Page 121 of Split You Open

“Santi, go with Rhett,” Wes barks suddenly.

Santi looks at him confused. “But we should split⁠—”

“You need to give Ledger your phone so he can keep an eye on the security cameras. Without a phone, I don’t want you alone. Hurry.”

Santi nods sharply, understanding. He shoves his hand into his pocket, pulls his phone out, and tosses it to me. I catch and shove it into my pocket.

“There’s no password,” he tells me as he moves toward Blair. He kisses her head before chasing after Rhett.

Wes kisses Blair next, this one slower and deeper than what the others gave her. When he pulls away, he says, “Whatever happens, stay out of sight, alright?”

Blair nods her confirmation which seems to ease some of Wes’s worry. He shoots me a dark glare and then hurries out of the cabin next.

The jealousy grows just a little more.

But it’s also followed by guilt as none of the others bid me farewell and safe tidings. Of course, I don’t want them hurt but if I said something, I know they’d disregard it. How could I have let things get this bad between me and the others?

We’re supposed to have each other’s back, and we’re all supposed to have Blair’s. The friction between us will tear us apart if I don’t do anything to fix it. Yet, I’m at a loss on how to do it.

“Here,” Blair says and tosses me a rifle. “It’s loaded and ready to go. Need the tripod?”

I catch the rifle with one hand. “No, not this time. I’m going up to the roof. Stay away from the windows.”

“I know, I know,” she mutters. “I hid from danger for most of my childhood. This isn’t any different.”

The bitterness in her voice haunts me as I slip out the back door. That’s right, she’s done this too many fucking times in her life.

What the fuck have I done?

Her life was supposed to be easy here, not this nightmare.

Crossing the porch, I pull myself up onto the top rail then grab the lip of the roof that I can just barely reach. I’ve done this a few times over the years, wanting to just sit on the roof and admire the sprawling landscape. Each time before this, I’ve had no problem with pulling myself.

This time, I’m contending with a wound across my chest.

As I pull myself up, I can feel the scabs stretch and pull apart. The muscle that’s been mutilated screams in protest and by the time I’ve made it onto the roof there’s blood on my shirt.

With a growl of irritation, I scurry up the sloped metal roof and crouch down.

My eyes sweep across the top of the trees at the southern and eastern part of the property. That’s where the alerts are coming from. I think I catch sight of two drones, but I know there have to be more than that given how quickly the alarms are going off.

Immediately, I bring the scope up to my eye and adjust accordingly.

Yup, there are two far out there in the distance.

I sharpen the clarity on the scope and brace the butt of the rifle against my shoulder. A lifetime of training makes it easy to keep my breathing steady and my heart rate slow. Even as thoughts of Blair in danger flip through my head, I remain calm.

It’s been like this ever since I met Blair—before I became obsessed with her. Knowing that Anchor rarely ever hesitated to put his daughter in danger, I was compelled to be there for the two of them during harder jobs. It was Anchor’s lack of discernment for my goddaughter’s well-being that kept me going on missions far longer than I cared to. I couldn’t let anything happen to her. Blair was mine to watch over the moment she dug that bullet out of my shoulder at the young age of eight years old.

Now, as the keeper of my soul, I’m bound to serve and protect Blair for all eternity in every possible way. I look forward to serving her now that I’ve stopped fighting the inevitable demise of my moral compass.

Through the scope I watch as the drones comb the area. Sometimes they dip low, other times they rise high. After a little bit, I notice a pattern. One continuously runs horizontally while the other runs perpendicular to it. Whoever is in charge of these drones, they’re being meticulous. They’re leaving no space untouched.

At the moment, they’re much too far away and too small to hit. I have to wait until they get a bit closer to the house. So, I watch and I wait.

Santi’s phone vibrates.

I check it to find notifications rolling in from the trail cameras. This time, these are coming from the north and west.