Chapter Forty
Blade’s POV
The morning sun had turned the asphalt into a frying pan by the time the afternoon training drills commenced. With forty extra riders packing the compound, Stone wanted a show of absolute readiness. The inner courtyard had been cleared out, ropes staked into the dirt to create an improvised combative ring.
Half the club stood around the perimeter, drinking cheap beer and shouting bets. I stood by the weapon racks, my arms crossed, acting the part of the stoic sentinel while my eyes scanned the crowd.
In the center of the ring stood Lila “Siren” Reyes.
She was tall, with a sharp, predatory grace and eyes that missed nothing. She wore tight leather pants that clung to her lean frame and a scuffed, sleeveless cut—no shirt underneath—that revealed the jagged edge
