Page 30 of Bennett (HC Heroes #15)

Gabe nodded. “That’s the one. He’s got an interview with the D.A.’s office in Harland next week. Apparently, they’re looking to bring on a full-time investigator, and he wants the job.”

“Well, damn,” Matthew said. “What prompted that?”

“No idea,” Gabe admitted.

Mac chuckled. “Life’s funny, isn’t it? You once told me both your brothers were Navy lifers. Now Tyler’s working for me and Josh is on his way here.”

Gabe snorted. “Yeah, don’t that beat all.” He glanced over at Tyler. “Did you know?”

“Nope,” Tyler replied. “Hence, my choking. I did know he wasn’t happy, though. Told him to stop sitting in his own misery and do something about it. Guess he’s decided to put his criminal justice degree to work.”

Carter nodded, smirk tugging the side of his mouth. “So basically, you out-therapied the rest of us.”

Tyler shrugged. “Worked for me.”

“Me too,” Mac said, and the rest of the guys murmured in agreement.

Even Bennett.

He was glad he’d finally taken Mac up on his offer. Harland wasn’t where he’d planned to end up, but it had become the one place that felt like something close to solid ground.

Mac leaned forward toward Gabe. “What’s that mean for your parents?”

The sheriff smiled. “They’ve been threatening to move here ever since Rylee had their first grandbaby. Dad’s still consulting, but if Josh settles here too, I’d bet on them moving here before Christmas.”

Tyler laughed. “Try before Halloween.”

“Yeah.” Gabe leaned back in his chair, visibly pleased. “Family’s everything to them.”

A shaft of envy pierced Bennett’s chest.

Once upon a time, it had been everything to the Vaughns, too. Until cancer had taken his mom and the lies began. After that, everything good had turned sideways and gone to shit.

The group quieted for a beat, the weight of Gabe’s words sinking in beneath the surface of their breakfast chatter.

Tyler suddenly laughed. “Oh, man, speaking of moving here…you think Josh knows Jenna’s planning to relocate, too?”

Gabe’s brows rose. “She is?”

“Yep,” Tyler said. “Rylee told me she’s leaving the legal world behind to open a DIY or craft shop with her sister here in Harland. In fact, I think she’s supposed to contact Laurel today.”

“Really?” Gabe grinned. “Nope. If Josh knew, he’d probably turn around and head back west, speed limits be damned.”

Matthew blinked. “Wait, did they have a thing?”

“No,” Gabe said. “Not for her lack of trying, though.”

Tyler snorted. “Yeah, it was hilarious. Personally, I think my younger brother was an idiot.”

“I agree,” Gabe said. “But none of us would cross that line with our sister’s friends.”

Tyler nodded solemnly.

“Ah, like the brotherhood code,” Matthew said. “No messing with anyone’s relatives.”

It was a rule they had all live by. One Bennett had never questioned.

“Although, it seems to have gone out the window after some of us left the military,” Matthew said, this time with a smirk. “Or were Cooper and Dex the exceptions?”

Since Cooper was now married to Carter’s sister, and Dex was married to Gabe and Tyler’s sister, Bennett saw the validity in Matthew’s question. He also saw the humor and wished to hell he’d been here when all that had gone down. No way had it been smooth.

“Dex was the only guy worthy of my sister,” Gabe said, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Even if he was a grunt.”

Tyler snickered.

“And let’s just say Cooper had to jump through a few hoops before I accepted him into the family,” Carter said. “But he’s not a bad brother-in-law…for a squid.”

Mac frowned thoughtfully. “Is Jenna the girl who was in the accident with Rylee?”

Gabe’s expression sobered. “Yeah. Damn drunk driver nearly took them both out when they were sixteen.”

“Jenna was behind the wheel,” Tyler added. “Blamed herself for years. We all tried to reassure her, especially Josh. But I’m betting she still carries that guilt.”

Silence fell again, heavier this time. Every one of them knew what it meant to carry guilt.

Mac finally looked toward Bennett with a welcomed change of subject. “Carter said you and Tyler finished the final walkthrough on the building security. You satisfied?”

“Yes,” Bennett replied, dragging himself mentally back to business.

“Everything’s live now—cameras, sensors, reinforced door locks on every unit.

The construction crews wrapped up framing on the last apartment yesterday.

Carter’s already making plans to upgrade the storefront entries as soon as Brandi gives the green light. ”

“Good,” Gabe said, reaching for a sugar packet. “Because whoever tossed that mortar wanted to rattle Laurel and probably Annie, too.”

Bennett nodded. “So far, it appears they’re targeting the building, not the people. But Laurel’s there, so that could make it personal.”

Tyler sat back in his chair and glanced at his brother. “Any update on the white pickup guy?”

Gabe gave a tight nod. “Annie’s ex-server’s boyfriend. Yeah. The guy’s got a short fuse and a minor record. Nothing serious, but enough for us to keep an eye on him. Still, he doesn’t fit the profile for the rest of this.”

“So not our main vandal,” Matthew stated with a sigh.

“Nope,” Gabe confirmed. “But thanks to your alley cam and the flash drive Carter dropped off, we have a new lead. Traffic cams picked it up, circling the block the night of the window incident. It’s the same dark SUV, dark windows.

We’re pulling footage from nearby businesses to try to catch another angle. ”

Bennett's jaw clenched. “No plates? Means it’s organized. Whoever’s behind this knows how to move without leaving much of a trace.”

Mac frowned. “And that means whoever hired them has deep pockets.”

“Which brings us back to Duke Carver,” Tyler said, not bothering to hide his distaste.

“He’s got motive, money, and history with the property,” Gabe agreed. “But no direct link yet.”

“We’ll find one,” Bennett stated, determination straightening his spine. “He’s too polished for this to be personal. My guess? He’s protecting a bigger investment.”

His gut agreed.

Mac nodded slowly. “And if that’s true, we’re not just dealing with sabotage, we’re dealing with a long-term plan that Laurel’s presence is now threatening.”

Carter leaned back, arms crossed. “Well, tough. She’s not going anywhere.”

“No,” Bennett agreed. “She’s not.”

Not on his watch.

His chest tightened. Laurel had planted roots here without even meaning to.

The beauty was woven into the heart of this town, into the center of his damn focus.

She’d shown up to help her aunt and somehow became part of everything worth protecting.

Her smile. Her stubbornness. The way she didn’t back down even after someone threw concrete through her window.

She belonged here now. But the very thing that grounded her—the project, the future Annie was building—was what made her a target. And that burned his gut hotter than he expected.

It wasn’t just a mission anymore. It hadn’t been for a while.

Hell, had it ever been?

The soft swish of swinging doors reached them, followed by the distinct clink of a ceramic coffee pot against the prep counter. Bennett looked up, already knowing who it was before he saw her.

Laurel rounded the corner, ponytail bouncing, apron in place, and a carafe of coffee in her hand. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the kitchen heat, but her smile was bright, and it hit Bennett in the chest like warming rays of sunlight through a crack in the armor.

“Okay, gentlemen,” she said, sweeping the table with a genuine smile. “I’ve been told y’all require adult supervision.”

“That’s debatable,” Carter quipped. “But if supervision comes with hash browns, I’m not complaining.”

“More coffee first?” Laurel asked, raising the pot in her hand.

“Always,” Matthew said with a grin. “Especially if you’re the one pouring it.”

Laurel gave them all a long-suffering look but poured anyway. When she reached Bennett, she lingered just a second longer than necessary.

“You look…rested,” she murmured, her eyes twinkling.

“You look smug,” he replied quietly.

“Must be the company I kept last night.”

Bennett stifled a grin and watched her move to refill the others’ mugs. The sway of her mouthwatering hips should not be that distracting, but here he was, fighting a hard-on in front of half the damn team, trying not to let it show.

“I’ll be back with your orders shortly,” she told them before hurrying to top-off coffees at another table on her way to the kitchen.

He watched her, letting the comfort of her presence ground him again. She was fire and light and grit wrapped into one maddeningly captivating woman.

And he’d be damned if anyone took her safety for granted again.

“You two want a table or a room?” Carter asked under his breath.

Bennett shot him a sideways glare. “You want to keep your teeth?”

“Just saying,” Carter mumbled around his raised cup.

Mac cleared his throat, setting his cup down. “Carter, quit heckling the man before you make him grumpier than usual.”

Carter smirked, unfazed. “He’s already halfway to glowering, I figured I’d tip him over for fun.”

“Ignore him,” Mac said, turning to Bennett. “I’ve got Cooper pulling footage from traffic cams between the building and the outskirts. If this guy was watching the place, he didn’t vanish. There’ll be a trail, and then Hunter will be on it.”

Bennett’s jaw ticked. “Good. Let’s find it before he circles back.”

Laurel returned with a tray of plates and expertly began setting them in front of each guy. “Six breakfasts for six brave men,” she said. “With a side of sass and a warning not to fight over the syrup.”

“Hit us with our morning trivia,” Carter urged, taking his offered plate.

She paused mid-step, clearly delighted. “All right, gentlemen. Did you know Texas is the only state that was once its own independent nation?”

Carter groaned. “Come on, we learned that in fifth grade.”

“Fine,” Laurel said, narrowing her eyes playfully. “Did you know that armadillos always give birth to four identical babies? Quadruplets. Every time.”

Tyler lifted an eyebrow. “That’s strange.”

“That feels weirdly relevant to Carter,” Matthew said, smirking into his toast.

Carter brows crashed together. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Mac cut in, dry as ever, “if you ever clone yourself, I’m quitting.”

Laurel grinned, clearly enjoying herself. “Science is amazing. So is breakfast.”

As she placed Bennett’s plate down last, her fingers brushed his again. Deliberately. Barely there. But it lit something inside him anyway.

She winked. “Enjoy, boys.”

And just like that, she was gone again, heading back to the counter.

Matthew looked at Bennett, then back at Laurel’s retreating form. “You’re in so deep, man.”

Bennett didn’t deny it.

He wasn’t entirely sure when it had happened, but yeah, he was.

And the part that surprised him the most?

He didn’t want out.

As the conversation eased into quieter bites of breakfast and low murmurs of plans for the day, Gabe’s phone buzzed against the table. He glanced at the screen and frowned slightly, swiping to open the message.

Bennett noticed the shift in his expression immediately.

Gabe let out a quiet breath. “Well, hell.”

Mac looked up. “Something we should know?”

“Yeah.” Gabe slid his phone across the table to him, Mac and Carter.

Report of minor vandalism at a commercial lot off Gulf Street. Property’s been sitting vacant, but it was on Duke Carver’s radar last year. Nothing major—broken locks, some cut wires—but still worth noting.

Bennett’s gut clenched as he slid the phone across the table to Matthew and Tyler to read. “That’s two properties now, both linked to Carver.”

“Damn,” Tyler muttered. “Duke’s name keeps floating closer to the flame.”

“Could be someone trying to push him out, or someone working for him trying to scare off competition,” Mac said.

“We need to dig deeper,” Bennett said, pushing his plate slightly away. “Check for shell companies, fake buyer fronts, anything that ties back to him. If he’s making these plays, he’s not doing it in his name.”

“I’ll call Brandi later,” Gabe said. “She’s got ears in that world. If anyone’s heard whispers about shady real estate deals, it’ll be her.”

Bennett nodded, already thinking ahead. “Carter, can you do a deeper dive into the guy’s financials? I know if there’s a trail, you’ll find it.”

“Damn straight.” Carter grinned. “I’ll dig so deep, I’ll find out things about the guy even he doesn’t know yet.”

Perfect.

Mac leaned in. “Matthew, head back to the site and keep an eye on things there. Tyler, help Carter with the deep dive. Bennett, you’re with me,” his boss said. “It’s time to go talk to my cousin about his rival.”

He nodded. Visiting Connor McCall had been on his to-do list today, anyway.

“Everybody good?” Mac asked, giving each of them a pointed look. Once he received four nods, their boss added one of his own. “Good. We’ll regroup at HQ this afternoon.”

Perfect.

Bennett’s gaze drifted briefly toward the counter, where Laurel was topping off someone’s coffee with that easy smile of hers. As if feeling his scrutiny, Laurel glanced over at him, her gaze warm and sure. She offered a small smile—one just for him.

He let it settle something in his chest before turning back to the others. “Let’s get ahead of this before it escalates again.”

Nobody argued.

Because for the first time, it felt like they weren’t chasing shadows anymore.

Now, they had direction.

And Duke Carver was right in the middle of it.