Page 34 of Blade

"Jesus!" Zeb hissed, eyes wide with shock at the speed and efficiency of the kill.

"Next," Blade instructed, as if they were calling numbers at a deli counter.

One by one, Zeb summoned his men. One by one, they entered the room. And one by one, they died, quick and silent. Blade had no regrets taking out the trash. The predators who hurt children and innocent women deserved worse deaths than the quick and easy one he gave.

Finally, only Hammer remained in the main room with Tim.

"Last one," Blade said. "Call him."

Zeb shook his head. "He's not one of mine. He's your problem."

"Call. Him." Blade enunciated each word, pressing the gun into the soft flesh under Zeb's jaw.

With a resigned sigh, Zeb called out, "Hammer! Got something to show you."

Footsteps approached the bedroom door. Blade positioned himself behind it, gun ready.

The door swung open. "What now?" Hammer asked irritably, stepping into the room. "I already delivered the?—"

Blade slammed the butt of his pistol into the back of Hammer's head, dropping him unconsciously to the floor before he could register what was happening.

"Breach now," Blade said into his comm, signaling the others to enter.

Zeb stared up at him, a mixture of fear and defiance in his eyes. "What now? You going to kill me too?"

"Eventually," Blade promised. "But first, you're going to tell me everything you know about who's been feeding you information from our club."

"And why would I do that?" Zeb sneered.

Blade smiled, cold and merciless. "Because if you don't, I'll hand you over to the man whose wife and daughter you threatened. Let him get creative."

Fear flickered in Zeb's eyes. Savage's reputation preceded him. "Alright, alright. No need for that. Hammer came to us, offered to sell information. Said he'd fallen on hard times, needed cash."

"And you just happened to ask about Lily?" Blade pressed skeptically.

"No," Zeb admitted. "He brought her up. Said one of your guys was hiding a witness against us. A blonde little who was ready to talk to the cops, tell them everything. She knows too much about our operation. She’d been spying on us the entire time, and informant."

That was a lie. Lily hadn't been an informant. He’d blackmailed her into approaching the club, then she couldn’t go through with it.

"Why the fixation on her?" Blade demanded. "Why not just let it go?"

Zeb's eyes hardened. "No one betrays the Rejects. No one. Especially not some bitch who thinks she can play games with us, then run to your club for protection."

"She didn't betray you," Blade said. "She refused to betray us. There's a difference."

"Same result," Zeb spat. "She failed to deliver what she promised. And then my idiot brother helped her escape before we could make an example of her. Blood or not, he had to be made an example of to keep the rest of my men from following suit."

"Tim," Blade remembered. "Where is he?"

"Main room," Zeb said. "Though there might not be much left to save."

Blade hauled Zeb to his feet, keeping the gun pressed to his back. "Move. And if you try anything, anything at all, I'll put a bullet in your spine and leave you to bleed out slowly."

He pushed Zeb ahead of him into the main room, where Savage and Rampage had already secured the area. Irish stood guard at the front door, weapon ready.

And in the center of the room, tied to a chair, was what remained of Tim.

Blade had seen torture victims before. Had seen the aftermath of brutality in war zones around the world. But what the Rejects had done to Tim was on another level.

---