Page 35 of Blade

His face was barely recognizable, swollen and discolored. Three fingers were missing from his left hand, two from his right. Burns covered his exposed torso, some fresh, somebeginning to fester. One eye was swollen shut, the other barely open, dull with pain and resignation.

But somehow, impossibly, he was still alive.

"Jesus Christ," Irish muttered, crossing himself.

Savage was already moving to Tim's side, checking his vitals. "He's alive, but barely. We need to get him medical attention, fast."

"Doc's on standby," Rampage reported. "Called him as soon as we confirmed Tim's condition."

Blade shoved Zeb into a chair, letting Rampage secure him while he approached Tim. The injured man's one functioning eye tracked his movement, a flicker of recognition visible through the haze of pain.

"We've got you, Tim," Blade said, his voice gentler than anyone in the room had likely ever heard it. "You're safe now. We're getting you out of here."

Tim's cracked, bloody lips moved, trying to form words.

Blade leaned closer. "What is it?"

"L-Lily?" Tim rasped, the single word obviously costing him immense effort.

"She's safe," Blade assured him. "You did good. She's safe because of you."

Relief washed over Tim's battered features. His eye closed, a tear tracking through the blood and grime on his cheek.

"Let's move him," Blade ordered. "Carefully. Rampage, you and Irish take him directly to Doc. Savage with me. We've got unfinished business here."

Rampage and Irish gently cut Tim free from the chair, then lifted him as carefully as possible, mindful of his numerous injuries. The broken man made no sound as they carried him out, either too weak or too resigned to pain to protest.

Once they were gone, Blade turned his attention to their two prisoners: Zeb, tightly bound to a chair, and Hammer, still unconscious on the floor.

"Wake him up," Blade instructed Savage, nodding toward Hammer.

Savage complied, dumping a bottle of water over Hammer's face. The traitor spluttered awake, disoriented and panicked.

"W-what? What's happening?" he stammered, eyes darting around the room until they landed on Blade and Savage. His face drained of color. "I can explain?—"

"Save it," Blade cut him off coldly. "We know what you did. Selling out the club. Selling out Lily. For what? Money?"

Hammer swallowed hard. "I was in deep, man. Gambling debts. They were going to break my legs, maybe worse."

"So instead you broke your oath," Savage said, his voice deadly quiet. "Betrayed your brothers. Put an innocent woman's life at risk."

"She's not innocent!" Hammer protested. "She was spying on us for The Rejects!"

"No, she wasn't," Blade said. "She was blackmailed. Forced. And she refused to go through with it, even knowing what it would cost her."

Confusion crossed Hammer's face. "But Zeb said?—"

"He lied," Blade interrupted. "To manipulate you. And you were too stupid or too greedy to question it."

Zeb laughed from his chair. "Wasn't hard. He practically begged to sell you out. Just needed a little cash and the promise of a patch with the Rejects."

Savage raised an eyebrow. "You were going to prospect for the Rejects?"

Shame crossed Hammer's features. "I had nothing left. I moved to Colorado when I heard Grand Ridge was different from my former chapter. My club changed, since I joined yearsago. The brothers there have been bringing in all these... littles. It became domesticated and different than when I joined. We were all single and had each other’s backs. Now.. It’s not the brotherhood I signed up for. Then I come here and find this chapter is the exact same fucking way. What is the chances there were two chapters like this? Nah. Fuck that noise.”

Blade understood then. It wasn't just about money. It was about resentment. The Spartan Watchmen had evolved over the years, becoming less about chaos and destruction and more about building something lasting. Relationships. Families. And some members, like Hammer, hadn't appreciated the direction.

"So you sold us out," Blade summarized. "Betrayed everything we stand for. And for what? To join up with these sadistic pieces of shit?" He gestured toward Zeb.

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