Page 2 of Blade

He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Try me."

They stared at each other, locked in a battle of wills. He could see the moment her resolve crumbled. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked away first.

"Fine," she mumbled. "Turn around."

"Why?"

"So I can change clothes, you neanderthal!"

Despite everything, Blade felt his lips twitch. "No."

"What do you mean, no?" she spluttered.

"I mean, I'm not turning around. You've got five minutes to get ready before I make good on my threat. Four minutes, fifty seconds now."

Lily's face flushed red with anger or embarrassment, probably both. Good. Color looked better on her than that sickly pallor.

"You're an asshole," she muttered.

"Never claimed otherwise, little girl."

For a moment, he thought she might argue more, but then she slid off the bed on shaky legs. He frowned as he noticed how unsteady she was. When was the last time she'd eaten a proper meal? Or slept through the night?

She grabbed a pair of jeans from the floor and quickly stepped out of her shorts and into them, nearly losing her balance. Without thinking, Blade reached out to steady her, his large hand wrapping around her upper arm. She flinched at his touch.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, his voice unexpectedly gentle.

She looked up at him, eyes wide and wary. "That's what they all say."

Something twisted in his gut. Who had hurt this girl? Pedro's Rejects, obviously. But there was more to that statement. A nodtowards a more intimate relationship. If she gave him a name, he’d take that piece of shit out.

"I'm not 'they,'" he told her, releasing her arm once she was stable. "I'm me. And I keep my word."

She didn't respond, just turned away to pull a hoodie over her t-shirt.

"Where are we going?" she asked finally, stuffing a few items into a battered backpack.

"My place," he answered. "Club wants you somewhere secure. Somewhere no one will think to look."

"Why not the clubhouse? Isn't that secure enough?"

"We've got a mole," he said bluntly. "Someone's been feeding information to the Rejects. We’ve discovered it wasn’t only you and Savannah who were connected to them. There has to be at least one other person. Only a few of us know where I'm taking you. The officers and their girls. A couple of veteran brothers on Valhalla. That’s it. Our closest, inner circle."

Fear flashed across her face. "They're still looking for me?"

"They think you ratted them out. And they know you were going to testify against them."

She paled even further, if that was possible. "I wasn't—I didn't?—"

"Save it," he cut her off. "We'll have plenty of time to discuss all that later."

She zipped up her backpack with trembling hands, then straightened her spine. "I need to use the bathroom first."

Blade gestured toward the bathroom door. "Two minutes."

Once she disappeared inside, he quickly searched the room, looking for anything she might be leaving behind. He found a small stuffed rabbit tucked between the mattress and headboard. It looked well-loved, one ear half-gone, the fur matted with age.

He stared at it for a long moment. She wasn’t pretending to be a little. Not like Savage’s girl had been doing. No, Lily was a little through and through. He’d already known that, but finding the rabbit confirmed it. He tucked the rabbit into his jacket pocket without a second thought.

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