"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 hadplanned 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.
