Page 21 of Blade (Spartan Watchmen MC #5)

She shrugged. "Never came up. Being a little doesn't mean I can't also be my daddy's daughter."

The simple statement resonated with Lily. That was exactly it—the duality she herself was navigating. Being someone's little girl didn't negate her ability to be strong when necessary, to fight when required.

"If Makenzie is willing, I think it's a good plan," Lily said. "We'll look exactly like what Jose expects, scared women being sacrificed by their men. His guard will be down."

Irish still looked unhappy, but nodded reluctantly. "If she's protected at all times," he insisted. "Someone with eyes on her constantly."

"Me," Rampage volunteered immediately. "I'll be her shadow. First one through the tunnels, positioned directly beneath where the exchange will take place."

That seemed to ease Irish's concerns somewhat. If anyone could protect Makenzie, it was Rampage. He was the club's largest, most physically imposing member, a former Delta operator with a reputation for unstoppable force in combat.

“Never thought we’d see the day when we allowed littles to go into combat,” Blade said.

“I don’t like it. I know everyone of our protective instincts is crying out to find another way.

But–” He held up his hand before Lily could interrupt him.

“If we have all of us together, working to protect them and keep them safe, and can’t come up with another plan…

I have to concede that although they are little, they are mighty and they are adult women and not helpless.

I don’t like it, but I can tolerate it. Once.

Only once. And I swear to God, Lily. If anything happens to you… ”

"Alright," Lucky conceded. "So we have Lily and Makenzie on the surface, making the exchange. The rest of us come in through the tunnels, positioned to strike when Jose makes his move. What about extraction? Once it all goes down, how do we get everyone out safely?"

"Multiple vehicles," Savage suggested. "Staged at different exit points. Plus air support if we can get it."

"Helicopter?" Arrow asked skeptically. "Bit conspicuous, isn't it?"

"Not if it's already in the area for legitimate reasons," Jay interjected. "There's a hospital twenty miles from the quarry. Their medevac does regular flight training in that sector."

"Can you get us that bird?" Lucky asked.

Jay smiled coolly. "Give me an hour with their scheduling system."

Lily marveled at how methodically they worked through the problem, identifying risks and solutions, contingencies and backups. This was what Blade had meant when he spoke of brotherhood—not just loyalty, but seamless cooperation, each person contributing their unique skills toward a common goal.

"What about Jose himself?" she asked, bringing them back to the primary target. "What's the end game here? Capture? Elimination?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees at her question. The men exchanged looks that spoke volumes.

"Jose doesn't leave that quarry alive," Lucky stated flatly. "After what he and Zeb did to Tim, what he's doing to Marcus, what he planned for you... there's only one appropriate response. We eliminate all of the leadership, make sure another head doesn’t grow back."

Lily nodded, neither surprised nor disturbed by the pronouncement. Some people forfeited their right to exist through their own actions. Jose was one of them.

"I want to be clear about something," she said, her voice steady despite the gravity of the discussion. "I'm not going in unarmed. I know the plan requires me to appear vulnerable, to play the sacrificial lamb, but I need to have some means of protecting myself if things go sideways."

"Of course," Blade agreed immediately. "We'll fit you with a gun, something easily concealed but effective at close range."

"And comms," Savage added. "Subdermal transmitter, virtually undetectable. We'll hear everything that happens, and be able to communicate with you."

The planning continued for another hour, covering every contingency they could imagine, assigning roles and responsibilities, timing each element of the operation down to the second.

Throughout it all, Lily remained focused, asking questions when needed, offering insights from her previous encounter with Jose and his men.

By the time they finished, a comprehensive plan had taken shape, dangerous still, with multiple potential failure points, but the best they could devise given the constraints of time and Jose's demands.

"Get some rest," Lucky instructed as the meeting concluded. "We move out at 0500. Jay will distribute comms and final briefing packets tonight."

As the others filed out of the chapel, Blade remained, his hand still holding Lily's. She could feel the tension radiating from him, see the conflict in his eyes.

"What is it?" she asked softly once they were alone.

"I should be there," he said, frustration evident in his voice. "Not stuck here, useless, while you walk into danger."

"You're not useless," she replied firmly. "You helped plan the entire operation. Your tactical insights will save lives tomorrow, maybe mine included."

"It's not enough," he insisted. "My place is between you and danger. Always."

She moved to kneel in front of his wheelchair, taking both his hands in hers. "And it will be again. But right now, your job is to heal. To be here when I get back." She squeezed his hands. "Because I am coming back, Blade. To you."

The raw emotion in his eyes nearly undid her. For a man who kept himself so controlled, so armored against the world, the naked fear and love she saw there was staggering.

"I can't lose you," he said simply. "Not now. Not after everything."

"You won't," she promised, though they both knew it wasn't entirely hers to promise. Tomorrow held too many variables, too many potential points of failure. But she would fight with everything she had to keep that promise. To return to him. To the future they'd barely begun to imagine together.

"Come here," he said, tugging her gently into his lap, mindful of his injured chest. She went willingly, curling against him, her head tucked beneath his chin. His arms came around her, strong despite his weakened state.

For a long moment, they simply held each other, drawing comfort and strength from the contact. No words were needed, everything important had already been said. Their feelings laid bare, their commitment to each other clear.

"Stay with me tonight," he murmured into her hair. "In my room. I need... I need to hold you. While I still can."

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," she assured him. "But Doc will have a fit if you don't stay in the medical room."

Blade made a dismissive sound. "Doc can deal with it. I'm not spending what might be our last night together hooked up to monitors in a hospital bed."

She wanted to argue that it wouldn't be their last night, that she would return from tomorrow's mission, that they would have countless nights ahead of them. But the reality of the danger she was facing couldn't be denied. Tomorrow might indeed be the end.

"Okay," she agreed. "Your room it is."

He nodded, seemingly satisfied, then gestured toward the door. "Would you mind finding Savage? I need him to help me get situated. Doc restricted my pain meds for the planning session, but I could use something stronger now."

The admission of need, of vulnerability, touched her deeply. Blade wasn't a man who easily acknowledged weakness or asked for assistance. That he would do so with her spoke volumes about the trust between them.

"Of course," she said, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips before standing. "I'll be right back."

As she moved toward the door, his voice stopped her. "Lily."

She turned back. "Yes?"

His eyes held hers, intense and earnest. "I'm proud of you. No matter what happens tomorrow, no matter how this all turns out... I want you to know that."

A lump formed in her throat, emotion threatening to overwhelm her. "Thank you," she whispered.

With a final shared look, one that contained all the things still left unsaid between them, she went to find Savage, to help Blade prepare for their night together. A night that might be their last, but one they would make count, regardless.

When Lily returned, Blade was already back in bed, propped carefully against a stack of pillows, his injured shoulder freshly bandaged, a sheen of sweat still clinging to his temples.

Savage had just finished adjusting the IV line and gave her a nod as he stepped past her toward the door.

“He’s all yours,” Savage said with a faint smirk that tried to mask the tension in his jaw. “Don’t let him talk you into anything stupid.”

“I never do,” she said softly, eyes locked on Blade’s.

The door clicked shut behind Savage, and silence settled between them. Not awkward but thick with everything they both felt and couldn’t yet say.

Blade watched her, his gaze dragging over her as if trying to memorize every inch of her face, every detail of her presence. “You came back.”

She smiled faintly, stepping toward the bed. “You didn’t think I would?”

“I hoped,” he admitted, his voice low, rough. “But hoping and believing aren't the same thing.”

She reached the edge of the bed and sat gently beside him. “You told me you were proud of me,” she said. “That meant more than you know. And I needed to say something back.”

He tilted his head toward her, wincing slightly with the movement. “Yeah?”

“I’m proud of you too. For fighting. For staying alive. For not shutting me out when I know every instinct in you wants to.”

His hand reached for hers, warm and strong despite everything he’d been through. “You make it impossible to shut you out.”

She leaned in, their foreheads brushing, noses nearly touching. The air between them felt charged, electric, every breath thick with anticipation, desperation, need.

“Lily,” he whispered, her name like a prayer on his lips.

She didn’t respond with words. Instead, she kissed him.