Page 175 of Split You Open

“Why the hell did you pick this house to hold the hostages in?” I demand once we make it to the kitchen.

Dad pulls something out of his pocket and plugs it into the outlet on the counter. A little nightlight flares to life a second later. He turns to look at me, his expression hard.

“It’s insurance, Blair Bear. No doubt Santiago would hate to have too much attention brought to this house—so he won’t be doing anything stupid, like hurt you or⁠—”

My temper flares. “He wouldn’t hurt me!”

“He’s a serial killer, Blair. Of course he would.”

I let out a little shriek of frustration. “You’re a serial killer, Dad! Just because you get paid and Santi doesn’t, doesn’t change that fact!” Before I can begin to berate him over this, something else brings me up short. “Wait, how did you know about Santi?”

“Blair…” Dad tsks. “Unlike you, I don’t lower my guard around anyone, and I do my research before approaching any situation. It didn’t take long to figure out Santiago’s MO.”

I’ve never wanted to punch my dad as much as I do right now.

Santi’s going to freak out when he sees the location of Ledger’s phone. No doubt he already has. I’m going to have to be super quick about getting these hostages out of here. Dad can be pissed at me all he wants, but I’d rather face his wrath than Santi’s heartbreak if anything happens to this house.

I suck in a deep breath to steady myself.

Yelling has never gotten me my way—not when it comes to Dad. And I can see in his face that he expects me to throw a fit. He’s already shut down, ready to remind me how things are done while he’s around.

Rather than freak out again, I roll my shoulders and get to the point of why I’m here.

“I’m assuming the hostages are in the basement?”

His eyes flash with irritation, clearly annoyed I won’t take the bait.

“Yes.”

“Why wait until tomorrow to contact Dixie? Why not do it now?”

Dad’s eyes narrow. “So ready to be done with me, are you?”

“I’m tired of having a hit on me. Also, I’m ready to get them to safety,” I counter. “You know I don’t approve of this.”

“And yet, you’re here. Why is that, Blair Bear?”

Oh, he’s suspicious of me? The nerve of him! I swallow down my annoyance as I hold his gaze.

“You already have them, might as well use them,” I point out as I cross my arms over my chest. “I would’ve tried to stop you if you hadn’t grabbed them already.”

Dad snorts and rolls his eyes. “Dixie would use you as bait in a heartbeat. You have to fight fire with fire, Blair Bear. You know this.” With a shake of his head, he adds, “I’m going to take a shower and get some sleep. I’ll make the call tomorrow.”

At my nod, Dad walks by me and disappears into the house. I stand there in the kitchen, listening for the soft telltale signs of him heading upstairs. It’s not until I hear the water for the shower turn on that I move.

I don’t have time or a plan. All I know right now is that I need to act now or I won’t get another chance.

Dad will make sure of that.

On quick and quiet feet, I make my way through the Navarro house. When I get to the basement door, I quickly unlock it and slip into the darkness. I’m halfway down the stairs when I hear the muffled cries of a child. A chill runs down my spine.

Getting to the bottom of the stairs, I reach around in the dark until I find a light switch. The LED lights flicker to life and there in the middle of the room, I find two bodies sitting upright, their backs against one another. They’re both bound by the ankles and wrists, a hood thrown over their faces.

Nausea rolls through me at the sight.

What the hell, Dad?

That’s all I allow myself to feel as I begin to move. Shutting down my emotions is easy. Boxing them away and shoving them to the far recesses of my mind is something I’ve been doing all my life.