Page 39 of Risky Match (Royal Spies #1)

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B lake will be here any minute to walk me to his sponsor event.

For a long time, I’ve felt like Blake had two different versions of himself. Two years ago, he was friendly and fun to be around.

Then I arrived at Wimbledon this year and found him grumpy, frustrated, and somewhat of an arse most of the time. But lately, he’s starting to resemble the man I first met—the one I’ve dreamed about on lonely evenings.

Ironically, I’m the one who’s supposed to be wearing different hats. On the court, we’re partners trying to win. Off the court, we can’t keep our hands off each other. And on top of all that, I’m supposed to be investigating him.

I keep telling myself that there’s a logical explanation for his involvement, and I’ll be able to help him in the end. But I’m probably just kidding myself and will end up heartbroken and possibly embarrassed that I allowed myself to fall for a criminal.

Hearing footsteps, I look up. Blake’s approaching, so it’s time to learn what I can from the sponsor event tonight.

“Are you ready?” he asks.

“Yes. Where’s the event?”

“It’s in the giant white tent on the other side of Court No. 1.”

“Let’s go.”

As we’re walking, I ask, “Which of your sponsors is hosting this event?”

“It’s ProLuxe, the travel company. They hold this VIP party for their clients every year. I’m expected to show up and let everyone take selfies. You know the drill.”

“You must do a million of these meet-and-greets. Do you ever tire of the attention?”

“It can be tedious, but something tells me tonight will be more enjoyable.”

“Are you flirting with me or are you excited about the business deal you’re working on tonight?” I ask with a teasing nudge to his arm.

“It’s not the business part I’m looking forward to.”

“Oh. Why not let Noah handle it? Or can you no longer trust him even for minor business dealings?”

“No, that’s not it. My sponsor has expectations that I don’t like.”

“Can you back out of the deal?”

“No. I’m under contract. I don’t have a choice right now. It’s not a big deal. Let’s talk about something else like how wonderful you look tonight.”

“That’s a subject I like. You’re rather handsome yourself.”

If Blake and I didn’t need to be at this event, I’d suggest we find a place where we could be alone for the rest of the evening.

As if reading my thoughts, he whispers, “I’d rather be in the back corner of a dimly lit restaurant seducing you right now.”

“That’s not far from what I had in mind. But maybe we order takeaway and head straight to bed.”

“I like how you think. Do you like Thai?”

“Spicy would be perfect.” I wink.

As we near the tent, Blake steers me behind an outdoor display. Hidden in its shadow, he pulls me against his warm, hard body and melds our lips into a passionate kiss. His talented tongue slowly tantalizes and teases my mouth, utterly consuming me.

Eventually, he pulls his head back, studying my eyes. “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I can’t get enough of you.”

“It’s you who has mesmerized me.” I don’t add that I can’t focus on anything other than him, including my mission.

“We should go inside now, but I plan to pick this up again later.”

“I certainly hope so.”

Before we enter the tent, someone draws Blake into a conversation.

While they chat, I hear two men speaking Italian around the back corner of the structure, but I can’t see their faces.

Their voices are hushed. I only overhear snippets.

They mention gold coins and perfect hiding places.

Then I hear two familiar names, Josh and Thomas.

I can’t make out more details except I pick up the word “problem.” The men also say something about Blake not having a choice.

That’s the last thing I hear before one man says they should go back inside the tent.

Interesting. Their words imply Blake is being coerced to do something they want, and it likely involves the gold coins. That would be consistent with Blake saying he has a problem with his sponsor’s expectations.

If these things are all connected, there’s a good chance those men work for Blake’s sponsor. I need to identify the men and pass along this information to Stephen and Adrian.

I watch for two men to come around the corner, but no one has emerged from that direction. They must have entered the tent through another opening. Let’s hope I recognize their voices because I didn’t even get a glimpse of the men.

Blake says, “Bri, you’re in deep thought. What about?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Are you ready to go inside?”

“I am. Let me introduce you to everyone.”

We barely step inside when we’re surrounded by people. Fortunately, Erin is never far away and keeps a small boundary around us.

Blake introduces me to David, the CEO of ProLuxe. David is thrilled to have me at his party. I can tell that he’ll use our casual meeting as a conversation starter at all future cocktail parties.

Turning to Blake, he asks, “Do you have the trophy and racquets ready?”

“I have the trophy in my bag. I accidentally left the racquets at the house,” Blake says.

The look on David’s face is either horror or anger, I’m not sure which.

“You knew I needed them tonight,” David chastises through gritted teeth.

Why the overreaction? It’s not a big deal. It’s just some racquets. Unless I was right and coins really are being passed in the handles. We need to check the racquets before Blake hands them off.

“We can do photos with the trophy. Come to our next doubles match. I’ll give the racquets to you then,” Blake says.

“That’s a problem, but we’ll talk about it later,” David barks.

Blake and David excuse themselves to take photos, leaving me with Erin. I text Stephen and Adrian an update.

Turning to Erin, I tell her about overhearing two men talking and that I want to wander around to see if I can recognize who they were. Fortunately, there aren’t too many speaking Italian, so I’m hopeful.

Eventually, Blake finds us and introduces me to more people.

By the end of the evening, I’m exhausted but fairly certain I’ve identified the two men I’d overheard. They’re executives with ProLuxe.

That mystery solved, I still have one more thing to ask Blake when we’re in private. The problem is I can’t let him know why I’m asking. I don’t want to risk him realizing what I’ve figured out.

Back in our Range Rover for the ride to the house, I finally have my opportunity.

“Blake, you said that your coach has been experimenting with different racquet weights.”

“He has. Why?”

“Martina wanted me to add weight to the handle of my racquet. She suggested using weight strips under the grip tape. Is that what Josh does for you?”

If he says no, then I may have found a possible hiding spot.

“He tried that, but more recently he’s having silicone injected into the end of the racquet under the cap. I’m happier with that solution, except when they put in too much weight. It’s a fine balance.”

Bingo. The weight of one of the missing coins is almost identical to the heaviest weight one would add to a racquet handle.

I nod. “Thanks, I’ll tell her.”

It’s too late to arrange a meeting with Stephen and Adrian, but I can send a text.

Me: Key aspects clear now. Handoff tomorrow soon after match. Need to meet.

Princes: What is clear?

Me: Too complicated. In person.

Princes: Understood. Meet after your match.

Me: That may be too late. Can we meet earlier?

Princes: Not possible. Meet in tunnel.

Me: Have someone follow Blake after the match. I think he’s being forced to participate. Will there be an escort to take me to the meeting place as usual?

Princes: Will handle Blake. Yes to escort.

Me: Thanks.

I’ve done all I can for tonight. Let’s hope it’s enough. If not, tomorrow could be a disaster.