Page 166 of Split You Open

Santi nods. “Yeah, that’s who bought the drones.”

“How does that help? Is Jonathan this Dixie asshole’s real name?” Rhett asks.

“No.” Santi clicks a few buttons and a second later, a new window opens. “Nor does he match any of the names on the list Ledger gave me. However, I did some digging and found he’s the son-in-law of the owner of this company called BioX. The owner’s name is Mallard Dixon—which was kind of close to something of a connection. So, I looked up the guy and he has no ties to the military but found that he has a younger brother named⁠—”

“Arnon Dixon. AKA Dixie.”

We all tense and jump at the sound of Anchor’s voice coming from behind us. He approaches confidently and quietly, having seemingly materialized out of nowhere. Anchor’s eyes sweep over us casually but I know there can’t be anything casual about this man. He’s, no doubt, searching for a threat.

His eyes land on his daughter before landing on me last.

They don’t narrow and his body language doesn’t change but I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck begin to rise and I know he disapproves of Blair being on my lap. Blair must sense it too because she starts to squirm to get off but I refuse to let her dad dictate things around here. Especially after learning he tried to kill Blair in the past. This man doesn’t deserve any of our respect. Definitely not hers. My arm tightens around her waist, holding her in place as I hold his cold, empty gaze.

While I should be scared of him, I’m more so disgusted.

No, that’s not true.

As Anchor approaches, thick, curdling loathing bubbles up from my gut and burns the back of my throat. Nothing that I’ve learned about this man since I’ve met Blair has given me any reason to find common ground with him. And ever since he first opened his mouth, he’s only been full of condescension and dismissal.

How Blair managed to grow up without resenting him is beyond me but I’ll do it for the both of us. Blair can love her father, while I protect her from him.

Ledger stiffens. “I don’t know an Arnon. Who’s⁠—”

“You wouldn’t. He was the quiet, mousy man I met just after bootcamp,” Anchor explains as he rounds the table. He stops at my side where Rhett is sitting. “Mind if I sit with my daughter?”

It’s not a question despite how it’s posed.

Rhett isn’t stupid. He knows this is a power move. But if Anchor thought Rhett would be a push over, he picked the wrong guy. Rhett’s upper lip lifts and he sneers. “Need help finding an empty spot, old man?”

Anchor’s fingers twitch and I feel Blair stiffen in my lap.

“Dad,” she snaps, drawing his deadly gaze away from Rhett. “Sit and grab a plate. We can talk and eat while dinner is still warm.”

Anchor shoots Rhett another cold look before he makes his way around to the other side of the table to sit across from Ledger.

“Food first, then chat,” Blair declares as Santi opens his mouth to speak. She shifts to look back at me and smiles. “The ribs smell delicious, Wes. Thanks for making them tonight.”

I lean forward and kiss her cheek. “Of course.”

“Ledger should invest in a smoker for us,” she continues. “I think that would be fun to try next time.”

Ledger shoots her a deadpan look from across the table. “I pay Wes well enough to buy his own.”

“And yet, I suggested you do it.” Her clipped response earns a snicker from both Santi and Rhett as they both grab food. “Move over Rhett.”

Rhett does as he’s told immediately and I allow Blair to slide off my lap so she can grab a plate of ribs. As food is passed around—rather hurriedly as we all wait to learn more about Dixie—Anchor watches us closely. His eyes are eerily dark as they track his daughter and the rest of us as we reach for food and chat. He waits until everyone else has grabbed food before picking up the last rack of ribs.

Blair beams at him as he places the meat onto his plate.

“It does smell good,” he admits gruffly.

Beside me, Blair practically vibrates with joy. She looks up at me and says in a conspiratory whisper, “Best compliment you’ll ever get from him.”

“Well? Who the fuck is this Arnon guy?” Ledger demands, cutting straight to the chase.

Anchor shoots him a dark look that Ledger doesn’t back down from. Instead, he glares back with just as much ferocity. It’s almost impressive.

But mostly childish.