Page 172 of Split You Open

I grab her arm before she can grab her go-bag. When Blair looks back at me, I sigh. “Why are you taking off with your dad? Just stay here. He can…” I grit my teeth as I offer, “stay here too… if he wants.”

I’m sure that sounded super fucking convincing. But if Blair hears my reluctance, she doesn’t point it out.

“I have hostages to save.”

I blink in surprise. “What? You’re going to⁠—”

“Yeah,” she nods. “I’m not letting him do this. He won’t tell me where they are while we’re around you guys, so I’m going to stay with him so I can find them myself.”

God, this woman is fucking incredible.

“Your dad is a twisted fucker, you know that, right?”

She rolls her eyes. “He’s not so bad once you get to know him.”

I want to point out that just yesterday we overheard her dad admit to attempting to kill her. Or that when she’s stressed, she has nightmares about what he used to put her through. Or that he seems to get hard talking about how his ex-friend could wipe out villages full of innocent people.

“I don’t want to get to know that asshole.”

“You didn’t want to get to know me when we first met but now look at where we are,” she points out with a smile that makes my heart swell.

I scoff. “If getting to know your dad will end up with me sleeping with him, then I really don’t want to get to know him.”

Blair laughs as I let go of her arm. I chuckle begrudgingly with her.

How easy it is to breathe now that I’ve held Blair in my arms. My fears are unfounded; Blair is going to be okay.

“You’ll be back tomorrow?” I ask her.

Blair smiles warmly. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow, Rhett.”

Leaning down, I kiss her again. When I straighten, I tell her. “Be safe, alright?”

“Always, Rhett.”

Thirty-Six

Blair

Iglance in the side mirror and watch the winding road stretch further and further away from Gnarly Pines. It feels like I’m unraveling as I put distance between me and my guys.

“Blair,” Rhett had begged only ten minutes ago. “Please don’t go!”

The sheer panic on Rhett’s face as it went pale nearly had me rethinking the decision. Me leaving was probably going to be the hardest on him, even if it is for only a little while. His anxiety seems to be getting worse, not better. I make a mental note to talk to Wes about how to help Rhett overcome it when this is all over.

I’d only agreed to go with Dad so I could find out where he’s hiding Dixie’s family members. Once I have a location, I’ll call Ledger using the burner phone he slipped me before I headed out this evening and coordinate their rescue.

I’ll not stand for this hostage bullshit.

“Tell me something,” Dad says suddenly, breaking the silence.

I hum to let him know I’m listening.

“When did it start?”

Confused, I pull my attention off the side mirror to look over at him. “What do you mean?”

A flicker of irritation crosses over his face before he tucks it away.