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I don’t mind.  So what’s your name?”
    “Kara,” she replied, smiling a little in spite of herself at the dwarf’s ridiculous nickname.  Kara didn’t see any reason to conceal her name; no one would be looking her up, and this way she wouldn’t have to worry about recognizing her own name when it was called.
    “So what, when you decided to get revenge on Savage, you turned to Big, Dark, and Stony here?” Gimli fired back, throwing an elbow at Cross’s ribs.  The man dodged the hit, but looked affronted at the nickname.
    Kara felt a brief little burst of small-minded pleasure at seeing how Cross rankled under the nickname.  “Actually, I turned to my uncle, Grazer,” she replied.  “He put me in touch with Mister Brooding here.”
    At that nickname, Cross actually groaned!  Kara couldn’t resist shooting a little smirk at him.  Gimli, standing beside them, guffawed loudly.  “A good one!” he laughed.  “And even though your new man here might not have much of a sense of humor, I can tell you that he’s a good fellah at heart, and won’t screw you over like that other fucker.”
    Her man?  Kara exchanged a look with Cross, and opened her mouth to correct the dwarf.  Before she could speak, however, Cross interjected, simultaneously shifting his weight - and stepping down hard on Kara’s foot!
    “Gimli, I’m going to show our newest guest here around the house, before tonight’s meeting,” Cross said quickly as Kara swallowed her wince of pain at the man’s weight o her foot.  “We’ll see you soon.”
    “Lock the door if you two start having fun together - or don’t, and give the rest of us a good show!” the dwarf called cheerily after them as Cross steered Kara away, up the steps and towards the second floor of the house.
    Once they were on their own again, Kara turned to Cross, raising her eyebrows.  “So we’re together, are we?” she asked.  She wasn’t quite sure about how she felt with this aspect of her cover.  On one hand, it did lend more support to her story - but it also meant that she’d have to seem affectionate with Cross in public.
    Not that doing so would be the worst thing she’d ever had to do for a cover, Kara suddenly thought, as she focused on his face.  The man was big and attractive, after all, and if they had met at a bar, she might have considered letting something happen.
    But now that she knew he was a biker, and likely involved in multiple criminal enterprises as well through the Iron Brotherhood gang, he was definitely out of the running in her mind.
    As she glared up at him, Kara half expected the man to break.  But he steadily returned her gaze - in fact, was that a little smile dancing around his lips?  Was he getting some sort of enjoyment out of seeing her feel uncomfortable?
    “It does fit the cover,” Cross said.  They were standing at the top of the stairs, and there wasn’t a lot of room to maneuver.  Kara couldn’t help but notice that Cross’s body was very close to hers.  She could get tiny whiffs of his scent occasionally.  It wasn’t at all unpleasant.  “Besides, I know you don’t mind.”
    The nerve of the man!  “That you should be so lucky,” Kara shot back.  “Don’t expect anything to happen.  I’m just here to find the location of these Hellraisers, and then I’m gone.”
    “And I’ll be happy to see your backside,” Cross returned.  “Now, I’m going to go grab a bite to eat.  Do what you want - the rooms up here are free to claim if they’re unlocked, if you want a break alone.  But don’t forget that the meeting starts right at six tonight, and you better not be late.  Not if you hope to get any help from us.”
    The man turned and headed back down the stairs, leaving Special Agent Kara Sybil alone on the second floor of the Iron Brotherhood’s house.  She watched him head down the stairs, not glancing back over his shoulder at her.
    It wasn’t until later, as she was laying out on