Page 19 of Blade

She took his hand without hesitation, allowing him to help her up. Her trust warmed something in his chest, even as the rest of him remained on high alert.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he led her down the hallway.

"Safe room," he answered, stopping at what appeared to be a linen closet. He pressed a hidden panel, and the back wall slid aside, revealing a steel door with a keypad.

"Whoa," Lily breathed.

“Operator," he reminded her with a slight smirk. "Paranoia comes with the territory."

He punched in a code, and the door swung open to reveal a small room lined with supplies. Weapons, ammunition, food, water, medical equipment. Everything needed to survive a siege.

"If anything happens," he instructed, guiding her inside, "anything at all, you come in here and lock the door. The code to get in from this side is 7-4-2-9. Can you remember that?"

She nodded. "7-4-2-9."

"Good girl," he said automatically. “Say it again.”

“7-4-2-9”

“Good girl.” This time, she didn't try to hide her reaction to the praise. Her eyes darkened slightly, and she swayed toward him almost imperceptibly.

Blade pretended not to notice, though his body sure as hell did. Not the time, not the place.

"The room is soundproof," he continued. "There's a satellite phone that will connect directly to the clubhouse if needed. Enough supplies for a week. Bathroom through that door. It's small, but it'll keep you alive."

"What about you?" she asked, concern in her voice. "Where will you be if I'm in here?"

"Dealing with the threat," he said simply.

She frowned. "You mean you'd be out there? Alone? Against, who knows how many of them?"

"It's what I do," he reminded her.

"No," she said firmly, surprising him. "I'm not hiding in here while you get yourself killed trying to protect me."

"Lily—"

"Don't 'Lily' me," she interrupted. "I'm not some helpless damsel. I can help. I can fight."

Blade raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yes," she insisted. "My dad was in the military, too. Marine Corps. He taught me to shoot before I could drive."

That was new information. "Your dad, the one who killed someone to protect your mom?"

She nodded. "He made sure I could protect myself."

Blade considered this. Having her armed and ready might not be a bad idea, actually. Better than her being defenseless if someone got past him.

"Show me," he said, selecting a Beretta from a rack on the wall. He checked that it was unloaded, then handed it to her. "Field strip it."

Without hesitation, Lily released the magazine, checked the chamber, then began breaking down the handgun with practiced efficiency. Her small hands moved with confidence, disassembling the weapon in under thirty seconds.

Blade was impressed despite himself. "Not bad. Now put it back together."

She did so just as efficiently, her movements smooth and practiced. When she was done, she handed the reassembled weapon back to him.

"Satisfied?" she asked, a hint of smugness in her tone.

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