Crossing Danger: A Shelby Nichols Adventure by Colleen Helme Page A

shoes, so that made sense in a sick sort of way. But it still broke my heart. The detectives had done a good job following leads, and my hopes sank. How was I ever supposed to solve this case?
    I came to the crime-scene photos and chewed on my bottom lip. Did I really need to look at these? Taking a deep breath, I quickly glanced through them, then closed my eyes and put them away. Seeing his lifeless body propped up against a freeway pillar like that brought tears to my eyes. Maybe I shouldn’t have told Dimples I’d help him. It was just so sad. Of course, I might feel better about it if I found the killer. But what if I couldn’t?
    My cell phone rang, startling me. The caller ID said it was Dimples and I froze. Had something happened to Chloe? “Hello?”
    “Shelby,” Dimples said, his voice strained. “It’s Billie. She’s been shot.”
    “What?”
    “I don’t know if she’s going to make it. They just took her into surgery. Can you come to the hospital?”
    “Of course. I’ll be right there.”
    ***
    I hurried through the hospital doors and rushed to the waiting room where Dimples sat with his head in his hands. “Drew?” I’d never called him by his real name, but at that moment, it felt right.
    “Shelby.” He stood and gathered me into a tight hug. I felt his regret and anguish that he might lose the woman he loved. He hadn’t realized it until this moment, and now he might lose her. What if she didn’t make it and he never got the chance to tell her? Shards of pain hit him in the chest and made it hard to breathe. She’d wormed her way into his heart, and now he couldn’t think about living without her. Why had this happened? He was the one that was supposed to get shot, not her.
    I held him tight, hating that this was happening to him. A moment later, he took a deep breath and let it out, then loosened his hold on me. Still holding my arm, he pulled me down into the chair beside him, and then shook his head. Tears pooled in his eyes, but he blinked them away and pursed his lips, working hard to gain control.
    “Don’t forget that Billie’s a fighter,” I said, struggling not to cry myself. “We have to believe that she’ll come through this. Don’t give up on her. Okay?” He nodded and inhaled deeply to pull himself together. “Good. Now tell me what happened. Who shot her?”
    “I don’t know. I just...I had just finished talking to you and Chloe’s parents. Bates and I were watching the house after...just to see if anyone suspicious was around. Since I was going to be late to her place, I called, but she didn’t pick up. It worried me a little, but I figured she was busy and would call me back when she got a minute.” He shook his head, thinking he should have left right then, and maybe now she wouldn’t be in surgery.
    “I left about a half hour later. Bates said he’d keep an eye on things so I could make it up to Billie. When I got to her apartment, the door was ajar and the place was trashed. I found Billie...” He swallowed, thinking of all that blood and how at first he thought she was dead. “She was barely hanging on.”
    He leaned forward with his head in his hands, and I patted his back, then put up my shields. His grief and pain were more than I could handle, and I didn’t want to break down in front of him. He needed me to be strong, so I concentrated on that. I could cry about Billie later.
    “I think I may know something about it,” I said.
    Dimples’ head jerked up. “What? What do you mean?”
    “Billie’s been working on the case against the attorney general, Grayson Sharp. She had a thumb-drive with incriminating information that was stolen from her desk in her office. She made a copy and hid it in her apartment. I think that’s what they were after. Maybe she walked in on them and they shot her.”
    Dimples eyes hardened. “If Grayson Sharp is behind this...he will not get away with it. I will make sure of that.”
    “I’ll help you,” I said,