HARDCORE: Storm MC(135)

Cain saw what Missy was looking at and grabbed her arm, shaking his head. “No! Leave them!”



“Fuck that!” Missy yelled over the thunder of the guns. “Those two don't deserve to die in the crossfire. I'm going to get them out of the way.”



“Cain's right,” Hunter said. “You can't just run out there an' grab 'em. It’s too fuckin' dangerous!”



“I can do it,” Missy insisted, “but I need your help. Those guys all started firing at once, and they're not staggering their bursts. That means at least some of them will have to reload in a few seconds. Once they do, I'll come around the side while you distract them by pouring on the heat until I've secured Christina and Pauline.”



“Fine,” Cain said, “but once you get them to safety, you duck around that corner and you stay the fuck out of the action, understand?”



Missy opened her mouth to argue until she saw the terror in Cain's eyes. She knew he'd do anything to make sure she wasn't hurt, especially now that he was living in the reality of watching bullets flying toward her.



So I'd better tell him what he needs to hear, Missy thought, before the reload moment comes and goes and I lose my chance.



“Yeah,” Missy said, nodding. “I will. I promise.”



“Okay,” Cain said. “Ready...and...”



The sounds of machine gun fire suddenly decreased by two-thirds, and Missy heard the rasp and click of empty magazines being discarded in favor of full ones.



“Now!” Missy called out, running around the side of the van.



Cain, Hunter, and the others broke cover, firing volley after volley at Gaspar's men. The cartel enforcers ducked and dodged in all directions, and Spider Webs took a shotgun shell to the throat, staggering backward against the motel's outer wall and sliding down to the ground.



Hector returned fire and bullet holes blossomed up Matches' arm and across his chest. He dropped his gun and screamed, just before a second burst from Hector shattered his face, silencing him.



Missy ran in a wide arc to avoid the notice of Gaspar's men, staying low to the ground. Just as she reached Christina and Pauline, a bullet ricocheted off the motel and hit Pauline's shoulder. Even with the gunshots filling the air, Missy could hear both of them shrieking behind their gags.



Missy grabbed the chairs, dragging them around to the side of the motel. As she did, one of the cartel enforcers noticed her and raised his machine gun in her direction. Before he could fire at her, she aimed her revolver and pulled the trigger, hitting him in the forehead. His hand went to his head, and he peered at it for a second, inspecting the blood on his fingertips with a bemused expression before pitching forward onto the ground.



Once Missy had pulled the chairs a safe distance around the motel, she used her knife to cut the women’s bonds, then sheathed it again, yanking the tape from their mouths. They were both pale and trembling, and it looked like Pauline might go into shock.



“I need you both to run across the field behind the motel as fast as you fucking can,” she told them.



“Missy, I'm so sorry,” Christina breathed, her eyes glassy. “I didn't want to...”



Missy grabbed Christina's shoulders, shaking her. “No time for that now. Your mother needs medical attention. Go.”



Christina nodded and took her mother's hand, leading her across the field quickly.



The sounds of gunfire were beginning to dissipate, and Missy pressed her back against the motel, glancing around the corner.



It looked like Gaspar's enforcers had gained the upper hand. They had managed to kill Burger and five other Eagles, and with a sickening jolt of panic, Missy saw that Hunter had two bullet holes in his shoulder. The side of Keith's face was streaked with blood, and when he tilted his head, she saw that his right ear had been shot off.



With so many Eagles picked off, the cartel men flanked them easily, surrounding them. Missy saw Cain raise his gun anyway, along with several other bikers—but Hunter raised a hand to stop them, shaking his head.



“Smart,” Gaspar said, holstering his guns and brushing the dirt from his coat. “There's no need for you to lose the few men you have left. Not when there might still be a chance to make a deal.”



The enforcers marched the surviving Eagles forward, forming a circle around them and stripping them of their weapons.



“A deal, huh?” Hunter asked. He turned his head and spat on the ground, his eyes blazing. “Like how you made a deal with Ham-Hock over there? Worked out pretty well for him, didn't it?”



Gaspar chuckled, then motioned to Hector. “Where is the girl? Why isn't she with them?”