Line of Fire Read Free Page B

excruciating detail.”
    “Dude, cruel and unusual punishment,” Hayden answered pulling his gear out of the truck. “Why do you want to know?”
    “Because he has the rare ability to break your concentration, miss pool at Hell’s Dune and make you cancel standing plans.”
    Hayden shrugged and partially admitted defeat. “He’s just a guy I met at a club.”
    “Just a guy my ass. Does club boy have a name?”
    Boy was not a word he would use anywhere in the description of the tall, muscular body that had held him gently after fucking him rough and hard. No, boy was definitely not something he was would ever use to describe his weekend lover. Hayden swallowed, willing the images away. Sporting a woody in proximity of his straight best friend was beyond weird and was high on his top ten list of things never to do.
    “I can’t tell you,” Hayden replied, finally. “He’s not out and asked me not to tell anyone who he was.”
    It was almost the truth. Christian wasn’t in denial, he wasn’t out and while they’d never discussed telling others or not, Christian had agreed immediately that he didn’t want to explain where they’d been. Although Hayden knew Brian could and would keep a secret, it wasn’t his place to tell. He trusted the man with his life. Brian was more understanding than most, and there was a reason behind it, Hayden was sure of that, but it was one Brian didn’t want to share, and he wasn’t willing to push for. Brian’s word was enough for him.
    “Fair enough.”
    Hayden took a deep breath and forced memories of Christian into the recesses of his mind. He needed to get his head back were it belonged. He knew as well as the next man that not being fully aware of your surroundings was the fastest, easiest and stupidest way to get yourself killed. Or worse, one of your buddies.
    “Military or civilian?”
    “What?”
    “The guy you were with—is he military or civilian?”
    “If I tell you, will you stop pestering me?”
    “Depends on your answer,” Brian replied.
    Hayden blew out a breath. “Not a civilian.”
    “In the closet and in the military?”
    Hayden nodded.
    “Do I know him?”
    “Brian, he’s military and isn’t ready for anyone to know he’s gay. Back off it,” Hayden bit out. “Damn, you’re worse than a girl sometimes.”
    “Hey, that hurts! Are you ever going to tell people?”
    “Maybe, when it seems safe.”
    “Dude, don’t ask don’t tell isn’t in effect anymore. Hell, we all went to the diversity and tolerance briefings. Besides, the crew knows.”
    “Yeah, that was an accident. And we both know that if someone on the teams hated gays it would be relatively easy to get rid of them, us. Make it look like a training accident.”
    “Easy to kill a SEAL? No way! Besides, no one is stupid enough to throw their career away like that.”
    “It would be easy enough for another SEAL. Never under estimate the power of hatred,” Hayden answered. He knew of two men that had openly let their hatred of gays and lesbians in the military be known. Alcohol had a tendency to do things like that.
    “You almost sound like Yoda.”
    Hayden shrugged.
    “You’re talking about Walters. He was drunk and pissed off. His old lady went on some religious bend and refused to sleep with him in any sense of the word. Threatening to take herself and the kids to some religious center so they can become more God-like without the evil of the world and the military corrupting them,” Brian said, dropping his gear on the ground and leaning against the car parked next to Hayden’s truck.
    “Would you bet your life on it? My life?” Hayden demanded. Every gay man knew someone who’d been threatened, attacked or killed by bigots. “And that doesn’t explain Seiboweitz.”
    “You don’t know if he’s like that. And usually he’s drunk or working on getting there. Fucking lushes, the both of them. And I know for a fact a couple of times, his girlfriends have left him. Both