She turned to face the club president. "Jose wants me. In exchange for Marcus's life."
It wasn't a question, but Lucky nodded anyway. "Yes."
She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "Then that's what he'll get."
"No," Blade said immediately, his hand tightening on hers. "Absolutely not."
"It's not your decision," she told him, echoing his own words from earlier. "It's mine. And I won't let an innocent man die because of me. Not when I can prevent it."
"Lily," Savage began, his tone gentler than usual, "Jose doesn't want to make an exchange. He wants to make an example. If we hand you over, you'll die. Horribly."
"I know exactly what he wants," she said, her voice steady despite the fear that briefly flickered in her eyes. "He made that clear enough. But I also know that I can't live with myself if Marcus dies because of me."
"This isn't on you," Blade insisted. "Jose's actions are his own. His vendetta, his choice to escalate by taking Marcus."
"Maybe," she acknowledged. "But my conscience is my own too. And it won't let me hide while others pay the price for my safety."
The quiet conviction in her voice silenced the room. Even Lucky, never known for his patience, seemed unwilling to interrupt her.
"Besides," she continued, "I'm not suggesting we give Jose what he actually wants. I'm suggesting we use his demands against him."
Blade felt a surge of pride and alarm. She'd reached the same conclusion he had, independently. "You're talking about setting a trap."
She nodded. "Exactly. He thinks I'm some helpless little girl he can torture and kill to satisfy his ego. Let's use that assumption against him."
Lucky studied her with newfound respect. "You understand what you're proposing? The risk involved?"
"Better than most," she confirmed. "I've been in The Rejects hands before. I know what they are capable of. Jose was there when they captured me, I’ve met him in person, unlike anyone else in this room. He’s arrogant. Overconfident. And that makes him vulnerable."
"She's right," Irish chimed in. "Jose's ego is his blind spot. He'll be so focused on getting his hands on Lily that he might not see the trap until it's too late."
Savage still looked skeptical. "It's a huge risk."
"Life is risk," Lily replied simply. "My father taught me that. The question isn't how to avoid risk, it's how to manage it. How to stack the odds in your favor as much as possible."
She turned back to Blade, her eyes full of determination. "I know you want to protect me. I know that's your instinct, your... nature." The slight hesitation, the way her cheeks colored faintly on the word 'nature,' told him she was thinking of their unspoken dynamic. The one they'd barely begun to explore before chaos erupted again. "But sometimes protection means fighting alongside, not shielding from the fight entirely."
Blade wanted to argue. Wanted to forbid her from putting herself in danger, to lock her away somewhere safe until the threat was eliminated. But he recognized the steel in her spine, the resolve in her eyes. This wasn't just bravado or self-sacrifice. This was a woman making a conscious choice about her own life, her own risks.
And he respected her too much to take that choice from her.
"So what's the plan?" he asked instead, surprising everyone in the room, including himself.
Relief and gratitude flashed across Lily's face. "We meet Jose's demands, sort of. We go to the coordinates he provides, but on our terms. With backup in place, with contingencies. We make him think he's getting what he wants, but we control the situation."
"Easier said than done," Lucky commented. "Jose will be expecting a trap."
"Of course he will," Lily agreed. "But his arrogance will make him believe he can counter whatever we throw at him. We just need to be one step ahead. Give him a trap within a trap."
"Double bluff," Rampage rumbled appreciatively from the doorway. "I like it."
"It might work," Irish conceded. "But it would require perfect execution. Perfect timing."
"And it would put you at actual risk," Blade told Lily, needing her to understand the full implications. "Not theoretical risk. Real danger. If anything goes wrong, if we miscalculate even slightly..."
"I know," she said softly. "But it's a risk I'm willing to take. For Marcus. For the club." Her eyes met his. "For you."
Something in his chest tightened at her words. At the simple courage behind them.
