Page 13 of Dark Horse

I slip into the hall and walk down toward the far door, the one that gives access to the outer stairwell that leads to the back parking lot, before I hit the call button on Ramsey’s number. It rings twice before he picks up.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Have you seen Dakota today?”

“Yeah. Got here an hour or so ago. She and Hazel went out on the trail. Need something?”

Oxygen seeps back into my lungs, and my heart starts to beat again at an unsteady pace. A frustrated sigh leaves my lipsbefore I can stop it. I highly doubt Hazel or Ramsey know about Dakota’s side hustle. If I had to guess, no one knows.

“She just forgot an appointment with the handyman,” I explain. But as the dread recedes, anger fills the crevices it left behind. “Will you let me know when she leaves?”

“Sure.”

“Don’t tell her or Hazel I was looking for her.”

“Okay…” Ramsey trails off, sounding skeptical of my intentions.

“I don’t want her coming up with a list of excuses before she talks to me.”

“Fair enough,” he concedes.

“You doing all right?” I ask. The man is in the last few weeks of the run-up to his second wedding. “No cold feet? We could always run off to Monte Carlo for a few weeks. Take a yacht up to Portofino.” I know he’ll say no to all of that but as his brother I feel like I need to make the offer.

“Nah. Too excited about being able to call her the little wife again.” Ramsey laughs.

“All right.”

“See you tomorrow?” We’re meeting for drinks along with Levi. Ironing out some business details and talking about what he wants for his bachelor party.

“See you then.”

We hang up, and I close my eyes, pressing my phone to my forehead while I breathe a sigh of relief. She’s fine. She’s safe. On the family ranch out on some trail riding horses with her best friend. Not locked in some psycho’s basement as his personal plaything.

Except now she has another problem.Me.

FIVE

DAKOTA

I’m exhaustedby the time I get back to the apartment and trudge up the steps. There was an issue with our liquor license that I had to drive down to the county seat to deal with. Then Hazel called, crying and worried about the centerpieces and seating arrangements that she wanted to hash out together in person. Since I was already there, we ironed out details for the pre-wedding party that was fast approaching. One that was turning into a massive event, but one she was so excited for; it makes me smile every time I think about the animated description of her plans. After all of that, she talked me into going for a ride, one that was a much-needed escape, except for the fact that I managed to slip when we let the horses stop for water, ending up a muddy mess. So I showered and had a quick dinner with them before I made my way back home.

I need to get changed out of this Queen City Chaos shirt and into something sexier before I have to start my eight o’clock chat with my best subscriber. An appointment I’ll have to cut tactfully short so I can make it to cover a shift at the bar tonight and hopefully grab a scoop of sorbet to keep my spirits up.

I shut the door behind me, locking it, and sliding down the back of it in exhaustion. I wonder for the briefest of moments why Vendetta isn’t in my lap already before I nearly have a heart attack when I open my eyes and see the silhouette at the table. I open my mouth to scream, but he cuts me off.

“Long day?” It’s the fucking devil himself, lurking in the late-day shadows.

“What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?” I’m furious. He’s rarely even been in my apartment, and now in a week, he’s been in here twice. “Just because you have a key doesn’t mean you can let yourself in.”

Anger and panic swirl around one another, tightening into a knot in my stomach. There are lots of reasons I don’t want him in here. Too many secrets he could uncover and things he could never unsee that would kill me for him to find out.

“No, but it does mean I have to let the handyman in when you forget to meet him.”

“Oh shit.” I press my hand to my mouth. It had completely slipped my mind with everything else going on. “I had to put out fires today, and I guess I forgot.”

“I guess.” His eyes drift over my shirt. “You have fun with Hazel?”

“Mostly.” I’m not about to admit I fell in the mud. It would just be another failure he could add to the column of things he finds annoying about me.

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