Page 17 of Beckett
“Feed delivery came early. Had to help unload.” I flagged down Wendy, the waitress who’d been working here since before I’d enlisted.
She approached with her order pad, tucking a strand of gray hair behind her ear. “The usual?”
“When have I ever changed my order?”
“Burger, medium, extra pickles, sweet potato fries.” She didn’t bother writing it down. “Coop already ordered his health-conscious grilled chicken.”
“It’s called taking care of myself,” Coop protested. “Some of us want to see forty without a triple bypass.”
“Some of us want to enjoy the ride,” I countered.
The bell above the door chimed, and Aiden walked in with that measured stride of his. Where Coop sprawled, Aiden moved with military precision that five years of civilian life hadn’t softened. He nodded to us, ordered coffee from Wendy without sitting down first, then folded himself into the booth.
“Travis sends his regards,” Aiden said. “From his cave.”
“He answer the door this time?” Coop asked.
“Video intercom. Pretty sure he was wearing the same shirt from last month’s virtual meeting.”
“That’s our boy.” Coop’s grin held genuine affection. We all worried about Travis in our own ways, but the man had saved our asses with his tech skills more times than I could count. If he wanted to live like a hermit, that was his call.
“Well, well. The Warrior Security brain trust, solving the world’s problems one burger at a time.”
I looked up to find Lachlan approaching our table, his sheriff’s badge catching the light from the window. My best friend since seventh grade looked tired, a kind of bone-deep exhaustion—I wasn’t sure if it was from his new job as sheriff or his new infant twins.
“Sheriff.” Aiden nodded. “Join us?”
“Can’t. Piper needs me to pick up something for the kids.” The smile that crossed his face when he mentioned his family was something to see. “Just wanted to say hey.”
“How are Sadie and Caleb?” I asked. After what those kids and Piper had been through, we were all going to be protective of them their whole lives. The memory still made my jaw clench.
“Growing like weeds. Sadie’s determined to walk before she crawls, and Caleb’s got opinions about everything even without a vocabulary.” His phone buzzed. He glanced at it and grinned. “That’s the boss now. Better get moving before she sends out a search party.”
After he left, Coop shook his head. “Man’s whipped.”
“Man’s happy,” Aiden corrected quietly. “There’s a difference.”
Wendy brought our food, and for a few minutes, we just ate. The tavern’s burger was as good as always, greasy in all the right ways. Comfort food for guys who’d learned to take comfort where they could find it.
“So,” Coop said eventually, stealing one of my fries despite his supposed health consciousness. “Next week, I’m heading to Billings. Their SWAT team wants some advanced tactical training.”
“Urban assault?” Aiden asked.
“Close quarters combat, night operations. They’re good, but they want to be better.” He pointed a fry at Aiden. “Speaking of training, how’s the wilderness survival program coming?”
Aiden set down his coffee cup with deliberate care. “Three-week intensive course. Navigation, shelter building, water procurement, trapping. Start with basics, work up to a five-day solo survival test.”
“Sounds miserable,” Coop said cheerfully. “Sign me up.”
“Already did.” Aiden’s rare smile appeared. “Someone needs to test-run it before we open registration.”
“You just want to watch me eat bugs.”
Aiden almost smiled. “Added protein. Good for that health-conscious lifestyle.”
I let their banter wash over me, familiar as breathing. These men had become my brothers in all the ways that mattered. We’d found each other here in Garnet Bend, drawn by WarriorSecurity and the promise of purpose after the military. After the things we’d seen. Done. Survived.
“Earth to Beckett.” Coop waved a hand in front of my face. “Where’d you go?”
