Too easy.
He frowned. “Are we going to do anything to better secure this place?”
“Carter is already on it,” Mac replied as they continued to walk.
So that’s why the guy had been absent from the meeting. He’d served with Carter Sharp, the resident jokester of their unit, much like Cooper was in the SEALs.
“We were contracted to install security systems for each store and apartment once the renovations were closer to being finished,” Mac informed, motioning toward the building with his hand. “But in light of the issues, we decided to get eyes on the building now, so Carter is putting in a temporary system. He started yesterday and should finish today.”
Bennett nodded. Good. The place was too damn exposed in this state.
As they walked past the building, Bennett spotted Carter crouched near the side, a tangle of wires in one hand and a look of deep concentration on his face. The guy had always been a genius with tech. Back in their unit, he could hack into damn near anything with a laptop and a grin. Now, he was laying the groundwork for the security system, his sharp eyes flicking between the wiring and the tablet in his other hand.
Bennett’s lips twitched. If anyone thought about screwing with this place again, they were in for a hell of a surprise.
Carter’s gaze lifted, and when he spotted Bennett and the guys walking by, his eyes lit up, and he shot to his feet like a man who’d been stranded on a deserted island and just saw a rescue boat.
“Hold up!” he called, dropping the wires and jogging toward them. “Tell me you degenerates are headed somewhere with coffee and bacon.”
The guy hadn’t changed much—blue eyes full of mischief, dark hair worn long enough to touch his collar, and snark spewing from his mouth.
Cooper smirked. “Nope. We’re off to a green juice bar to discuss our feelings.”
“Damn, Coop,” Carter said, a hand over his heart. “I actually felt that betrayal. I thought we were friends.”
Mac, unimpressed, crossed his arms. “You finished wiring the system?”
A frown wrinkled Carter’s brow. He rocked back on his heels, glancing over his shoulder at the mess of wires he’d been wrangling. “Define finished.”
Mac raised a brow. “Are you done?”
Carter sighed. “Not even close.”
“Then, sorry. This is too urgent. Get back to it,” Mac said, already turning toward the diner. “You can eat when you’re done.”
Groaning, Carter dragged a hand down his face. “Mac, come on, man! That’s at least a few hours of work! By the time I’m done, all the good food will be gone, and I’ll be stuck with toast and regrets.”
Matthew chuckled. “Sounds like a personal problem.”
“You’re a personal problem,” Carter countered.
Cooper clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll think of you fondly while we eat.”
“Damn right, you will,” Carter grumbled, already heading back toward his wires. “And if I die of starvation out here, my ghost is haunting this place.”
Bennett smirked, shaking his head as they walked on. “Still dramatic, I see.”
“Always,” Mac said. “But don’t feel bad for him. He had breakfast with Dex, Dean, and RJ before they left on assignment this morning.”
“Yeah.” Cooper nodded. “Still, we should probably order extra food, just to rub it in.”
Carter called after them, his voice indignant and full of suffering, “I heard that, you traitors!”
This time Bennett’s chuckle echoed the others.
A few years had passed since they’d served together. He’d forgotten the camaraderie they’d shared and had to admit he’d missed it.
As they walked on, leaving Carter to his grumbling, Bennett let the easy banter settle over him, the familiarity of it stirring something he hadn’t felt in a long time. It wasn’t just the job that had brought him here, it was this. The kind of team you didn’t find just anywhere.
