Page 92 of Split You Open

Anchor: The milkshake is melting. Time to move somewhere colder.

Anchor: A hawk circles but there’s no blue light.

The room feels like it’s spinning. My heart is hammering in my chest, pounding loudly in my ears. Checking the time stamp, the last message was from two days ago. Holy shit… The phone in my hand trembles.

“Ledger was right…” I stare in wonder at the messages. “Dad’s alive.”

There’s a round of sighs of relief that echo around the room.

“Thank fuck,” Wes mutters.

I suck in a steadying breath.

It does nothing to settle me. In fact, it feels like I’m being crushed under a torrential downpour of emotions. Relief, excitement, anger, confusion, and that stupid sickly sweet joy all converge inside of me and I don’t know how to let it out.

Around me, the others are chatting.

I can hear their voices but none of it is processing. My mind reels with what this all means. Ledger was telling the truth; he’s been in contact with Dad. Which means… the rest of everything he’s said has been true as well.

He destroyed my life to rebuild it anew—his interpretation of a “better one”.

I hate how he did it and I utterly loathe how he put Dad in danger for his vision to come to fruition. But Ledger wanted me so badly he went to extremes to get me. He’s wanted me for years. All this time, all the stalking, stealing, scheming, and danger—it’s because he wanted me.

Ledger carved out room in his life to give me space to join him in it.

My heart flutters with joy.

Joy?

What the hell is wrong with me?

Why does the thought of Ledger going to such lengths to possess me have my blood racing and my thighs squeezing together? I’m furious but exhilarated.

“Baby girl?” A gentle squeeze around the back of my neck pulls me back into the moment.

I suck in shaky breath and look up from the phone to see everyone staring at me expectantly. Shit, did someone ask me something?

“W-what?” I ask, not sure who said what.

“Has your dad mentioned his whereabouts? Or if he’s working on this Dixie threat?” Wes peers over my shoulder as he tries to read the messages. I hold the phone out but I know he’ll be just as confused as I feel after reading them.

“We always talk in code, but this?” I shake my head. “These messages, they’re a warning but I can’t tell what they’re about. This must be something between Dad and Ledger.”

Wes’s thumb slides up and down my neck, the gesture soothing.

“We’ll figure it out. For now, we can relax a bit knowing your dad is alive.” He glances anxiously at the others before he adds, “We need to know what to do with Ledger, now.”

Ledger… Again, I’m hit with conflicting emotions.

Santi crosses his arms over his chest. “If Blair’s dad doesn’t take care of the threat, it’ll find us again. We’re going to need all the help we can get—maybe we think about setting him free?”

“And you think we’ll get help from Ledger?” Rhett asks skeptically. “The guy who set all of this in motion?”

“He didn’t mean to,” Santi argues. “He did this out of love.”

We all stare at Santi like he’s grown a second head.

“Excuse me?” I whisper. “You call this love?”