Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Rhett
Iknow it’s early when I wake from a restless night’s sleep.
Sitting upright, with my knees drawn up to my chest, isn’t the problem—I’d slept like this for years before I came to Gnarly Pines while on the run from the police.
It’s the noises the house makes that keep me alert.
Every small creak and groan was a taunt.
A test.
Will I be ready when trouble comes to take my girl?
When. Not if.
Because it’s only a matter of time until Dixie and his men realize Blair has returned to Gnarly Pines. But he’s not the only threat. Dixie isn’t even the most immediate threat to Blair.
Each time I jerk my chin up from where it rests on my chest—ready to assess any sound that feels out of place—my head swivels in the direction of Ledger’s room.
His door never opened and no sound came from the other side last night.
Still… I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t come creeping out to get his hands on Blair.
An ache, soul deep—one that I haven’t felt in a while—attempts to surface. I try to push it away but it comes in fast, like a wave crashing over sand and for a second, I feel like I’m drowning. I suck in a sharp breath, scared that I might not be able to breathe ever again if I don’t.
My failure to protect my sister is a wound I’ll never truly recover from.
It’s healed some in these past few weeks—it’s more manageable now and I can think of Abby without the agony that tends to follow—but it’ll always be there in the background.
I cannot bear the thought of losing anyone else.
And yet, there’s a very real possibility that by the end of all this mess I could lose Blair.
Reaching up, I grab my chest—as if that could stop it from cracking open.
Losing Blair will destroy me.
My eyes flicker to my bedroom where Santiago is sleeping.
I could lose him, too. Dixie’s people are willing to kill indiscriminately.
I’ve borne witness to their vicious attacks.
What if Santi gets caught in the cross hairs of all of this?
Or what about Wes? There’s just so much at stake.
How the hell are we all supposed to make it out of this alive?
I choke on a groan as a shudder races down my spine. My fingers dig into my chest as I try to hold myself together.
The silence in the hall is broken by the sound of an alarm clock going off.
With a soft groan, I get to my feet.
Just as I do, Ledger’s door opens.
My heart seizes. Terror, unlike anything I’ve felt in a long fucking time climbs up my throat and chokes me.
He’s going to take everything from me.
Whether it be Blair’s death at Dixie’s hand or his crazed possessiveness—Ledger’s the threat to my future. My happiness.
This is why I sat here all night—to watch over the people I love from him.
All the fatigue clinging to me vanishes.
I’m on my feet in an instant as I reach for the gun on my hip. Ledger steps out of his room, looking haggard as fuck. He braces himself against his doorframe, pausing to suck in a shaky breath, then straightens. As he steps out into the hallway, he sees the gun pointed at his chest.
His eyes darken, and his mouth presses into a tight line.
Before he can say anything, I speak, “You either need to be headed to the fucking bathroom or downstairs. Got it?”
Ledger nods just once before heading to the bathroom.
Just as the door shuts, my bedroom door opens and Santiago steps out. The dark expression on his face throws me for a loop. He pauses when he sees the gun but then stretches as he yawns. The strange moody expression on his face softens as he studies me.
“You alright?” he asks. “Is she alright?”
I nod. “I didn’t hear anything, so she must’ve slept well.”
“You look…” He hesitates. “Stressed.”
The scoff that slips past my lips is bitter. “Understatement. You don’t look much better.”
There are shadows under Santi’s eyes and there’s a grim set to his mouth which is unusual for him.
“Want to go on The Hunt tonight?” He asks. “Blow off some steam? We can bring Blair with us.”
“Fuck. Yes.”
Santi nods. “I’ll make it happen.”
“What the fuck are you doing?” Wes snarls as he steps into the kitchen.
Ledger grunts. “What’s it look like? I’m making breakfast for everyone.”
Wes stares at Ledger’s back then glances at me.
“Don’t worry, he hasn’t poisoned anything,” I assure him grimly.
Ledger sighs and removes the pan of fried eggs off the burner before turning the stove off. When he faces Wes, it’s slow and cautious—clearly remembering I have a gun trained on him from where I’m sitting. He glances my way, then his eyes cut back to Wes.
“I’m trying to get us back on track,” Ledger explains.
Wes scoffs. “Were you ever on a track, Ledger? Because it appears that you’ve been off the rails for quite some time.”
Before Ledger can respond, Santi slips past Wes into the kitchen. I frown at the thunderous expression on his face. His eyes lock onto Ledger’s chest before jerks his head away to look in my direction The look on his face melts away as he freezes, reading the tension in the room.
What’s going on with Santi? I’ll have to ask him later.
“What did I walk into?” he asks.
“Look,” Ledger hedges stiffly as he glances around at us.
“I’ve made some bad calls. They’ve put everyone here at risk and I know things are shit right now, but I’ll make it right.
I will figure out who Dixie is and when I do, I’ll hunt him down and kill him.
In the meantime, I’ll earn back your trust.”
Santi crosses his arms over his chest. “That was a shit apology.”
“Because it wasn’t an apology,” Ledger snaps back. His brows crash together as he glares at Santi, then at the rest of us. “I’m not sorry that I brought Blair here or even how it happened—it had to be this way. I do, however, regret how out of control things have gotten.”
Wes shakes his head in disgust. “Jesus, Ledger.”
“I’ll figure this out,” Ledger repeats grimly.
“In the meantime… Some normalcy would be nice. So, I figured I’d make sure everyone had something to eat this morning since, apparently, we’ve decided to reopen Gnarly Pines today.
Maybe while we eat, someone will fill me in on what’s been going on around here. ”
“You cookin’ is far from normal,” Wes grumbles. “But the gesture is… appreciated.”
I shoot Wes an incredulous look and Santi mirrors it.
“We agreed to let him out and be a part of the fray,” Blair says, walking into the room. “Give him the opportunity, guys.”
With one last glare at Ledger, I lower my gun before tucking it into my waistband.
Santi stiffens, a growl rumbling in his chest. His hands clench into fists as he looks between Ledger and Blair. Maybe I’m not the only one feeling a bit more than a little out of sorts with Ledger free.
Blair moves toward the cabinets by Ledger, no doubt to grab the silverware and plates to set the table like she does when it’s just her and Wes in here.
Judging by how Santi, Wes and I react, we’re all on the same page on her proximity to Ledger.
Santi and I have barely moved before Wes is there, snagging Blair’s wrist and pulling her to him—and away from Ledger.
Once she’s tucked against his body, Wes glares at Ledger.
“You’ll be taking over Rhett’s zone while he and Blair lay low up here.
We’re telling everyone that there was a family emergency that we all had to go tend to, which is why we had to shut down Gnarly Pines.
While the three of us are back—we’ll say Rhett and Blair aren’t. ”
Ledger’s jaw ticks as he and Wes have a stare down.
It lasts only seconds but the tension in the room is palpable. No doubt Ledger understands that he’ll never get a chance to have a moment alone with Blair—not with us keeping her under a watchful eye.
His gaze flickers to Blair before he nods and turns back around to grab the pan.
“Fine by me.”
My axe meets flesh over and over.
Blood splatters.
Screams crescendo then fade.
The adrenaline thrumming through my veins feels endless, swelling and pressing against the underside of my skin until I feel like I might explode.
I drive my axe in harder, faster, until I’m hitting the dirt beneath the mess that was once human. Someone grabs at my wrist to stop me as I raise the axe above my head.
“Mi amado,” Santi calls softly.
Breathing hard, I blink the world back into focus. The man on the ground before me is nothing more than bloody chunks. My throat feels raw as I swallow and it dawns on me that I’ve been screaming. Looking up from the mess on the ground, my eyes find and lock onto Santi’s.
Worry fills his as he stares into my face.
But it’s not just worry within them—there’s something twisted and churning in his brown eyes. Something he’s trying to hide from me. Knowing Santi is keeping something from me makes my anxiety so much worse. He’s never hidden how he’s felt before, why has he started now?
“The Hunt didn’t help tonight, did it?” He asks.
Rather than answer him, I tear my eyes away from his face to search for Blair.
She’s there, just a few feet away. She’s leaning against a tree with her arms crossed over her chest, watching us closely.
There’s that emptiness in her eyes that only surfaces when she’s trying to close herself off from the world.
Santi plucks the axe from my grip and tosses it aside. “Want to explain what’s going on, Rhett?”
No. I’ll sound like a madman.
My lips press together. Rolling my shoulders, I look around at the small clearing we’ve found ourselves in. There’s already a fire going. Santi and Blair must’ve started it while waiting for me to be done.
“I won?”
“Nope, Blair did.” Santi says. “You came barreling in here right after she chopped his head off and took over. You don’t remember?”
I do, now that he’s said it. With a single nod I mutter, “Right, of course.”
“Rhett,” Blair says on a sigh. “Talk to us.”
“There’s nothing to talk about except telling us what you want as your prize.” I flash her a smile. It feels silted. “You’re in charge tonight.”