Afamiliar calm settled over Blade as he drove toward the Rejects' hunting cabin. The pre-mission focus, honed through years of SEAL operations and club business. His mind went cold and clear, emotions compartmentalized into neat boxes to be dealt with later.
If there was a later.
He pushed that thought away. Failure wasn't an option. Not with Lily waiting for him to return. Not with Tim's life hanging in the balance. He hadn’t completely forgiven Tim for his part in all this, but after the conversation with Lily, he respected the man for saving her.
His comm unit crackled. "Blade, you copy?" Savage's voice came through, tight with tension.
"Copy," he replied, one hand on the steering wheel, the other checking his sidearm. "What's your position?"
"Ridge overlooking the cabin, northeast side. I've got eyes on the front entrance and most of the perimeter. Rampage is circling to the west, getting into position."
"Irish?"
"Ten minutes out," Savage confirmed. "Lucky's staying back at the clubhouse, keeping an eye on things there."
Smart. If Hammer wasn't the only traitor, they needed someone watching their backs at home base. The girls were there. Precious cargo.
"Any movement?" Blade asked, taking a sharp turn onto a dirt road that would lead him to their rendezvous point.
"Minimal," Savage replied. "Two guys outside, smoking. Rest are inside. I can see movement through the windows, but can't make out how many."
"Tim?"
A pause. "Confirmed visual about twenty minutes ago. They brought him to the front room. He's... it's not good, brother."
Blade's jaw clenched. "Still alive?"
"Yeah. But they've worked him over pretty good. Missing at least three fingers that I could see. Face barely recognizable."
"Hammer?"
"Inside. He arrived with a duffel bag. My guess is he's delivering something. Information, maybe."
Or weapons. Or drugs. The Rejects dealt in all three. The Watchmen didn’t touch drugs. If it were drugs, he’d be curious where he was getting them from.
"Zeb?" Blade asked, referring to the Rejects' president and the man ultimately responsible for hunting Lily.
"No visual," Savage replied. "But there's a black SUV with tinted windows parked around the back. Could be his."
Blade processed this information, tactical options cycling through his mind. "We need to confirm Tim's exact position before we move in. If Zeb is inside, we need to take him alive if possible."
"Understood," Savage acknowledged. "But Tim's our priority. He's fading fast from what I can see."
"Agreed," Blade said grimly. "I'm five minutes out. Hold position until I arrive."
He ended the transmission, his mind already mapping out angles of approach, potential threats, extraction routes. The familiar ritual helped push away thoughts that had no place in combat. Thoughts of soft blonde hair between his fingers, of wide, trusting eyes, of lips that had yielded so sweetly to his brief kiss.
Focus, asshole. You can think about Lily after, when everyone's safe.
But that was the problem, wasn't it? She wasn't just a mission parameter anymore. She was becoming something more, something dangerously close to essential. And that kind of attachment was lethal in his line of work.
He turned onto a narrow path barely visible among the pines, driving another quarter mile before killing the engine. From here, he'd go on foot. Less chance of being detected that way.
Grabbing his tactical vest and rifle from the passenger seat, Blade quickly geared up. Earpiece in, weapons checked, extra magazines secured. The routine was as familiar as breathing, muscle memory taking over while his mind stayed focused on the task ahead.
As he moved through the woods toward the rendezvous point, Blade allowed himself one moment—just one—to think about what would happen if he didn't make it back. Lily, waiting in the safe room, hoping for his return. The fear and disappointment in her eyes when she realized he wasn't coming.
The thought hardened his resolve. He'd make it back. Not just because the mission demanded it, but because she was waiting for him. Because he'd promised. Because she was his and he had to make sure she knew it.
