Brushing off a few more flecks of rusty debris, I stuffed the bag into my sports bra and raised my body into a crouch. My heart pounded in my ears as I rotated slowly, peering out from under the tree. A brilliant sunset had tinged the clouds pink and purple. It was hard to ignore the particularly large cumulus cloud hovering right over the sun, tinged in gold from the last rays as the orb ducked beneath the horizon.
Dusky shadows erased the fine details of the day, making it harder for me to see clearly. Tony and I had talked about that. I didn’t like running in semidarkness, but he insisted it would be to our advantage. A sudden movement to my right and a flapping sound nearly gave me a heart attack. I bolted and ran about twenty-five yards at a sprint before my senses caught up to each other. It was only a bird. I glanced behind me. I was still safe, but I didn’t stop running.
With the cemetery behind me and the diamonds against my chest, I entered the unknown of the bike trail with its multitudinous bushes and weeds flanking the path. Every shrub seemed like the perfect place for a criminal to hide. I reminded myself that policemen were stationed at regular intervals. An officer had probably been at the cemetery, and I just hadn’t seen him.
Checking my watch, I slowed my pace to a comfortable jog. I was still too early, so I stopped for a moment to adjust my shoes. Adrenaline buzzed along my nerves as I retied my laces. Every sound made my heart jump, and it took all my willpower to keep from sprinting down the trail again at full speed. My pace was much slower than usual, but I didn’t want to slow to a walk. I hoped Tony would be early.
The paved bike trail was one of my favorite features of the Sun Valley area. It ran alongside the highway, and on more than one occasion I had followed the trail the full ten miles to Hailey, the town next to Ketchum. The road was quiet, and the lack of traffic added to the stillness of the encroaching night. Each footfall reverberated in my ears, and I strained my eyes for any sign of Tony or another police officer.
I had at least another half mile to go before the drop point with Tony, but I would still get there before eight-forty. With another glance behind me, I slowed my pace again. The trail appeared empty, but I could see only about twenty yards into the ever-darkening night. I faced forward again, concentrating on my breathing instead of the fear clawing at my insides.
The trail curved slightly to the right, and a formidable-looking bush in need of a trim reached for my bare legs. I sidestepped the branch and ran into something solid that hadn’t been there a millisecond before.
Before I could react, strong arms pulled me off the trail and through the scraggly sagebrush. One hand reached up to cover my mouth, extinguishing my rising scream.
“I know you have the diamonds,” a low voice spoke right next to my ear. “If you want to stay alive, you’ll cooperate.”
I felt something jab me in the back, and I recoiled. All of my self-assurances that this little operation would go off without a hitch left the instant I realized he had a gun.
He prodded me with the weapon, and I winced. “Now let’s take a little walk.”
I tripped through the undergrowth off the trail as we headed away from the road toward the mountain. Thoughts of struggling against him and biting his hand flitted through my mind, but the touch of cold steel against my back killed any courageous ideas. I held onto the hope that someone was coming. The police had been watching me, and this man didn’t know it. As we moved farther from the path, I began to worry about how wide a surveillance they had set up.
The man pushed me up a rise and around a couple of large boulders. He shoved me to the ground and put his knee in my back. I grunted as my face hit the dirt. Tears stung my eyes as several rocks bit into my skin.
“Were you hoping to keep those diamonds for yourself?” I could feel his hot breath on my ear as he whispered, “Like you would even know what to do with them. Lucky me, you decided not to take them to the police first thing.”
I did not need a reminder of how stupid I had been. I’m a fast learner. Tony would be the first to know if anything out of the ordinary happened from now on. At least he knew now—but where was he?
The man turned me over and grabbed my wrists so hard I cried out. “Don’t try to fight, or things will get bad in a hurry.”
Squinting, I tried to take in details of my abductor. His dark hair brushed the tops of his shoulders. Close-shaved sideburns reached down and around his jaw and ended in a well-trimmed goatee. His fingers gripped the black gun that reminded me of Tony’s weapon—I think he called it a Glock—and I didn’t like the way the barrel was pointed at my head.
He straddled me and leaned forward. “Now, where are the diamonds?”
Chapter 21
Comfort Me Hot Cocoa
Heat one cup milk, two tablespoons sugar, one tablespoon cocoa, a pinch of salt, and ½ teaspoon vanilla in a saucepan at medium temperature. Do not
