Page 13 of Blade (Spartan Watchmen MC #5)

"You don't understand," Hammer muttered. "You've got your little cabin in the woods, your independence. Some of us needed the club to be more than it was becoming."

Blade exchanged a look with Savage. The judgment had already been made. The only question was how to carry it out.

"Club rules are clear," Savage said quietly. "Betrayal means death."

Hammer's face crumpled. "Please, brothers. I made a mistake. I'll make it right. I'll do anything."

"You already did everything," Blade replied coldly. "You gave them information that nearly got Lily killed. That did get Tim tortured within an inch of his life."

"I didn't know they'd do that to him!" Hammer protested. "I swear!"

Zeb laughed again. "Of course you did. I told you exactly what would happen to anyone who helped that bitch escape. You just didn't care as long as you got paid."

Hammer's panicked gaze darted between Blade and Savage, finding no mercy in either man's eyes.

"Please," he begged. "I have information. Things Zeb told me. Plans. I can help you protect her."

Blade paused. As much as he wanted to end Hammer's miserable existence immediately, intelligence was valuable. "What plans?"

"Zeb's got men looking for your cabin," Hammer said quickly. "He hired some ex-military tracker. Guy's supposed to be the best. They'll find her, even if you kill us both."

Blade's blood ran cold. Lily, alone in the safe room, waiting for his return. If a tracker found the cabin while he was still here…

"Who?" he demanded. "Name. Description. Everything you know."

"Guy named Reynolds," Hammer supplied eagerly. "Former Army Ranger. Specialized in manhunts in Afghanistan. Zeb hired him this morning."

Savage pulled out his phone. "I'll alert Kylie at the clubhouse. Get her to run a background, see what we're dealing with."

Blade nodded, his mind racing. If Reynolds was as good as Hammer claimed, they had limited time.

"What else?" he pressed.

"Zeb's got a second property," Hammer continued. "A compound up north. Heavily fortified. That's where he was planning to take Lily once they found her."

"Why?" Savage asked. "Why not just kill her and be done with it?"

A sick smile twisted Zeb's lips. "Because death would be too quick. Too merciful. I wanted her to suffer first. To beg. To break. No one has defied me the way that little girl has. That can’t go unpunished.”

The calm Blade had maintained throughout the mission began to fracture, rage seeping through the cracks. This man had planned to torture Lily, to break her spirit before killing her. Had already done the same to Tim as a warm-up.

"You're a dead man," Blade told Zeb, his voice terrifyingly soft. "The only question is how long it takes."

Zeb's smile widened. "Big talk. But while you're here playing interrogator, Reynolds is closing in on your little blonde toy. Tick-tock, enforcer."

Blade glanced at Savage, a silent communication passing between them. Savage nodded once, understanding.

"Finish this," Blade said. "I need to get back to Lily."

"And leave all the fun to me?" Savage asked, a cold smile playing at his lips.

"Save some for Lucky and Irish," Blade replied. "They'll want their pound of flesh too."

Hammer's eyes widened with terror as he realized what was happening. "No, wait! I told you what you wanted to know! I helped you!"

"Too little, too late," Blade said, already moving toward the door. "For what it's worth, I'll make it quick. For old times' sake. Savage here... he might not be so merciful."

Savage's smile promised pain, long and excruciating.

"Blade, please!" Hammer called desperately. "Brotherhood! We swore an oath!"

"You broke it first," Blade reminded him, pausing at the door. "Remember that while you're paying the price."

He left without looking back, Hammer's pleas echoing behind him. In the yard, he broke into a run toward his truck, pulling out his phone as he went.

No signal. Of course. They were in the mountains, a cellular dead zone.

Fuck.

He'd have to wait until he got closer to civilization to warn Lily. Or use the satellite phone in his truck. Either way, precious minutes would be lost.

As he reached his vehicle, a single silenced gunshot echoed from the cabin. Hammer, then. True to his word, Blade had ensured Savage gave the traitor a quick death. Zeb would not be so fortunate.

Blade started the engine and roared down the dirt road, pushing the truck to its limits. The twenty miles back to his cabin stretched before him like an eternity, each minute another opportunity for Reynolds to find Lily.

The thought of her alone, trapped in the safe room while armed men surrounded the cabin, sent a spike of fear through his chest. Fear was an unfamiliar emotion for Blade. He'd faced death countless times, both in the SEALs and with the club. Had never flinched, never hesitated.

But the thought of failing Lily, of returning to find her gone, or worse, awakened a terror unlike anything he'd ever known.

He pushed the truck faster, tires skidding on the loose gravel of mountain roads. If Reynolds was as good as Hammer claimed, every second counted.

"Hold on, baby girl," he muttered, as if she could somehow hear him across the miles separating them. "I'm coming."

He just hoped he wouldn't be too late.