Sentence:  This was going to <WSD>be</WSD> it now , any second , and what he had to remember was to keep his eye on the razor , no matter what , even if Roberts should feint with a kick to the groin , the deadly hand was his exclusive concern . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)