Page 23 of Risk

“Whoa there, Doc. Are you okay?” I held out my hand for her to take and helped her up. Once she was upright, something in me couldn’t let go of her hand. When she started to pull it away, my grasp on her hand tightened. “I better keep ahold of you, just in case you trip again.”

Her eyes narrowed, but just as quickly, she was back to her wide-eyed self as we started back the way we came. When my fingers laced with hers, she didn’t pull away, but said, “Friends, Cal. We can only be friends.”

“For now, Doc.”

Aspen

Singapore

We stoodat the front desk of the Ritz-Carlton for what felt like forever. It had been at least ten minutes with the man on the other side of the counter typing away at his keyboard. Looking up at us, his gaze lingered on Callum for a few seconds, and then he went back to typing.

“What seems to be the problem…” Cal shifted his gaze to the man’s name tag. “Aiden?”

“We only have the one room. Your suite…I can’t find Ms. Belle’s reservation anywhere in the system,” he stuttered.

I pushed forward to lean against the counter. I didn’t care where I slept, but I needed sleep. “It’s fine. I’ll take whatever room you’ve got available.”

“That’s the problem, Ms. Belle. Our hotel is full because of the Grand Prix. I can try another hotel, but I’m afraid they won’t have a room either.”

“How did this happen?” Cal fumed.

“I’m really not sure, sir.” He flushed and then went back to typing.

“What am I going to do? Do you think there’s an Airbnb available?”

“You can stay in my room. It’s a suite, correct?” He directed the last to Aiden.

“Yes, sir. It’s got two bedrooms and a living area with a view of the bay and the track.” He smiled nervously. I was sure he hoped I would take Cal up on his offer, so we’d get out of his hair. We’d taken enough of his time.

“I can’t do that, Cal. I’m sure I can find somewhere else to stay.” In all honesty, I knew that there was likely no place for me to stay since, during our travels, I’d learned how many fans traveled to come to the races. Some traveled around the world to every race. It didn’t help that we’d grown closer after he’d taken care of me while I had a horrible headache. No longer could I ice him out and only be professional with him. Each day that passed, it became harder and harder for me to tamp down my growing feelings for the man who was quickly becoming my world.

“Please stay in the extra bedroom. It’ll make me feel better about the price of what I’m sure is an expensive suite. I promise I won’t do anything untoward.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, hoping he’d change his mind.

“Absolutely positive,” he answered as a bellboy came and started to place our luggage on a cart.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, but you don’t need to thank me. It’s what friends do for one another.”

* * *

Cal followedme around one of the shopping stalls as he looked at the figurines that were carved out of wood and stone. “Maybe if you told me what you’re looking for, this would go faster.”

The only problem was I didn’t want to tell him what I was looking for. I wanted to buy him something for taking me to Green Lake when we were in Austria, and I tried to keep it a surprise. I hadn’t been able to get it out of my head since we left. Secretly, I’d hoped he would have taken me back before we left Austria for Singapore. Instead, he took me to old but incredible buildings and told me their stories. I had a sneaking suspicion that he also loved history, going by the amount of knowledge he could rattle off about each location.

“I’d like a souvenir and a present for a friend,” I answered and walked further into the marketplace. It was busy with stalls everywhere. I could have easily spent hours there going down each row, but I had a feeling Cal wasn’t big on shopping if his constant need to look at his watch was any indication. “Are you in a hurry?” I smiled to myself when he only shook his head.

Cal took the lead as we weaved in and out of people. I saw a beautifully carved Formula One car with a green stone as the steering wheel. The green was almost an exact match to the color of his car and suit he wore when he raced. I tried to yell for Cal to stop, but he couldn’t hear me from the commotion all around us. Hopefully, he’d figure out I wasn’t right behind him and head back my way. Quickly I picked up the car and inspected it so I could get back to Cal. The body was smooth and shiny, and the stone was even more beautiful up close. It was so green it had to be an emerald.

“How much?” I asked the sweet old man behind the table.

He pointed at the car and seemed to tell me a story about it, except I had no idea what he was saying.

Not wanting for the distance between Cal and me to grow further, I didn’t bargain with the man. Instead, I pulled out my wallet and paid probably too much money for the car, but I didn’t care. I loved it, and I hoped Cal would as well.

Stepping away from the stall, I started to put my wallet back in my purse when I felt something sharp in my side. Gasping, I turned my head to see a man wearing an oversized hoodie that covered most of his face. He wasn’t much taller than me, but I could feel the menace rolling off of him before he spoke.

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