Page 108 of Split You Open

Wes shakes his head in disgust. “Jesus, Ledger.”

“I’ll figure this out,” Ledger repeats grimly. “In the meantime… Some normalcy would be nice. So, I figured I’d make sure everyone had something to eat this morning since, apparently, we’ve decided to reopen Gnarly Pines today. Maybe while we eat, someone will fill me in on what’s been going on around here.”

“You cookin’ is far from normal,” Wes grumbles. “But the gesture is… appreciated.”

I shoot Wes an incredulous look and Santi mirrors it.

“We agreed to let him out and be a part of the fray,” Blair says, walking into the room. “Give him the opportunity, guys.”

With one last glare at Ledger, I lower my gun before tucking it into my waistband.

Santi stiffens, a growl rumbling in his chest. His hands clench into fists as he looks between Ledger and Blair. Maybe I’m not the only one feeling a bit more than a little out of sorts with Ledger free.

Blair moves toward the cabinets by Ledger, no doubt to grab the silverware and plates to set the table like she does when it’s just her and Wes in here. Judging by how Santi, Wes and I react, we’re all on the same page on her proximity to Ledger. Santi and I have barely moved before Wes is there, snagging Blair’s wrist and pulling her to him—and away from Ledger.

Once she’s tucked against his body, Wes glares at Ledger. “You’ll be taking over Rhett’s zone while he and Blair lay low up here. We’re telling everyone that there was a family emergency that we all had to go tend to, which is why we had to shut down Gnarly Pines. While the three of us are back—we’ll say Rhett and Blair aren’t.”

Ledger’s jaw ticks as he and Wes have a stare down.

It lasts only seconds but the tension in the room is palpable. No doubt Ledger understands that he’ll never get a chance to have a moment alone with Blair—not with us keeping her under a watchful eye.

His gaze flickers to Blair before he nods and turns back around to grab the pan.

“Fine by me.”

My axe meets flesh over and over.

Blood splatters.

Screams crescendo then fade.

The adrenaline thrumming through my veins feels endless, swelling and pressing against the underside of my skin until I feel like I might explode.

I drive my axe in harder, faster, until I’m hitting the dirt beneath the mess that was once human. Someone grabs at my wrist to stop me as I raise the axe above my head.

“Mi amado,” Santi calls softly.

Breathing hard, I blink the world back into focus. The man on the ground before me is nothing more than bloody chunks. My throat feels raw as I swallow and it dawns on me that I’ve been screaming. Looking up from the mess on the ground, my eyes find and lock onto Santi’s.

Worry fills his as he stares into my face.

But it’s not just worry within them—there’s something twisted and churning in his brown eyes. Something he’s trying to hide from me. Knowing Santi is keeping something from me makes my anxiety so much worse. He’s never hidden how he’s felt before, why has he started now?

“The Hunt didn’t help tonight, did it?” He asks.

Rather than answer him, I tear my eyes away from his face to search for Blair. She’s there, just a few feet away. She’s leaning against a tree with her arms crossed over her chest, watching us closely. There’s that emptiness in her eyes that only surfaces when she’s trying to close herself off from the world.

Santi plucks the axe from my grip and tosses it aside. “Want to explain what’s going on, Rhett?”

No. I’ll sound like a madman.

My lips press together. Rolling my shoulders, I look around at the small clearing we’ve found ourselves in. There’s already a fire going. Santi and Blair must’ve started it while waiting for me to be done.

“I won?”

“Nope, Blair did.” Santi says. “You came barreling in here right after she chopped his head off and took over. You don’t remember?”

I do, now that he’s said it. With a single nod I mutter, “Right, of course.”