Page 77 of Split You Open

The fear in Wes’s voice causes us both to freeze.

Blair reacts first, sitting up and calling out. “On the roof!”

“We have visitors. A trail cam caught them heading this way. Get down here and in the house!”

“Tell the danger to go away! We’re busy!” I call out, trying to keep hold of Blair’s hip.

“That’s not how this works,” Blair says.

She’s out of my lap before I can protest further.

“Damn it… I’m going to kill whoever it is for interrupting us,” I grumble as we make our way off the roof and down the ladder.

Wes is on the porch, waiting for us anxiously.

“How many? Are they armed? Which direction are they coming from?” Blair demands the instant her feet are on the porch, all business now.

Wes gathers her under his arm and leads her into the house. Rhett’s already in the kitchen, strapping a gun to his hip and in the process of loading another. Several other guns are on the table.

“There are two of them coming from the south end of the property—a man and woman in their forties,” Wes answers. “They’re dressed like civilians—and they could be—but hikers don’t usually stray this far from any trails in the area. Something feels off.”

“Best to trust your gut,” Blair confirms with a nod.

She grabs a gun off the table then shoves it into the waist of her pants. “What’s the plan? I can move pretty quickly on foot to flush them out from behind if you want to meet them head on. If we⁠—”

“No!” I shout, fear instantly cools the desire still lingering in my veins.

Rhett freezes to look up from preparing his weapons.

Blair’s head whips in my direction.

Wes tenses, his hands fisting at his sides.

I swallow, staring around at everyone before locking eyes with Blair.

“If this is Dixie’s people coming, they’re here for you, cariño. You need to stay as far away from them as possible,” I tell her.

“I agree,” Rhett says at once. “Stay here, Blair. Go to the basement and lock the door in case things go bad. But⁠—”

“Absolutely not!” Blair snaps. “I’m trained to handle this. I’m more prepared than anyone else in the room! I’m not hiding here while you all⁠—”

A growl rips past my lips. “You’re staying out of sight, cariño.”

“I will not!”

Rhett and I open our mouths to object.

“Enough!” Wes snaps, stepping forward and scowling at everyone. “This is what’s going to happen. Rhett, you’re staying here with Blair. Before you two can argue—as of right now, Dixie’s people don’t know who’s here and who isn’t. If they see you, it confirms that you, and possibly Blair, returned. If they see me or Santi, they still won’t be in the know. We’re going to approach this as calmly as possible so that no one gets hurt. That’s final, got it?”

I blink, surprised at the bark in Wes’s voice.

Blair’s eyes narrow on him but she nods. Rhett sighs and nods too.

Content that they’ll listen, Wes turns to me. “Santi, gear up. We’re going to meet our friends and turn them around.”

I nod, happy to be the one to stand between trouble and the people I love.

“Let’s go.”