Trapped by Revenge: A Shelby Nichols Adventure (27 page)

Dang. That put a lot of pressure on me. I held my head high until I was out of sight. Rounding the corner, I heaved a sigh and my shoulders sagged. I had little hope that I’d find her mom, and guilt that I was taking her hard-earned money churned my stomach. At least I could fudge on the hours. There was no way I could take one hundred fifty bucks an hour from a kid who’d not only lost her mother, but was getting married.

Maybe taking her on as a client wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I could hardly turn her down when it was something she needed in order to move on with her life. The fact that she was getting married made it even more important. I just hoped she could handle the disappointment in case it was bad news.

I drove straight to the police station. I hadn’t been there since I’d been arrested, but I was finally ready to return and face them. My favorite detective, Harris, a.k.a. Dimples, was sure to be surprised, but I hoped in a good way. Besides, he still had my honorary ID badge and I wanted it back.

I parked and opened the file Tiffany had given me. I didn’t recognize the name of the detective assigned to her mother’s case, but I hoped Dimples would know who he was. I slid the file back into my bag and got out of the car.

Holding my head high, I swallowed my trepidation and marched to the door. As I pulled it open, a few people glanced my way, but most ignored me. It wasn’t until I walked into the detectives’ offices that I heard any thoughts directed my way. I nodded and smiled at everyone who looked at me, and most were genuinely happy to see me back.

Dimples glanced up and did a double-take, then jumped up from his seat to greet me. “Shelby! What a pleasant surprise. How are you? How’s your arm?”

“Pretty good. How about you? Keeping busy?”

“Yes. There’s always something going on around here. Come on over and sit down.” He ushered me to the chair beside his desk where I usually sat. “So what brings you here?” He was hoping I was coming to offer my services. He could sure use my help… right now in fact. “Looking for something to do?”

“Depends,” I answered. “Are you asking?”

“You bet.” He smiled and his dimples spun around in his cheeks. I chuckled just to see them, and suddenly, I was happy I’d come. “I was hoping you’d stop by,” he admitted. “But after your arrest and all, I wasn’t sure you’d ever want to step foot in this building again.”

“Hey, I couldn’t have made it through that mess without your help. We’re friends. That’s what friends do. I’d be happy to help, as long as you give me back my ID badge to make it official.”

“Oh… yeah… that. I’ve got it here somewhere.” He made a big show of looking through his desk drawers to find my badge, although he knew right where it was. He didn’t want it to look like it meant so much to him. But deep down, he was excited to give it back. “Here you go.” He hesitated, thinking he could put it over my head like a medal or something, but since that might seem like over-kill, he just handed it to me.

“Thanks.” I smiled to let him know I appreciated the sentiment and slipped it on. I was about to tell Dimples my reason for being there when someone’s scornful thoughts crashed into my mind. He was wondering what the hell I was doing there, and thought I had a lot of nerve to show my face in the police station again. I knew immediately who it was and turned to give Detective Bates the evil eye. His gaze caught mine and he flushed before sauntering over.

“I never thought I’d see you here,” he said.

END OF SAMPLE
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As the author of the Shelby Nichols Adventure Series, Colleen is often asked if Shelby Nichols is her alter-ego. “Definitely,” she says. “Shelby is the epitome of everything I wish I dared to be.” Known for her laugh since she was a kid, Colleen has always tried to find the humor in every situation and continues to enjoy writing about Shelby’s adventures. “I love getting Shelby into trouble…I just don’t always know how to get her out of it!” Colleen lives in the Rocky Mountains with her family. Besides writing, she loves a good book, biking, hiking, and playing board and card games with family and friends. She loves to connect with readers and admits that fans of the series keep her writing.

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