. Steady.

And completely under his skin.

Matthew took a sip of coffee and nodded toward the window. “Carter’s got the updated camera feeds pulling now.”

Bennett nodded. “Good. Let’s keep the next surprise outside the building this time.”

Laurel raised a brow. “Preferably without any flying cement, thanks.”

That earned a chuckle from both men, and just like that, the tension loosened, if only for a moment.

Bennett watched her closely. That was one of the things he was beginning to admire, hell, maybe more than admire, about her. She felt everything deeply, but she never let it stop her. She regrouped, recalculated, and pushed forward.

“She handles this better than half the guys I’ve trained with,” Matthew said, glancing at Bennett over the rim of his mug.

“Don’t let her hear that,” Bennett replied, lips twitching. “She might ask to join ESI next.”

Laurel arched a brow. “You offering?”

“Nope,” Bennett said, folding his arms. “You don’t take orders well.”

“Guilty.” She didn’t miss a beat. “But I make excellent coffee. That’s got to count for something.”

Matthew chuckled. “We’re going to have to rewrite the recruitment policy.”

A knock came from the door again, quieter this time, and Carter poked his head in, holding a flash drive between two fingers like a prize. “I’ve got something. Caught a better angle on the alley cam last night. Not the mortar throw, but we did get the vehicle a few minutes before it happened.”

Bennett stepped forward, the joking fading. “White pickup?”

“Nope,” Carter replied.

Bennett swallowed a curse. That would’ve been too easy.

“This was a dark SUV. Older model,” Carter continued, “Tinted windows, running lights were off. But we got a partial plate this time.”

Matthew leaned in. “How partial?”

“Enough,” Carter said, handing over the drive. “Gabe’s team is running it now. We should know more soon.”

Bennett exchanged a look with Matthew, then glanced back at Laurel. She’d gone still again, listening, calculating. And this time, her eyes were locked on him, not with panic or fear, but with something else.

Trust.

It hit like a gut punch, low and solid. Because trust was dangerous. It meant responsibility. It meant she expected him to keep her safe.

And dammit, he intended to.

“Keep me posted,” Bennett told Carter. “And make sure Gabe knows about the shift in vehicle.”

“You got it,” Carter said, then ducked back out.

Laurel pushed off the counter slowly. “So, white pickup at the diner. Dark SUV here. Two different vehicles.”

“Two different angles,” Bennett said, watching her. “One personal, one strategic.”

Her brow furrowed. “So, you think the pickup was about my aunt?”

“Possibly. But the SUV?” He shook his head. “That was about the building. The mortar wasn’t a scare tactic, it was a message.”

Laurel nodded slowly, her arms wrapping around herself as she stared at the window.

Matthew drained the last of his coffee and set the mug down with a soft thunk. “I’ll go double-check the alley. See if there’s anything we missed.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Bennett said, then looked back at Laurel. “Lock the door behind us.”

Her mouth quirked. “Don’t come back without my doorbell.”

That earned her a reluctant grin. He wasn’t sure what to make of the fact that even now, she could pull a smile out of him with such little effort. But whatever it was, it was starting to feel dangerous.

And inevitable.

As they descended the stairs, Bennett’s phone buzzed with a text. His chest tightened until he pulled out his phone and noted Mac’s name on the screen.

Thank God. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with more attempts at contact from his cousin.

He opened Mac’s text.

Gabe just called. Patrol tracked down the white pickup spotted near the diner. Belongs to the ex-server’s boyfriend. Guy’s been hanging around more than usual. Might just be an overzealous protector, but Gabe’s not ruling anything out.

Bennett exhaled slowly as the words confirmed his earlier thoughts about that perp. He wasn’t the one responsible for this mess.

The white pickup explained one piece of the puzzle, but not the rest.

The damage at the apartment. The tampered wiring. The broken cabinet doors. The mortar. That was too methodical—too targeted to be the work of a jealous boyfriend trying to play hero for his fired girlfriend.

No. That was something else entirely.

He looked back down at the text. Gabe might not be ruling the guy out, but Bennett already had.

This wasn’t about jealousy.

It was about pressure. Leverage. Control.

And someone was trying damn hard to push Annie Winslow into giving up that building.

“Something new?” Matthew asked when they reached the first floor.

“White pickup belongs to the ex-server’s boyfriend,” Bennett said, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “Guy’s been lurking. Could explain the burnt fabric and the note at the diner.”

“But not the rest,” Matthew finished with a frown.

“Exactly,” Bennett muttered. “That guy might be causing trouble, but he’s not the one with a grudge against this building.”

“Then we’ve still got two separate problems,” Matthew said.

Bennett nodded once. “And only one of them is escalating.”

A flash of Laurel’s earlier glance hit him—soft, unguarded. She’d thought he wasn’t watching.

He was.

And if whoever was behind this had any idea just how much that woman was becoming a reason for him to stay sharp?

They’d pick a different damn target.