Page 65 of Bennett

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.

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