HARDCORE: Storm MC(142)

Missy switched the TV off. “What a nimrod.”



“Well, now he's our nimrod, at least,” Cain said. “Since we let him take the credit for all this so he can look like a big hero cop, hopefully he'll resist the urge to shake us down every other week like Ham-Hock did.”



Before Missy could answer, there was a knock at the door. She got up to answer it and saw Hunter standing on the porch. His bike was parked in the driveway, and he'd swapped out his Eagles cut for a simple brown leather jacket. His usually-shaved head was starting to show some fuzz.



But most of all, his eyes and his posture were different. The fierce pride had given way to a hesitant, slope-shouldered humility.



“Hey, sis,” he said, stepping into the living room. “I was just about to hit the road, an' I figured I'd stop by one last time to wish you guys luck.”



“Sure,” Cain said. “Glad you did. Did you get Christina and Pauline squared away?”



“Oh, sure,” Hunter replied. “Christina still feels goddamn awful about how all this shit went down, but I told her we understood, what with Gaspar fuckin' with her mom an' everythin'. Wasn't nothin' else she could do. Pauline's back to runnin' the motel, an' she promised us that if the Eagles ever need anythin' from her—a place to crash or do deals, whatever—all we gotta do is ask.”



“I'm surprised she made that offer,” said Missy. “Dealing with criminals is what got her in trouble in the first place.”



Hunter smiled. “Well, the Eagles may be criminals, but as far as she's concerned, we're the nice criminals who'll be watchin' her back in case another asshole like Gaspar comes callin'.”



“Huh. Well, it's good to know we've got the Teepee as a resource from now on if we need it,” Cain mused.



Hunter nodded, shifting his weight from one foot to the other uneasily. “Yeah. So anyway, now that that's all taken care of, I guess I'd better move along.”



“Hunter, are you sure you want to do this?” Missy pleaded. “None of the Eagles respect you any less because of what went down, and they all wish you'd stay on as their president.”



“Nah,” Hunter said, shaking his head. “This ain't about them, or how they'd look at me from now on. Maybe I thought it was at first, but it ain't. It's just...”



He stopped, searching for the right words. “That guy who was crawlin' on the ground in front of Gaspar, beggin'...I never knew I had that guy inside me. Because Gaspar was kinda right with what he said, y'know? All these years with the Eagles, I pictured shit ending for me a bunch of different ways...dead, or in prison for life, or maybe even just fuckin' crippled in a wreck, or even tortured by some dudes lookin' to screw with the club. An' those were rough thoughts, but I learned to live with 'em an' accept 'em.



“But I never pictured myself bein' so powerless or lowerin' myself that way. An' now I gotta live with that, an' I ain't sure how. The only thing I know for sure is that I ain't gonna be able to focus on findin' the answers while I'm still ridin' around with the Eagles. I gotta take some time to figure shit out, just me an' the road.”



“How long do you think you'll be gone?” Cain asked.



Hunter shrugged. “Could be a few months, a year, maybe even longer. I'll check in here an' there when I can. Meanwhile, the club's in good hands with its new Acting President. You decided on a VP yet?”



Cain looked at Missy and smiled. “Yeah. I have, actually.”



Hunter raised his eyebrows in surprise, then considered it for a moment and nodded. “Huh. I'd say that's a fine choice. You run it by the other Eagles yet?”



“Damn right I did,” Cain answered, “and they were all fine with it since she pulled our asses out of the fire at the Teepee.”



Hunter squinted at Cain, grinning. “Really? All of them were 'fine with it?'”



“Well, a couple of them did grumble about it a little,” Missy said, “until I challenged them to out-shoot or out-ride me. That shut them up in a hurry.”



Hunter laughed loudly, hugging Missy. “That's my sis. You take good care of yourselves, hear me?”



“We will,” she answered. “I promise.”



Hunter released Missy and walked to the door, opening it. He took one last look at the Eagles' new President and VP, gave them a salute, and left, shutting the door behind him. A few moments later they heard his bike start up and roar down the road as he rode into the next chapter of his life.



“So now what, Veep?” Cain asked Missy.



Missy smiled mischievously. “That depends, Prez,” she replied teasingly. “How are those ribs of yours feeling?”