“Leave it there for now. Act normal.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” I fed Tux, grabbed my stuff, and hurried to my shop, not bothering with the speed limit this time.
I spotted Tony leaning against the back door when I arrived. He straightened as I approached. “What do you have planned for today?”
The bag on my shoulder probably weighed forty pounds, and I hefted it toward him. “Nothing that I’m willing to cancel for these crooks.”
He grunted as he took the bag. “What do you have in here?”
“Wedding plans.”
We stepped inside the store, and I punched the electronic keypad, disarming the security system. Tony set my bag on the floor and walked around the shop, checking things out. “I know you’re trying to act tough, but we’re not fooling around with these guys. Hamilton and I have a plan.”
Acting tough didn’t mean I felt tough. Dread came over me as I followed his train of thought. “You’re going to use me as bait.”
“You’re already doing a great job of that yourself.” Tony stood with his feet apart, and he didn’t look happy. “Someone came right up to your patio door last night. Do you realize how easy it would have been for them to come inside and hurt you?”
I stepped back and sat in my office chair, dropping my head into my hands. “I know.”
Tony crouched down and took hold of my hands. “I had an officer patrolling your street all night, and he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Whoever is behind this isn’t out to fail.”
I furrowed my brow, angry again that the stupid crooks were making me sick to my stomach. “It just makes me so mad that they are messing with my plans.”
Tony chuckled. “You’re a spitfire. That’s how I know you can see this thing through.”
“What do I have to do?”
“Tonight you’re going for another run, and I want you to get those diamonds.”
“We can’t hand them over.”
“We won’t. I’m pretty certain this person is tailing you, and they’re planning to take the diamonds before you can put them in your cute little lunch bag.”
“So I will be bait?” I didn’t like the idea, even though Tony was right about the criminals already stalking me.
“It’s a nice open area. I’ll be running the trail as well as two other officers. Detective Hamilton will be in a car.” Tony took out a notebook. “Now, fill me in on your plans for the day.”
I sighed and flipped out my planner so I could show Tony every appointment I had set up.
“Can you postpone going to the hot springs?” Tony asked. “There are too many possibilities in that area—no way of keeping it secure.”
“Sure.” Dallas would be disappointed. I hoped he wouldn’t think I was avoiding him. I would still stop by his office, even if I couldn’t explain exactly why we weren’t going to the springs.
“Can you be ready to run at about eight o’clock tonight?”
“I’ll wear my pink running skirt, so I’ll be easy to spot.”
“Okay. You get the diamonds and then run back up the trail a half mile. We hope he won’t try to intercept you before then. You’ll hand the diamonds off to me, but be obvious about it.” He patted my knee. “So you’ll only be partial bait. The idea is for him to go after me.”
Fear dropped like a stone down my throat, and for a moment, I couldn’t find my voice. “I’m scared.”
“Good.” His expression was stern. “Maybe it’ll keep you from doing anything stupid.”
“I’m sorry, Tony. I know I messed things up.” I gave him my best apologetic look. “I should’ve brought the diamonds to you first thing.”
“Maybe not. This way, we’ll catch the smuggler. If you had turned them in already, we might not have had a chance.” He held up a finger. “But don’t do anything like this ever again.”
I raised three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
He stood. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you, but please be careful.” Tony left the shop through the back door, and I waited until I heard the latch click before I groaned and lowered my head to the desk.
Stiff with tension, I attempted to massage a few knots out of my neck while thinking how I could tell Dallas that I needed to cancel our date. He would probably want to try to do something else, and I didn’t want to risk bringing him into my dangerous life—not that I had any extra time today anyway.
The shop was quiet because I had come in so early to meet Tony. It gave me a chance to work without interruption. I made several phone calls to check on the progress of Natalie’s catering, flowers, cake, and limo service. Valerie from Decadent Catering said she would bring a sample of the dark chocolate truffles Natalie requested, as well as a platter of cream cheese-stuffed strawberries that she wanted me to try.
Mom e-mailed her “Sweet Five-Petal Crochet Flower Pattern” complete with pictures, and I uploaded it to mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com under our tutorial section. I rummaged around in the sewing supplies until I found some yarn and a crochet hook. Ten minutes later, I had made two that I thought might be a perfect embellishment for a thank-you card.
Lorea arrived with a happy glow that increased when she surveyed the remaining wedding gowns in her collection. “My sister called me this morning and said one of her friends wants to look at our dresses. She heard that Natalie bought her gown here. It’s starting, Adri.”
“Let’s just hope Natalie gets more publicity than Sylvia.” I didn’t want to be a downer, but I felt like I should keep Lorea grounded in case the Rockforts retaliated.
“My bet is on Natalie. Sylvia will just be the jilted ex, no matter what she says.”
“Good theory.” And it was, especially considering Sylvia had moved to Ketchum to follow Brock Grafton. Rumor was, he hadn’t even moved into the “log cabin on steroids” he’d built before Sylvia found out and the Rockforts
