Page 1 of Blade (Spartan Watchmen MC #5)

His jaw clenched as he spotted room eight.

Intel said that's where she was holed up.

Lily Hart. The little blonde who'd caused so much fucking trouble, whether she meant to or not.

He shut off the engine and sat for a moment, gathering himself.

The club had finally pieced it all together.

Lily had been blackmailed by Pedro's Rejects to infiltrate the Spartan Watchmen.

But she'd failed. She couldn't bring herself to betray them, even with her family at risk. When everything came to light, when Savage’s girl, Savannah made a shocking confession to the club. It didn’t take long to realize that Lily was also being manipulated.

Blade promised Savannah they would find and protect Lily.

She was no more at fault in any of this than Savannah was.

Instead, she'd disappeared.

For two fucking weeks.

And now he was here to collect her and bring her under club protection, whether she liked it or not.

Blade stepped out of his truck, boots hitting the pavement with a heavy thud. He rolled his shoulders, feeling the familiar weight of his gun against his ribs. He doubted he'd need it, but in his line of work, you never took chances.

He approached room eight, listening for any sound. Nothing. He knocked firmly.

"Housekeeping," he growled, then smirked at his own dark humor.

No response.

He knocked again, harder. "Lily, open the fucking door. I know you're in there."

When silence answered him again, he muttered a string of curses. Fine. Hard way it was. He pulled out the keycard he'd persuaded the front desk clerk to provide. He could be pretty damn convincing.

The lock clicked, and he pushed the door open slowly, scanning the room before entering.

The stench hit him first. Mold, sweat and a hint of something sour.

The room was pitch black, the curtains pulled tight across the windows, the lights off.

The old split-level air conditioning and heater unit, apparently installed in the 80s, hummed loudly.

A small form huddled under a thin blanket on the bed.

"Lily," he said, his voice firm but quieter now.

The form didn't move.

He flipped on the light switch.

"Jesus fucking Christ," he muttered as he took in the state of the room. Fast food wrappers littered the floor. The trash can overflowed with empty ramen cups. A half-eaten sandwich sat on the nightstand, green fuzzy mold beginning to grow on it.

And then there was Lily herself. She pushed the blanket down just enough to reveal her face, squinting at the sudden light.

She looked like shit. Her usually bright eyes were dull and sunken, dark circles underneath them. Her blonde hair hung in greasy strands. She'd lost weight. She was already small, but now? He took in a sharp breath. He should have come sooner.

"Go away," she whispered, her voice raspy.

He moved closer, towering over the bed. "Not happening, little girl."

At the endearment, anger flashed in her eyes. Good. She wasn't completely broken. Not yet, anyway.

"I'm not your little girl ," she hissed. "Who sent you? Lucky? Irish?"

"Does it matter?" he countered, looking around the room. "Where's your stuff? We're leaving."

"Not going anywhere with you." She pulled the blanket back over her head.

For fuck's sake.

Blade yanked the blanket off completely, ignoring her outraged squeal.

She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and cotton shorts.

Both looked like they hadn't been washed in days. He eyed the orange dust on the gray shorts, someone had eaten chips and used her shorts as a napkin. He’d seen her at The Citadel.

They’d talked and even played together a bit during playdates.

Blade knew, without any doubt, Lily was truly a little.

She wasn’t pretending. She wasn’t acting. She was little through and through.

"Yes, you are," he said with lethal calm. "You have two options. Either get up, pack your shit, and walk out of here with some dignity intact, or I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out. Your choice."

"You wouldn't dare," she challenged, sitting up.

He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Try me."

They stared at each other, locked in a battle of wills. He could see the moment her resolve crumbled. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked away first.

"Fine," she mumbled. "Turn around."

"Why?"

"So I can change clothes, you neanderthal!"

Despite everything, Blade felt his lips twitch. "No."

"What do you mean, no?" she spluttered.

"I mean, I'm not turning around. You've got five minutes to get ready before I make good on my threat. Four minutes, fifty seconds now."

Lily's face flushed red with anger or embarrassment, probably both. Good. Color looked better on her than that sickly pallor.

"You're an asshole," she muttered.

"Never claimed otherwise, little girl."

For a moment, he thought she might argue more, but then she slid off the bed on shaky legs. He frowned as he noticed how unsteady she was. When was the last time she'd eaten a proper meal? Or slept through the night?

She grabbed a pair of jeans from the floor and quickly stepped out of her shorts and into them, nearly losing her balance. Without thinking, Blade reached out to steady her, his large hand wrapping around her upper arm. She flinched at his touch.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, his voice unexpectedly gentle.

She looked up at him, eyes wide and wary. "That's what they all say."

Something twisted in his gut. Who had hurt this girl? Pedro's Rejects, obviously. But there was more to that statement. A nod towards a more intimate relationship. If she gave him a name, he’d take that piece of shit out.

"I'm not 'they,'" he told her, releasing her arm once she was stable. "I'm me. And I keep my word."

She didn't respond, just turned away to pull a hoodie over her t-shirt.

"Where are we going?" she asked finally, stuffing a few items into a battered backpack.

"My place," he answered. "Club wants you somewhere secure. Somewhere no one will think to look."

"Why not the clubhouse? Isn't that secure enough?"

"We've got a mole," he said bluntly. "Someone's been feeding information to the Rejects. We’ve discovered it wasn’t only you and Savannah who were connected to them.

There has to be at least one other person.

Only a few of us know where I'm taking you. The officers and their girls. A couple of veteran brothers on Valhalla. That’s it. Our closest, inner circle."

Fear flashed across her face. "They're still looking for me?"

"They think you ratted them out. And they know you were going to testify against them."

She paled even further, if that was possible. "I wasn't—I didn't?—"

"Save it," he cut her off. "We'll have plenty of time to discuss all that later."

She zipped up her backpack with trembling hands, then straightened her spine. "I need to use the bathroom first."

Blade gestured toward the bathroom door. "Two minutes."

Once she disappeared inside, he quickly searched the room, looking for anything she might be leaving behind. He found a small stuffed rabbit tucked between the mattress and headboard. It looked well-loved, one ear half-gone, the fur matted with age.

He stared at it for a long moment. She wasn’t pretending to be a little. Not like Savage’s girl had been doing. No, Lily was a little through and through. He’d already known that, but finding the rabbit confirmed it. He tucked the rabbit into his jacket pocket without a second thought.

When she emerged from the bathroom, her face was damp and slightly less grimy. She'd pulled her hair into a messy ponytail.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded, not meeting his eyes.

"Let's go then. My truck's right outside."

She followed him without argument, clutching her backpack like it contained everything precious in the world. Maybe it did.

As they stepped outside, the mountain air hit them. Blade watched as Lily took a deep breath, possibly the first fresh air she'd had in days. She swayed slightly.

"When's the last time you ate?" he demanded.

She shrugged. "Yesterday? Maybe the day before."

If he had to force-feed her, he would. He made a quick plan to get her to safety and get food inside of her. Real food. He opened the passenger door of his truck and waited for her to climb in. She hesitated, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Taking me to your place. Protecting me. I almost got your club destroyed."

"Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," he replied. “I don't leave people behind. Especially those forced into impossible situations."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You know it was forced?"

"We know enough," he said. "Get in. You can tell me the rest once we get home."

Home . The word hung between them, foreign and strange.

Lily climbed into the truck, her movements slow and careful. Blade shut the door and rounded to the driver's side. Before he got in, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Savage.

Blade: Package secured. Heading to the cabin now.

He slid behind the wheel and started the engine. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lily shiver. Without a word, he cranked up the heat, then shrugged out of his leather jacket, dropping it in her lap. She stared at it like it might bite her.

"Put it on," he ordered. "You're freezing."

"I'm fine," she protested weakly.

"That wasn't a suggestion," he said, his voice low and firm.

Something shifted in her expression at his tone. She bit her lip, then reluctantly slipped her arms into his jacket. It swallowed her whole, the sleeves hanging well past her fingertips.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded once, then pulled out of the parking lot, leaving the Lucky 8 Motel in the rearview mirror.

They drove in silence for several minutes. Blade kept his eyes on the road, but he was acutely aware of the woman beside him. She was fidgeting, her fingers picking at a loose thread on his jacket sleeve.