Page 27 of Pain
Matt nodded. "How could I not, especially now?"
Xander nodded, taking in the dark brown eyes that stared back at him. "Why did you get between Bry and me?"
Matt laughed. "Death wish, I guess. I honestly was just trying to get you to take a step back and think for a second. You were acting on emotion, and trust me, that's something I'm all too familiar with lately. I don't know what that shit was between you, but from Bryon's response, you were pushing him too far."
Xander ran his hand down his beard. "He'll probably never forgive me for that."
"You're the one who told me the team is like a family. If that's true, it will blow over. He's just as worked up about the new case as you are. He walked in and told us to drop everything else."
He didn't doubt that the whole team was upset about the file Becca had dropped in their lap. How could they not be? "I shouldn't have pushed him."
"Probably not, but I bet it's not the first time or the last time that you do. I'm just glad this time wasn't one that ended with the two of you wrestling each other to the ground."
Yeah, that wouldn't have been good. Bryon could hold his own, but he wasn't trained and as deadly as he was. Bryon used his mind to take people out. Xander learned in the Army to use his hands. He didn't always stop to think first, and that was the problem. "Still, thanks for defusing the situation as well as you did."
"Thanks for not punching me." Matt laughed.
"Matt, we need you," Trenton called from the doorway.
Matt glanced at Xander. "You going to be okay?"
"Yeah, go. Find something so we can take this creep down. We can talk later." Xander tried to smile.
Matt nodded. "Smoke another before you come in, okay?"
"Right." Xander laughed, but it was half-hearted. He would smoke a pack of cigarettes waiting for permission to do the sting tonight if he had to.
He watched Matt walk back into the house, wondering again how he'd calmed right the fuck down when Matt had touched him. It was like all the tension eased, and while he was still pissed and wanted the case, he didn't feel the need to tear Bryon apart to get it.
The more time he spent around Matt, the more intrigued he was, which made no sense because he hardly knew him. Still, he enjoyed being around him what little he had. Tonight, he didn't have to hang out and wait to take him home. Any one of the other teammates would have done it, but he found that he wanted to wait. He wanted to talk more and learn more about Matt.
It didn't make sense. It wasn't like he was interested in the guy. Matt had been married for years, lost his wife to cancer, and now was hoping he hadn't lost his daughter too. He clearly wasn't gay, so it couldn't be a physical attraction. He also wasn't the kind of guy Xander usually hung out with. His friends were more hardcore like Dyson.
"Shit." He gripped his beard in his fist and tugged down, wishing he had something to do to occupy his mind. He didn't need to be thinking about Matt. He didn't need to be thinking about anyone other than the fucking pedophile who he wanted to cut into pieces.
"Xan, we're going to have a meeting," Bryon called from the doorway.
His pulse increased as he snuffed out his cigarette against the brick outside the house and dropped the butt into a can that Bryon had set outside for him. As he walked into the living room, he saw everyone already gathered.
"We're going to go tonight. It appears he's alone and we can make easy entry." Bryon looked at Xander. "Dyson and Kasey will go."
"What? Fuck that." Xander's temper rushed right back. "I asked for this."
"We all want a part of this. Hell, I'm sure even Becca wishes she could do the slicing tonight, but I had to make a call. You're too worked up over this one Xan. Let Dy and Kase handle it."
Xander glared across the room. "I'm more than capable of—"
"I know you are, but not only are you not thinking with a clear head, you know we always work on a rotating shift. You've done two of the last stings. Yeah, one was a joint job with Dyson, but it's Kasey's turn. I've called him and he's on his way in."
"Let me go with them. We've done three of us before."
"You don't need three for this one. He's alone in the house," Carter said from where he was leaning against the wall near the hallway.
Xander shook his head. "Fuck all of you." He turned and stormed back outside before realizing he'd left his keys sitting on the coffee table. He turned, punching the brick wall beside the doorway. "Fuck!"
"Hey." Matt stepped out beside him. "Don't fuck up your hand or you won't be going out until it heals." He reached for Xander's still-clenched fist and looked at it.
Xander glanced down at it too, feeling the pain as he saw the abrasions along his knuckles. He slowly relaxed his hand as Matt continued to hold it around the wrist.
