Page 167 of Split You Open

The silence grows thick with tension. A vein begins to bulge in Ledger’s forehead and while Anchor doesn’t visibly bristle—I swear I can feel the crackling of energy in the air around him.

Beside me, Blair sighs loudly.

I chuckle and nudge her side. “Eat while these two have a pissing contest.”

“Don’t,” Anchor says through clenched teeth as his head rotates in my direction. “Give my daughter an order.”

I smile at him. “If it’s in your daughter’s best interests, I absolutely will.”

“And I’ll follow it… sometimes,” Blair chimes in, giving her dad a pointed look as she lifts a rib up to gnaw on.

Anchor glares at her, his jaw ticking.

Then he glares at me and I swear I can hear his promise of death whisper in the back of my head.

“Relax, your daughter has us by the balls. She’s completely in charge here,” Santi says with a chuckle. Anchor glowers at him and he adds quickly. “Metaphorically speaking, of course.”

“Naw, sometimes she does actually hold them. Gets me real fucking hard when she fondles them,” Rhett says, knowing very well he’s wading into dangerous territory and not giving a single fuck about it.

Anchor’s hand disappears off the table, flying to his hip. Everyone else reacts, slower, but with their own hands going to their own weapons. Rhett, Ledger, and Santi all point their guns at Anchor. And Blair’s dad? His gun is pointed at Rhett’s forehead.

“Put it down, Anchor,” Ledger snarls.

“This filthy fucking animal doesn’t get to talk about my daughter so crudely.”

Rhett grins. “I’m the filthy one? You should see your daughter when she⁠—”

Blair stands abruptly, interrupting him.

I’m on my feet next, shoving myself in the narrow space between Blair and the table to place my body between her and the four guns that swing in her direction—reacting instinctually to the movement. Simultaneously, the guns lower as everyone realizes their mistake.

Rage, comparable only to when I learned of Ledger’s betrayal, rushes through me. With my heart hammering in my chest and blood roaring in my ears, I manage to spit out, “Guns away, now!”

Only Anchor hesitates and even then, it’s only for a fraction of a second before he holsters his weapon.

“If any of you…” I start, speaking through clenched teeth as my body trembles with rage. “And I mean any of you, point your gun at my woman again, you better shoot me because I will fucking gut you the first chance I get.”

Santi and Rhett have the good grace to look ashamed. Ledger looks like he’s sucking on a lemon. Anchor’s face goes back to a neutral blank canvas. When I’m certain they’ve all heard me, I step aside and look at Blair.

Our eyes meet and she gives me such a warm smile that my knees almost buckle beneath me.

“Thank you, Wes. I’m glad at least one of you has some sense,” she says. Her smile falls away as she glares at everyone else. “Everyone just… eat. Okay? Dad, please share what you know of this Arnon guy.”

Anchor stares hard at his daughter. His jaw ticks. As Blair and I both sit down, I have to wonder if I wouldn’t be just as possessive and protective over my daughter were the roles reversed. While I can hardly blame the man, that doesn’t mean I have to like him.

“Arnon was a sociopath that managed to stay under the radar while in the Marines,” Anchor starts slowly. “We befriended one another during our first tour together. While his sniping skills were lacking, he was a proficient killer overall. He’d wipe out small villages without any hesitation.”

My stomach riots at the low ring of respect ringing in Anchor’s tone. I push my plate away, suddenly not hungry. Blair’s hand lands on my forearm but she keeps her attention trained on her father.

“I believe he stayed on for a few more years after I got out,” Anchor continues. “I think he only joined so he could see a bit of the world before helping his brother run the family business. Or at least, that was his original plan. Instead of running the business, however, he got into local politics and is currently gearing up to run for Governor of Vermont. With his family’s wealth and connections, he’ll probably get the job… If I don’t kill him first.”

“So, he was never a hitman?” Ledger asks.

Anchor shakes his head once. “No.”

“Why does Arnon have a grudge against you?” Blair asks, curiously.

“Because I killed his first wife.”