Page 78 of Split You Open

Birds are chirping and the sun is higher now—warming the autumn air.

Everything around me appears calm and that’s because it is. It’s so at odds with the way my insides are rioting. There’s been only one time in my life that I felt so ready to rip someone limb from limb. That had been while I hunted down the men who killed my father.

Blair and Rhett are still alive—I’m not avenging them.

But their lives are at risk and that’s enough for me to happily tear the world apart to remove any fucking threat that comes their way.

My eyes scan the woods searching for any sign of movement. The minute I see them, I’m going to pounce. They won’t get the chance to hurt the people I love.

“Santi, did you hear me?” Wes asks, drawing me back to the present.

I blink rapidly. “Nope, what’d you say?”

Wes sighs. “Are you going to be able to play this cool? If not, I can handle it and you can hang back.”

“I’m the coolest person in these woods,” I assure him with a grin.

Wes can see right through my bullshit.

“Santi,” he growls, his brows creeping together. “I need you to not do anything rash.”

“Relax, Wes. You can trust me.”

Wes nods slowly, giving me a once over before checking my phone that’s in his hand.

“Then you better prepare yourself for company because according to the trail cams, they should be coming right about now,” he mutters.

Our eyes swing in the direction the trail camera is situated. Our feet follow, shifting direction slightly as we move toward the approaching trespassers. A few minutes later, I can hear voices.

They round a tree on either side, splitting it. Just before they catch sight of us, I note the way they’re scanning the area—expressions grim, eyes sharp, bodies tense. The man is tall, lean, and tan. The woman is shorter, stocky, with a thick red braid draped over her shoulder. When their eyes lock onto us, their alert behavior melts away. We’re greeted with smiles and friendly waves.

“Hey there!” the man greets with a flash of his white teeth.

“Good morning,” Wes replies.

“Beautiful day for a hike, isn’t it?”

Wes chuckles. “Couldn’t ask for better weather.”

I keep my eyes locked on the woman. She’s holding onto a pleasant smile, but her eyes are eerily observant. She’s not subtle as she inspects me. Her eyes trail down my body—I swear it feels like the ghostly feet of a spider creeping down my chest.

“Thing is,” Wes continues. “You’re trespassing. I’m going to need you guys to turn around.”

“Oh, are we?” The man looks at his companion, who doesn’t look away from us. “Hear that? Looks like we’ve gone way off course.”

The woman huffs out an exasperated sigh as she finally tears her eyes off me to look up at him.

“I told you we were going in the wrong direction.”

The man gives us a rueful smile. “Wives, they’re always right, aren’t they?”

“Wouldn’t know,” I tell him. “But my friend here is right. You can’t be here.”

The man lifts his hands in surrender and a good-natured smile. “Alright, we’ll turn around. Care to point us in the direction of the nearest road? It might be easier to get back to our car that way.”

Wes nudges his head to the right. “A few miles that way you’ll come to a road. Be careful, wildlife can be unpredictable this time of year as they prepare for winter.”

“Good to know.” The man throws an arm over his wife. “Sorry for wandering so far off course. Take care.”