The sound of a door slamming caught Val off guard as she arrived home from work. She dumped her bag in the front hall and hurried toward the sound, only to be stopped by a warm hand grabbing her arm. Turning around she found herself facing Brian’s worried face. His expression was drawn and he looked as confused as she felt.

“Bri, what’s going on? What was that slamming?”

Brian wet his lips before he answered, “Shads is in a mood.” Valary blinked at him. He released her arm, smoothing his hand over his dark hair. “The General was here earlier…apparently it wasn’t a pleasant visit.” He rubbed his jaw eyes darting down the hall. “Zack and Jimmy were already here when I arrived…said there was a bit of yelling going on.” He paused, before adding with a frown, “All from Matt, of course.”

Val’s stomach clenched on hearing his words. Swallowing hard, she glanced down the hallway. Zacky, Johnny and Jimmy stood down the other end, their eyes fixed further along the corridor leading to the bedrooms. Val shivered, rubbing at her arms.

“What did he want?” She was hesitant to ask, but wanted to know at the same time. The General only ever paid home visits to his men if the situation was serious. And that was definitely concerning. Particularly if whatever he came for caused Matt to lose control of his emotions.

Brian shook his head. “No clue. He was leaving just as I got here, and Matt wouldn’t tell me.”

Val pursed her lips before she asked, “Did the General give any indication?”

“That man is stone, Val. Couldn’t read anything from him, either.” Brian placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “You should go see how Matt’s doing. Maybe you can get it out of him?”

Val was quiet for a moment as she pondered his suggestion. On the one hand, she was nervous about approaching her husband. She was very aware of his temper and usually steered away from him when he was overly stressed about something. But, on the other hand she needed to be near him. Her own day at work had been taxing and she needed the comfort of his presence to help wind down. It was a tough call to make and she was anxious how to decide on what course of action to take.

She brushed at the corners of her eyes before meeting Brian’s wary gaze. “What’re you guys all doing here, anyway?”

Brian looked toward his friends who were now looking back in their direction, then replied softly, “Dad called me. Said Matt wanted us here for some reason.” He shrugged. “No clue why. And it doesn’t look like he wants company now.” His eyes slewed sideways giving Val the impression he wasn’t being completely upfront with her. But, she didn’t pry because she felt that whatever was bothering Brian wasn’t her concern. At any rate, she had more than enough to worry about, with her husband and Johnny.

Nodding, she crossed her arms and turned toward the others. “Well, guess I should try and talk to him.” She looked at each of the men searching their faces. “Unless you heard any of it?”

Jimmy’s face took on an apologetic cast, the corners of his mouth turned down. “Sorry, Val. When we got inside they’d already wound down.”

“And Johnny had made himself scarce,” Zacky added in a low voice. Johnny bobbed his head in affirmation then looked away unable to meet Val’s apprehensive stare. She closed her eyes, nodding almost to herself.

“Right. I’d…better go to him, then.” Val gathered herself together, lifted her chin, steeling her mind. Jimmy reached over to pat her on the shoulder, a reassuring gesture. She gave a tight smile and murmured low, “Go, get yourself a drink…I won’t be long...” The ‘I hope’ was implied. The four men heard it ringing in the air between them. They nodded in unison and stepped aside to give her space.

* * * * *

“Is that you, Val?”

Val had barely pushed open the door when Matthew’s raspy tones reached her ears. It was dark inside the room so she made for the light switch.

“Don’t…”

His voice came from beside her; she almost jumped right out of her skin. Thick arms snaked around her waist and pulled her close against a warm, solid chest. A small gasp escaped her lips.

“You’re early…” he grazed his lips along the edge of her left ear. Her whole body trembled at the contact. He nuzzled into the spot where her ear met the skin of her neck and inhaled deeply. For a second, Val held herself stiff, but then she leaned into his body, allowing him to envelop her in his strong arms.

Turning her head into his chest, she said, her voice barely a whisper, “Had to come home…” He ran the back of his finger along her cheekbone; she smiled faintly at him. “You were on my mind too much…Elliott told me to leave.”

Matthew chuckled softly as he slowly edged the two of them over to the bed. She shifted her body and grabbed at his biceps, giving them a firm squeeze.

“I was worried about you, Matt.”

He halted just as the backs of his legs touched the mattress. Brow furrowed, Matthew looked into his wife’s warm eyes. “Worried?”

“Yes. I know how much your work means to you,” Val started. Matt grimaced lifting a hand to press the tips of his fingers against her lips. She frowned at him.

He spoke softly, “Not now, Val…”

“What do you mean ‘not now’?” Val asked her tone sharper than she wanted it to be. Matthew shook his head, removed his fingers and leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. She pulled her head back, a little surprised by the uncharacteristic show of affection. Not that he wasn’t an affectionate person; the time just didn’t seem right. “Matt…”

He mumbled as he pressed another kiss to her mouth, “Don’t want to talk right now…”

Val was insistent, though. She pressed her hands to his shoulders and pushed him back a little. He frowned at her. She shook her head.

“Matt, talk to me. Please.” She glanced toward the door. “The guys are worried. They said Eskino was here.” As soon as those words left her mouth, she wished she hadn’t said them. Matthew’s expression went as dark as she’d ever seen it and he let loose with a string of curses. She flinched back from him as he pushed her away and stalked across the room to the dresser.

She watched as he braced his hands against the edge of the piece of furniture and shoved so it hit the wall behind it. The thud made her shudder and she wrapped her arms around her torso, as if she was shielding herself from the anger that was emanating from his person. Matthew leaned his weight against the dresser, head bowed. The muscles across his back were taut; they were tensed up to the extent that it was evident even through the shirt he was wearing.

Val remained silent, deciding to let him choose when he was going to respond to her. She remembered reading in a magazine once about how animal trainers dealt with wild animals, such as lions or tigers. If a tiger was cagey, it was best to treat it with respect by staying calm, and quiet, and to let it make the first move. Matthew wasn’t a tiger, of course, but even humans at the base level were animals of a sort. Their emotions and how to handle them would be similar.

The silence seemed to stretch forever. All that could be heard were their breaths, Val’s slow and steady; Matt’s was rough, uneven. Eventually, his breathing steadied and quietened a little. However when he spoke he didn’t turn to look at her. His gaze remained fixed on the top of the dresser and his voice held a tone Val had never heard before. She couldn’t describe it and that unsettled her.

“Jason Berry is a dead man,” Matthew started, voice dangerous. “Don’t ever let him in the house. Don’t talk to him.” He took a breath then continued, “If he calls here, screen him.” He paused again. Val took that chance to interrupt his train of thought, though she spoke cautiously, fully aware of the tension in the room.

“Matt, you’re not making any sense. What did JB do?”

There was a longer pause after her question then Matt finally turned his head toward her. His eyes were hard, mouth drawn in a thin, angry line. Val almost thought that he wouldn’t answer her; his expression was closed, revealing nothing beyond his anger. He worked his jaw as he stared at her, eyebrows lifted. Finally he responded, voice low.

“What did he do? He ratted me out to the General,” Matthew bit out through clenched teeth. “He fucking folded and told Eski I was losing the plot.” He slammed his palms against the wooden dresser. “We were supposed to deal with any issues internally without bringing HQ into it. That was the fucking policy. The unwritten law. But, Jason…” He groaned, shaking his head hard. “Jason…he…” Matthew’s voice seemed to get stuck, the words drying up as he lifted his stare to his wife. Val met his gaze directly and tilted her head to the side, as she attempted to give him a reassuring look.

“What about Jason, hun?”

Matthew dropped his head again and let out a sound as if he’d been mortally wounded. Then finally said, his voice pure gravel, “Fuck, Val…I’ve been demoted.”

“Demoted?” Val’s voice raised several notches and she sat back staring agape at her husband. Matt looked up at her, his own expression pained.

“Yeah, the General doesn’t think I’m fit for the position of TaskerOne, anymore,” his tone was flat as he said those words. Obviously, he didn’t think much of Eskino’s assessment.

Valary asked voice tight, “What would make him think that?”

“Jason ratted me out,” Matthew repeated before he leaned his elbows against the dresser and pressed his hands over his face. “You don’t do that…you just don’t do that…” he moaned before stepping away and walking back to the bed. Val waited as he settled next to her on the mattress. He lay on his side and looked up at her.

Val’s brow creased as she tried to digest what he was saying. “Explain to me what you mean.”

Matthew nodded, his own features drawn tight. “Well, it’s not an official policy, but if there’s an issue within the corps, unless it’s something to do with a law that the courts are legally responsible for, the General shouldn’t intervene.” He stopped for a moment, reaching out to rest a hand against Val’s knee; she reached down to grab his hand, squeezing it. He smiled a little then continued voice gruff. “On the ground, the chain of command starts with me. And Jason is supposed to be there to support me. That’s why he’s second-in-command. If I lose sight of what I’m meant to be doing, he’s supposed to pick up the pieces.”

“So, he’s second in charge…answers to you…but at the same time is meant to fix you up?” Val asked, slowly.

Matthew muttered, “Exactly. Which means he’s supposed to have my back. None of this going behind my back to the General shit.” He frowned, before he added, “Though, Eski did order him to HQ, he still should’ve kept his mouth shut.”

Valary sighed and said quietly, her tone curling into a question, “Maybe he didn’t have a choice?”

“Oh, he had a choice,” Matt snorted in derision. “And that’s not the worst of it.”

“No?”

“Nup. Get this. Eskino says he’s probably going to promote him.” Matthew’s jaw tightened furiously after he said that. He turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, grinding his teeth together.

“You mean…?”

“If I’m not fit to be T-One, Val. Someone’s gotta take my place.” He closed his eyes and breathed heavily. “JB’s as good as anyone else for that,” he said bitterly as he slit one eye open to look at her. Val sighed again and slid down so she was lying next to him.

After a moment of silence between them, Val asked, “I don’t get why you’re so angry with Jason? It can’t really be his fault.”

Shifting onto his side once more, Matthew pulled her closer so he could rest an arm around her waist. “I don’t want to talk about it… ’kay?”

“Matt…”

“No. I’m done.” He closed his eyes then added, “Go and tell the others to go home.” Matt opened one eye and looked at her. “Well, apart from Johnny…”

Val rolled her eyes, “I kind of guessed that.” Then she frowned and said, “Matt…I can’t just tell them to leave. They’ll want to know why.”

Matthew sighed, smearing a hand over his face. He left his hand over his eyes and took several deep breaths before he peered at her between his fingers. She looked back at him, and waited. He licked at his lips slowly before he pushed his body up and laced his fingers together around his knees.

“Val, I…can’t face them right now,” he said, a weary expression in his eyes. “You could just tell them I refused to come out.”

Val shook her head. “Matt, they’ve probably already gotten into everything in the bar fridge…you know how Jimmy is.”

Matt laughed softly, “True.” He smoothed a palm down his leg, studying the ink that covered his skin. Tracing a thumb along the dark lines of one of the tattoos, he murmured, “Just…give me a bit and I’ll come out…okay?” He glanced at her. “Tell them…I just need some time.”

Val looked at her husband and realised that he was showing her a side that he rarely revealed. He was at his most vulnerable and his emotions were right at the surface. Something that hardly ever happened. This meant that the best course of action would be for her to honour his request and allow him time to be settled with what had happened. It couldn’t have been easy for him to have the General come in and basically tell him he was no longer in charge…

She grimaced, a thought coming to her mind. “Matt?”

“Mhm?” He rolled his head to the side to acknowledge her.

“What will this mean for you?”

“Hmmm?”

“Well, if you’re no longer T-One…what happens once this time-off ends?” Val asked keeping her voice soft as she didn’t want to upset him anymore than he already was. Matthew’s eyelids lowered as he regarded her; his expression didn’t change though.

“Eski didn’t say. I assume I’ll just become a run-of-the-mill soldier.”

“Oh? That’s not too bad…”

Matt smiled sourly. “Yeah. Guess it’s better than being shot.”

“Matt.”

“Sorry,” he hugged her tight then released her shifting onto his back again. Val observed him for a moment, but it was obvious he didn’t want to talk anymore. He’d shut his eyes again and seemed to be concentrating on just breathing. So, she slid off the bed and made her way to the door.

“Val?” Matt’s voice caused her to hesitate.

Pausing with her hand on the doorknob, she looked back at him. “Yeah?”

Matthew rumbled in a low tone, “I love you…” She barely heard him, but because the room was so quiet Val could easily discern his meaning.

She smiled weakly and said, “Love you too, hun.” She opened the door then looked back at him; he lay in shadow, expression hidden. But she sensed that he had turned his head to look toward her, expectant. “Um…come out when you’re ready,” Val added, quietly. Matt lifted a hand in response but remained otherwise silent.

Valary gazed upon him for a few seconds longer then slipped out, leaving her husband alone in their bedroom, allowing the door to click shut behind her.