In an instant, Geo was on his feet and in the dude’s face. “Excuse me? What was that?”
The guy didn’t back down. “You heard me. That wall’s for heroes who gave their lives in service to their country, not weaklings who decide to check themselves out.”
His whole body shaking with rage, Geo growled, “You have no idea what he’d been through, asshole. He—”
“We’ve all been through it,” the guy broke in. “Every single one of us has demons we wrestle with, but you know what? We don’t shame our community by taking the coward’s way out.”
“He was not a coward,” Geo shouted. “You don’t know the first thing about him!”
“Well, the fact he ate his own bullet tells me everything I need to know, now, doesn’t it?”
“You don’t know shit.” Geo planted his hands on the guy’s chest and shoved.
The dude staggered back a few steps but quickly righted himself. Geo could feel Matt’s warmth at his shoulder as the other man’s friends leapt to flank him.
Pointing at Geo, the man growled, “You’d better watch who you’re fucking with, son.”
“Fuck you! Cade was my teammate...”
“And I’m sorry for your loss. But a SEAL who gave up, who quit, doesn’t deserve—not while I have breath left in my body—to have his picture on this wall.”
A huge lump rose in Geo’s throat, almost choking him. When he didn’t say anything, the guy went on, “Those men—” he pointed “—died fighting. They died honorably, bravely, SEALs to the end.” He paused, lips twisted in a sneer. “Can you say the same about him?”
The disgust on his face, on all his friends’ faces, plus the open-mouthed shock on Luce’s, convinced Geo it was futile to continue the argument. Still, unwilling to back down, he took a step closer to the man, until their noses were only inches apart.
“It shouldn’t be how he died, it should be how he lived,” Geo hissed. “Cade Barlow gave eighteen years in service to his country. His bravery under fire was unquestioned, the lives he saved too numerous to count. For those reasons, he fuckin’ deserves to be on that wall with his brothers.”
The man shook his head. “Tell that to their families, son. Convince them that someone who chose to die should hang next to these men who fought death all the way to their very last breath. Tell them, or get the fuck outta my face.”
They stared at each other, bodies rigid, Geo’s anger mirrored back at him in the other guy’s expression. Matt’s hand coming to rest on his shoulder broke the spell. “Let’s go, George. There’s no point to this.”
The older guy flicked his gaze to Matt, a renewed sneer twisting his lips. “Hey, I’ve heard about you. The spitting image of your uncle, aren’t you? I had the pleasure of serving with him early in my career.” He smirked. “Oh, the master chief must be so proud.”
Derisive snickers came from the guy’s friends at the sarcastic inflection to his words. Matt’s voice remained calm, unruffled, as he said, “He is, and I’m sure he’d love to discuss it with you. Go ahead and call him.”
The guy snorted. “Nah, cupcake. I wouldn’t bother him with something as ridiculous as you.” He lifted his chin toward the door. “Now prance on outta here, would ya? This bar’s for real men.”
Geo’s muscles coiled, his fingers balling into a fist. “What the fuck,” he started to say, but Matt tugged on his sleeve.
“It’s not worth it. Let’s go.”
The group’s mocking laughter followed them through the door. When they reached the sidewalk, Matt took a deep breath, his cheeks puffing out as he exhaled. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Geo stared at him. “You?”
“I’m fine.”
By silent agreement, they turned and started ambling along Orange Avenue, hands stuffed in their pockets. Geo couldn’t help stealing looks at Matt, unsure what to say, until Matt glanced at him.
“Yes, I’m gay,” he said quietly. “And out.”
“Dude...”
“My task unit is fully supportive,” Matt went on, “although the El-Tee says I can’t serve in the same platoon as my boyfriend anymore.” He chuckled. “One of us has got to go.”
Geo stumbled over his own feet, saved in the nick of time by Matt’s strong grip on his biceps. “Your boyfriend is in your platoon?” he croaked. “Jesus Christ.”
“Well, we didn’t plan it that way,” Matt said, laughing. “We met in BUD/S, got assigned to different platoons, and then somehow Shane ended up in mine.”
“Shane?” Now Geo stopped short, his eyes widening. “The wounded guy you kept driving for?”
Matt’s smile faded. “Yeah. Lieutenant Bradley says he never wants us put in that position again. Shane and I know how to keep things professional at work, but one of us dying in front of the other, well, that’d be hard to come back from.”
“No shit.” Geo stood frozen, still gaping at him. For Matt to have kept on driving while the man he loved was bleeding to death a few feet away...
At last Geo held his knuckles out for a bump. “Goddamn, son. Respect.”
Matt’s eyes held a tinge of relief even as he grinned. “Thanks.”
They resumed walking, feet scuffing along the pavement. After a moment, Matt said, “My uncle went to Cade’s funeral. There, uh, weren’t a lot of people there, I guess.”
Including Geo. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to go, the anger and guilt flooding him too strong. Besides, how could he face Renae?
“He was a good man, Matt. The best. I—” Geo couldn’t go on, and luckily, Matt didn’t push, just gripped his shoulder and, with a gentle tug, turned Geo toward his truck.
“C’mon. Let’s get you home.”
About to protest that he could drive himself, a sudden wooziness swept over him, a product of both too much beer and emotion. Still, he rasped, “Nah, I can get an Uber...”
“No way. We’re swim buddies, right?”
Geo couldn’t help but smile at that. The swim buddy ethos had been drilled into them from day one at BUD/S, sometimes painfully, and it wasn’t anything a SEAL ever took lightly.
“Right,” he whispered. “Thanks, brother.”
It was a short drive to the barracks, and when Matt pulled up to the curb, he said, “I’ll give you a ride back to get your bike first thing in the morning, if you want.”