Page 24 of Risk

“Hand over your wallet, and you won’t get hurt,” a gruff accented voice demanded.

I didn’t want to give up my wallet and lose everything that was in it, but I also didn’t want to be stabbed to death.

“Stop thinking and hand it over,” he growled, pushing the knife against my skin until I felt a sharp bite of pain.

With shaky hands, I handed over my wallet only for the man to snatch my purse from my shoulder and run off.

I cried out, knowing all my important documents were in my purse. How would I travel without my passport? One moment tears were filling my eyes as I watched the thief zig-zag around the surrounding people, and the next, I saw Callum run past me hot on my attacker’s heels, disappearing into the crowd.

As my body started to shake, I wrapped my arms around my middle while keeping my eyes trained on the direction Cal ran off. My fingers brushed against the sting where the knife had broken my skin. I didn’t dare to pull my fingers away to check to see if there was blood on them.

After what seemed like an eternity, I saw Callum’s head pop up over the crowd. He was easily the tallest person here being over six feet. My body trembled harder when I saw the stern set to his jaw. When I saw my purse clutched in one of his hands, I wanted to sob. I watched as his steps ate up the distance between us, and when he was only inches away, I launched myself into his chest and hugged him. When his strong arms engulfed me, I let the tears loose.

His strong arms moved up my back and landed on my shoulders. He pulled back enough to look down at me. “Are you okay, Doc? I should have checked on you first before I went after that asshole.” When his eyes fell down to my side, they went wide, and his jaw ticked. “Shit, you’re bleeding. We should get you to the hospital.”

My hands came to rest over his rapidly beating heart. “I’m fine, Cal. I don’t need a hospital. Only a hot shower, a Band-Aid, and some antibacterial ointment.”

One of his hands moved to hover over the darkened fabric of my shirt. “I’d feel better if you went to the hospital.”

“It’s really not that bad. I promise.” I looked around the area and all the people who continued to move through as if nothing had happened. Nothing had happened to them, but for me, I wanted away from all the people and to be somewhere I felt safe. “But I do want to go back to our hotel. Is that okay?”

Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, Callum pulled me into his side. “More than okay. We can get you cleaned up and order some room service.”

I wasn’t sure I could be around a large crowd of people in that moment. My body still shook as we stood in the middle of the marketplace. Wanting to regain some sense of normalcy, I dug into my purse and pulled out the car figurine I’d bought only moments before all this happened. Smiling as best as I could, I held it out to Cal.

“Is this for me?” He took it in his big hand and inspected it with a large smile on his face. He looked so happy. I wondered when was the last time someone bought Cal something just because.

“It is. I hope you like it. I wanted to get you something, but I didn’t know what until I saw it.” I tried to smile, but I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. I was still reeling over the last twenty minutes of my life.

“You’re the best, Doc. I more than like it. Thank you.” He wrapped me in a warm hug and held me for a long minute before he started to guide us through the crowd.

I knew he liked to be constantly on the go, but I wondered if he stayed on the move to avoid the fact that he was alone when he didn’t want to be. Callum was a great catch. I couldn’t imagine it was hard for him to make friends or find a woman who wanted to spend time with him.

With my arm around his waist, we made our way out of the marketplace to a line of taxis where he found one who would take us to our hotel. As we rode up the elevator to our room, I locked eyes with him in the mirror. “You know you don’t always have to entertain me. I can explore on my own or stay in my room if you ever need a break.” Not that I wanted to venture out on my own after what happened tonight. From now on, I was going to keep my belongings close to me and where no one could see them when I was out. I needed to be a smarter traveler.

His lips quirked up. “I like showing you around, but maybe a night at each location, we could just chill.”

Callum guided me down the hall and into our suite. I still wasn’t sure it was a good idea for us to be sharing the same space. It was hard enough to keep my distance the more I got to know him, and now knowing he was only across the living area from me had my resolve weakening—especially after what had happened earlier.

“Why don’t you take a shower or a bath while I order us some food. Is seafood okay with you?”

He hovered close as if he was afraid I’d bolt at any second. The opposite was true. He was lucky I hadn’t attached myself to him like a barnacle. Cal made me feel safe and protected. I knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

“You haven’t let me down so far, so show me what you’ve got. Order me some amazing food.”

Instead of taking a shower, I opted for a nice hot bath. I wanted and needed to melt some of the tension away. I could relax in the hot water and meditate to get myself in the right headspace. I didn’t like being afraid. I wanted to be able to continue traveling and not be looking over my shoulder for danger at every corner. The bathroom in my room was perfect. There was a large window in front of the big enough for four, bathtub.

Slipping into the hot water, I leaned back in the deep tub, stared at the sky in front of me, and visualized myself on a beach at sunset. It was what others would call my happy place. The sound of the waves crashing, the movement of the water, and the sky as it turned colors calmed my mind. It wasn’t hard to do with the visual outside my window. The suite was amazing, with huge windows that overlooked the bay. All I had to do was imagine the sound the waves would make.

A soft knock on the door brought me out of my reflection before the door cracked open. “Hey, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay in here.”

Turning my head to look at him, I saw his eyes in the mirror as he looked in through the smallest crack. It was almost comical. He’d been hitting on me from the beginning, and now when he had the chance to get his fill, Cal kept his distance. It showed what a good man he was. Not that it was ever in question. Everything I learned about the dreamy racer made it harder and harder to keep our relationship professional.

“I’m okay as I can be.” I gave him a tight smile.

“Yeah, I thought so. You’ve been so quiet. I wanted to let you know dinner should be here in a few minutes.”

“I’ll be out soon then. I need to clean up this…scratch.” I wanted to say wound, but calling it that would worry Cal more.

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