HARDCORE: Storm MC(120)

“No, listen, that's not what I meant,” Cain insisted, stammering slightly. Missy had never heard him sound so unsure, and searched his eyes. She'd seen plenty of emotions there before—pain, anger, impatience, exhaustion, and now lust. But now she was seeing something new. Fear.



This wasn't dismissive male posturing. He was genuinely concerned about her.



And there was something else there, too. Something she had a much harder time identifying. Something tender and hesitant.



Missy sighed. “I'm sorry. That was defensive of me. It's just, I get so much of that shit from Hunter...”



“Yeah, no, I'm the one who should apologize,” Cain said. “I can see how it would have sounded like that.”



There was another silence between them as they looked at each other from across the kitchen.



“So what did you mean, then?” Missy finally asked.



“I just...” Cain trailed off and shifted his feet uncertainly, unable to meet Missy's gaze. He cleared his throat and began again. “I, uh, don't want anything bad to happen to you, that's all. I'd...”



“You'd what? Miss me?” A teasing smile played at the corners of Missy's lips. She was touched by the earnestness of his concern, but part of her also couldn't help being amused at his transformation from the stern and commanding man he'd been just a few minutes before.



Cain chuckled shakily. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I would. I've, y'know, gotten used to having you around.”



Missy tried to stop herself from laughing, but it bubbled out of her anyway. Cain's expression hardened and he turned to leave. “Aw, fuck it. Forget I said anything. Just go.”



She put a hand on his shoulder and turned him around to face her again, stroking his hair tenderly. “I'm sorry,” she said soothingly. “I'm not laughing at you. Not really, anyway. It's just...you can be kind of sweet, when you want to be. It's fun to see that side of you. You should do it more often.”



Cain smiled. “Well, first we need to survive Gaspar Hernandez. After that, we can work on making me into Mister Sunshine and Sparkles.”



Missy laughed again. “Okay, when you come back to the Knife, that's totally going to be your nickname from now on. I'm not even joking. We're getting a new patch made for you and everything.”



Cain laughed too. It was a nice sound, and Missy found herself hoping she'd get a chance to hear more of it once this was all over.



Are you really thinking of going ahead with this? she asked herself. You've already listed the reasons a serious relationship with Cain probably wouldn't pan out in the long run. Do you still want to risk all that, just to see if you've got a shot with him?



Yeah, she thought. I guess I do.



Missy kissed Cain on the cheek, then went to the living room and collected her gun, knife, and car keys. “I'll be back soon,” she called out, leaving through the front door and locking it behind her.



Keith and his guys were hanging out in the garage, throwing dice. “Hey, Keith, I need to meet up with Hunter real quick. Can I take one of your merry men with me?”



“Sure,” Keith said, turning to an Eagle who was called Matches—thanks to his habit of chewing on matchsticks. “Matches, you go along with her. Take your bike an' stay close.”



Matches nodded and strolled out to the driveway, hopping onto his bike. “Finally,” he said. “One more round of dice an' my boredom was gonna straight-up murder me.” He let Missy start her car and pull out first before riding out after her, staying close behind.



Missy drove to the park again, stowing the car a few blocks away. Since it was daylight this time, she knew there wasn't much she could do to throw off anyone following her, so she was glad to have Matches watching her back. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Matches swiveling his head constantly, looking in every direction for potential threats with his hand hovering near the gun at the back of his jeans.



Hunter was waiting near the concrete drain pipe with Pecs and Burger, two of the Eagles he'd chosen to remain at the Knife with him.



“Hey, sis,” Hunter called out. As he approached her, he cocked his head to one side curiously. “Are you okay?”



“Uh, sure,” Missy replied, confused. “Why do you ask?”



Hunter inspected her face with mild interest. “I dunno. You just seem...different somehow. I can't put my finger on it. A little flushed, maybe.”



“Oh, um, we had the heater running at Cain's house,” Missy lied quickly. “It was turned up pretty high, so I guess I'm still feeling a little toasty.” The last thing she wanted was for her brother to know he was seeing what she looked like in the rosy afterglow of sex.