Page 59 of Keeping a Warrior

About all that was left was to get on that plane and go.

Shane had found a bag of balloons stashed in a cabinet, most likely remnants of someone’s past care package, and he’d been amusing himself by blowing them up, tying them closed and blitzing Matt on the back of the head with them.

It was annoying, it was childish, but maybe only Devon could see the desperation behind it.

Pay attention to me. Talk to me. Please.

Devon’s eyes widened in alarm when Matt slid his combat knife from the sheath on his leg. He held it lightly in his hand beneath the table, and when Shane dangled the balloon above his head again, with a lightning fast strike he jerked the knife up and burst it with a loud pop.

“Oooh!” the men hooted, slapping their thighs as pieces of balloon exploded everywhere.

Smudge held his finger to his lips and quietly tossed Shane a bottle of water. Grinning, Shane stretched the mouth of the next balloon over the bottle and emptied the contents inside. He lifted it over Matt’s head and brushed it back and forth lightly across his hair.

The guys leaned forward expectantly. Devon squeezed her eyes shut while Matt, oblivious, readied his knife...

Sploosh!

The room erupted in laughter.

Matt’s chair flew backward, and the next thing Devon knew, Shane was being slammed against the nearest wall so hard the pictures hanging on it crashed to the floor in a tinkle of glass.

“You fuckin’ clown,” Matt snarled, getting up in Shane’s face. “Fuck you.” His fists twisted in Shane’s T-shirt as their eyes met, the air crackling with a tension so thick Devon could almost see it.

“Matt,” Shane finally whispered. “Please—”

The words seemed to galvanize Matt into action. He shoved himself violently away from Shane with a snarled, “Gah. I wish you would just leave me alone.”

The expression of hurt and defeat that spread across Shane’s face broke Devon’s heart. He dropped his hands to his sides. “Yeah, okay,” he said flatly. “Leaving you alone.”

Then he was gone.

Clutching his hair, Matt spun to face the room full of wide-eyed SEALs.

“Uh, Soup, what’s going on?” Smudge asked cautiously. “You gay for that dude, or what?”

Oh, shit.

Adrenaline shot through Devon as she readied herself to stand in support of him, but Matt barked out a mirthless laugh. “Gay for him? No, Smudge, I’m not gay for him. I’m just gay, all right?” He spread his arms and shouted, “That’s right, everyone. I’m gay! Queer as a three-dollar bill! A homo—” Matt broke off, horror in his eyes as he realized what he’d done.

The room went silent, everybody staring at everyone else, until suddenly Aaron slapped the table. “Finally. Jesus Christ, it’s about time.”

It was like a dam broke.

“Took ya long enough, Soup.”

“Yeah, what took you so long?”

Matt looked shell-shocked. “What? You knew?” he croaked. “How?”

“Soup, hate to break it to ya, but we’ve pretty much known since BUD/S.” Aaron grinned at him. “Worst-kept secret of our class.”

Matt could only stand there, his mouth flapping open and closed like a fish.

“Well, hold the phone.” Grizz straightened from his lean against the wall, and everyone fell silent. He was the most senior guy, the one with the most combat experience. What he said and did set the tone for the entire platoon.

Matt paled visibly as Grizz approached, but he stood his ground, shoulders straight, arms at his sides.

“What I want to know,” Grizz rumbled, “is where’s the trust here?”