HARDCORE: Storm MC(124)

Missy suddenly realized that the other Eagles were watching this exchange with confused looks on their faces.



Shit, Missy thought. As far as they knew, Cain and I couldn't stand each other, and now we're standing around talking normally and he's offering to sing for me. Will that tip them off about what's happened between us? If they knew I'm sleeping with Cain, will that affect what they think of me?



In considering this, Missy found herself unable to genuinely care, one way or the other. Whatever was going on between her and Cain, she felt like she deserved a chance to explore it without worrying about what anyone else thought. All of them could be dead tomorrow depending on how things went with Gaspar, so what did it matter, anyway?



“So how'd it go?” Cain asked.



“Let's go inside and I'll tell you,” she answered, heading for the door in the garage. He followed. Before they stepped inside, Missy turned to the other Eagles. “You guys doing okay? Need any food or anything?”



“Nah, we ordered a pizza an' it's on the way,” Keith said. “We're good.”



Missy and Cain stepped into the kitchen, closing the door. For the first time, Missy noticed that the door between the kitchen and the garage wasn't very thick. She mentally replayed the sex they'd had earlier, trying to remember if either of them had made enough noise for the Eagles to hear them. She couldn't remember, but she hoped not. The thought of Keith and the guys listening to her get off was a bit gross.



“Glad you made it back in one piece,” Cain said as they walked to the living room and sat on the couch together. He was trying to sound gruff and detached, but Missy could still hear the concern in his voice. “What did you find out?”



“Gaspar's guys have basically taken over the Teepee,” Missy began, “and they're using two of the rooms to stockpile all of their guns and drugs.”



“Holy shit,” Cain said, his eyebrows raising. “Why would they put all their eggs in one basket like that? As tactics go, that seems pretty boneheaded.”



“I've been thinking about that,” said Missy. “Since they're based one town over and the Teepee's close to the border, I'm pretty sure they did all this as the first step in an all-out invasion of Micanaw. When they're ready, they can come out in force, grab all their guns, and take down every Eagle in town with one sweep. Once that's done, they've already got their drugs on-hand so they can move right in and start selling immediately.”



Cain exhaled slowly, taking this in. “That's fucked up. When were they planning to launch this attack?”



“Christina didn't say, and I'm sure she wouldn't know. But with everything that's happened recently, I'm betting they were thinking of doing this very soon, maybe even in the next day or so. Think about it—first they set the club's VP up to take a beating, so one of our main decision-makers is stuck on the sidelines. Then they let us chase our tails for a few days, hitting us one at a time and psyching us out until we're splitting up and jumping at shadows. Then, once we're destabilized, they ride in to divide and conquer.”



“Shit,” Cain marveled, shaking his head. “And we've fallen for it, every step of the way.”



“Yeah. For all we know, they could be executing the final stage tonight.”



“So what do we do?” Cain asked. “It seems like these fuckers thought of everything.”



Missy shook her head. “Not everything. They thought they'd intimidated Pauline and Christina enough for them to keep their mouths shut about the motel, but they were wrong. Well, about Christina, anyway. Now that we know Gaspar and most of his thugs are still in Braintree while their drugs and weapons are here—and guarded by just a handful of guys, to keep people from getting suspicious—we can use that to work a little divide-and-conquer magic of our own.”



“What do you mean?”



“I told Christina that she and Pauline need to disappear today. She said all the guests have checked out except for one guy at the far end of the motel, which will leave most of it a free-fire zone. If we take all the Eagles down to the Teepee tonight and surprise the guys who are there, we can take them out, grab as much of the drugs and weapons as we can, and then blast whatever's left straight to hell. Without most of his guns, and with nothing left to sell, Gaspar won't have much choice but to back the fuck off.”



“But what about the Barros Cartel?” Cain asked. “Won't they just send more guns, drugs, and guys to retaliate?”



“I don't think so,” Missy replied. “According to Christina, Gaspar's on his own with this whole expansion idea. He thinks if it works, he can tell the cartel about it afterward and he'll be rewarded for his initiative. But if the whole thing blows up in his face, then what? If he told them, he'd look like an asshole for starting this shit in the first place. They'd probably even take him out themselves.”