Page 38 of Two Hearts' Ploy

“No breakfast?” Jeff asked.

“I didn’t sleep too well after what Jake had to tell me last night, so I ended up eating a few of the snacks that I’d bought from the store,” she admitted.

“He’s filled me in,” Jeff observed. “They’ve connected the musician to you, by the way. He played backup on one of your tours.”

She grimaced. “We hire quite a few backup musicians for when we perform live – especially if there are rotating stages available, like in Vegas. It’s better to have everyone surrounding me in place beforehand so I can move quickly from stage to stage. If this guy was stalking me, I think I would have sensed it.”

“We need to keep a closer eye on you, but you already knew that last night,” Jake admitted, sipping his coffee.

“You’re throwing the two of us together then, so I won’t just be Jeff’s houseguest,” she observed. “Marc and I talked last night on our burner phones. He mentioned that he’s working with the FBI now.”

“Yes, it was Marc Turner I talked with this morning,” Jake admitted. “He’s worried about you, that’s for sure. Especially if you’re going to be recording this single live.”

“I’ve been thinking about this all night,” Wren said gruffly. “I’ve only been in hiding for a week and I’m already getting sick of it. I’m a performer. I can’t work in the shadows. Here’s what I’d like to do, Jake, which is something you might already have in mind. After you’ve had a little more time to investigate, I think we need to have a plan to flush this person or persons out. I’ll do whatever you suggest, but I really think we need to set some kind of trap. And quickly, before whoever’s behind this escalates any farther.”

Giving Jeff a grim smile, Jake nodded firmly.

“That’s exactly the plan I had in mind, Wren. I’m sure that Jeff agrees with me.”

What other choice did they have?

Concerned, Jeff heaved a sigh as he nodded yes.

Chapter Twenty-One

Restless after talking with Jake first, and then Marc the previous night, Wren had spent the night tossing and turning, finally reaching for the bottle of wine she’d purchased at the store. One glass along with relaxing in the hot tub where she could stare at the stars above with the French doors open had finally allowed her to get about four hours sleep.

Still feeling tired after taking a shower, she’d noticed that Jake had texted he’d be in the restaurant with Jeff, who’d be driving her to the studio today.

Wren had been pretty much prepared for that. In fact, she’d probably be moving out of the suite by tomorrow evening once Jeff’s home security was updated.

Maybe she’d talk Jeff into taking her out there tonight so she could have a look around. Giving Jeff a side glance, she had to admit that she was curious about his taste. Especially since he’d mentioned something about antiques when they’d been talking yesterday.

Which reminded her – all the purchases she’d made at the local antique mall were ready and waiting for her to decide where to ship them.

As they continued to discuss her security during the next few days, Wren figured she’d better ask for advice.

“Jake? I bought a load of items at the local antique mall when I drove into town the other day. I was planning on having them delivered to my New York apartment, but maybe that’s not such a good idea right now,” Wren admitted, pursing her lips.

Jake nodded, smiling. “I heard about that. The manager gave me a call to reassure me that no one would know you were in town. She assumed you were staying here.”

“How much stuff did you purchase?” Jeff asked, definitely curious.

She grimaced. “Too much, including some furniture.”

Jeff laughed. “That sounds like me. I’ve got a barn on my property where I store all my building supplies. There’s a cedar lined storage room I built inside. You can leave whatever you’d like there until you decide where you want to ship things.”

“Good. That takes care of that problem then,” she said.

“I’ll be sending those mattresses over tonight, Jeff. You said the bedroom furniture is arriving this afternoon?”

“Yes. After two, so maybe send the mattresses after four. I’ll be working in my home studio every afternoon, I’ve decided, after running through music and recording with Eve and Wren during the mornings. That’s my tentative schedule anyway, until we’re ready for her to record live.”

“A couple of weeks,” she said, deciding. “I’m assuming you and Eve will be rounding up some musicians?”

“Is there anyone you want to bring in from California?” Jeff asked.

“Not necessarily. We usually go with short-term contracts during tours, so everyone can move on afterwards. I do have a guitarist and drummer who I’d love to include, but they’re good, so they might not be available,” she admitted, glancing at her watch. “I suppose we’d better be on our way.”

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