Page 12 of Dark Horse

Can you still track her phone?

I put tracking software on her phone last year when she disappeared for a long weekend and didn’t let anyone know where she was going. She has a right to do whatever the fuck she pleases, but if something happens, I need to know how to get to her. If I need to get to her.

LEV:

Theoretically.

Do it. Do we have anyone we could pull to put on the streets?

Do you want to read me in on what’s going on?

She’s gone. The place looks like it could have been tossed. And I just found out she has a dangerous side hustle.

What kind of danger?

I fire off the website and her screen name to him.

LEV:

Fuck.

Can you hack into it? I want the names and addresses of every single one of these fucks. And I want the site offline.

Yeah. But you want the footage first, right?

The phone first. Then the footage. Then the site.

Got it. Give me two.

The two minutes pass at an impossibly slow pace. I’m listening to the sounds of the handyman’s wrench turning and the shuffle of plastic and the tear of cardboard while I wait to find out if she’ll ever be back to use the sink again.

LEV:

Last location on the phone is the ranch.

Our ranch?

Yeah. It’s not tracking. Looks like it lost her headed into the woods.

My mind turns on that one. No way would some guy beable to drag her onto our ranch to harm her unannounced, not after the additional security measures we put into place last year. And there’s absolutely no chance that anyone on our ranch would touch a hair on her head. So she must be safe.

LEV:

Coverage is spotty out there. Possible she’s on a hike.

Or a horseback ride?

Yeah. Would make sense.

She does go horseback riding with Hazel at least once a week when the weather holds up. I’ve seen her on the ranch enough times to know that much. But it doesn’t explain the state of the apartment.

I’ll call Ramsey.

“I’m just gonna make a work call really quick. Back in five?” I say to the handyman as I head for the door.

“Sounds good. Should be wrapping up by then.”

“Perfect.”

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