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cattered around the shop.
Her radar went up immediately. She took a step back and let them observe. Not everyone was a talker. They were probably just in there to browse.
She stood by, hands clasped behind her back, when one of them lifted his head. “Tell me about this.”
He was referring to the glass wave sculpture in the case. “Sure.” She came over to the case. “This piece was made by one of our local artists. She’s very popular for her use of a mix of colors.”
“Let me see it.”
“All right.” She went behind the counter and unlocked the cabinet, conscious of the man’s friend on the other side of the counter.
These guys made her nervous. Not because they were bikers, but because of their demeanor. She wished Marco were here to help her keep an eye on them.
She placed the thick velvet presentation mat on the counter, then deftly pulled the piece out of the cabinet and laid it on the overlay.
“As you can see, it’s quite spectacular.”
“Uh-huh. How much?”
“Eight hundred.”
He didn’t look up at her, didn’t blink, didn’t balk at the price. She half turned to see what the other guy was doing. He was inching closer to the front door at a very slow pace, still not making eye contact.
She didn’t like this. Her stomach knotted. She needed her phone. She suddenly wanted to call Jed.
She kept her focus on the guy moving toward her front door. “Are you interested in this piece, or can I show you something else?”
“Show me something else,” the guy said.
Reluctantly, she turned her gaze back to the customer. “All right. What would you like to see?”
“This one.”
She tucked the glass piece to the side, ready to smash it and use the shards as a weapon if need be. She pulled out the shell.
That’s when she heard the distinct click of the lock at her front door. Her gaze snapped to the man at the door. “Hey!”
She dove for the glass and came out with it in her hand, ready to break it over the counter and stab the asshole nearest her.
“Hey yourself, babe. What’s going on here?”
She sagged with relief at the sound of Jed’s voice. He sauntered in from the back of her shop. How he’d gotten in that way, she had no idea, and frankly didn’t care. All she knew was the look on his face was lethal, and his right hand was resting on the butt of the gun tucked into his pants, sending a clear message to the two guys in the store he was ready for whatever they had in mind.
“I don’t think we want anything today,” the one by the door said, quickly unlocking the door.
The two of them left in a hurry.
Jed was at her side in two seconds and she sagged against him.
He took the glass from her hand. She hadn’t even realized she had a death grip on it.
“Hell of a weapon here.”
“It could be if I’d broken it.”
“I’m not disagreeing with you. Who the hell were those guys?”
“No idea. I didn’t like their vibe from the second they walked through the door. No eye contact, and I could tell they weren’t really interested in any of the inventory.”
