“Right. So Dimples knows you’re here? Is he downstairs?”
I tried to nod, but only managed to hit my head on the wall. “Ouch.”
We both heard a groan, and Ramos glanced toward Dex, who was lying on the floor with blood all over his face. With an effort, Dex moved to his side, and then pushed into a sitting position, holding his face with one hand.
“Guess I’d better take care of him. Sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
He went back over and punched Dex in the face again. Dex went down hard, hitting the back of his head on the floor, and Ramos nodded in satisfaction.
“That should do it.” He came to my side and helped me stand, but my feet still wouldn’t hold my weight. “Maybe you’d better lie down.” He maneuvered me to the bed, then stacked the pillows for my head and lifted my legs, so I was lying down.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Hmm…kay.” Now that he was taking care of things, I could relax. Phew. That was close. But everything was fine now, and it was okay to let my eyes drift shut.
“Shelby?”
I opened my eyes to find Dimples standing over me. “Hey Dimps. Wass-up?”
“Damn.”
I shook my head and felt a stabbing pain. “Ouch. That hurts.”
“Here. Drink this.” He propped me up with his arm and handed me a can. Suddenly thirsty, I drank it down. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it sure tasted good. A few seconds later, my vision cleared, and I felt more like myself. “What is this?”
“An energy drink. Feel better?”
“Yes. Thanks.” Dimples helped me sit up on the edge of the bed and held me until I was steady.
He stayed by my side, and I glanced around the room. A couple of police officers pulled Dex to his feet and cuffed his hands behind his back. As he muttered obscenities, they read him his rights and led him from the room.
“Where’s—”
Dimples put a finger to his lips, and I froze. He was thinking that I shouldn’t say anything about Ramos if I wanted to keep him out of this. I nodded to let him know I heard that, and he dropped his hand. “Do you remember anything?”
I nodded. “I remember it all. That Dex guy they just took out? He’s the killer.”
“Yes. I got that.” He was thinking that it had been a shock to see Ramos motioning to him at the bar. Then, to find me and that murderer in the hotel room nearly gave him a heart attack. What was I thinking?
“Uh… I can explain.”
“It’s okay… I’m not mad. I’m just glad you’re all right.”
“Did you get the bartender too?”
“Not yet. Why don’t you tell me the whole story?”
“Sure.” It took longer than I liked, but I told him everything that happened. “I didn’t realize it was the bartender who put the drug in my drink, or I never would have had any. I’m surprised it did anything. I only had about one swallow.”
“That must be why you remember what happened. It’s a good thing Ramos came. How did you manage that?”
Since I didn’t want to tell him about the burner phone, I explained it another way. “There’s a tracker in my watch. I managed to tell him I was in trouble and he found me.”
“Oh. That’s handy.” As much as he didn’t like my relationship with a hitman or a mob boss, he couldn’t possibly be mad about it… at least not right now. “We’d better get the bartender before he skips town.”
“Yeah.” I glanced around the room. “Where’s Willow?”
He shook his head. “She had car trouble and wanted me to pick her up. Since I was already late meeting you, I told her I couldn’t do it. But she was stranded on the highway, so I had to find someone to help her out before I could get here.”
I nodded, catching his thoughts that he was done with that woman, and the chief could stuff it up his… he stopped to catch my gaze, and I smiled. “I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.” He left my side and told the remaining officer to go with him to arrest the bartender, leaving another officer with me.
“Dimples… wait!” He turned back. “I think the bartender took my phone. Will you see if he’s got it?”
“Yeah sure.” With a scowl, he hurried out the door.
I noticed my purse on the bedside table and checked inside to find my stun flashlight, grateful I still had it. What about my burner phone? I patted the pocket in my dress and felt the bulge. How had I managed that? I couldn’t remember putting it there, but I must have.
Now that I felt better, I tested my legs and slowly stood, putting a little weight on them. Standing without too much trouble, I let out a breath, and crossed to the bathroom, needing to splash some cold water on my face.
My hair was more than a little mussed, and my cheeks were flushed, but I didn’t look too bad. After finger combing my hair, I rinsed my mouth with water and wiped my face with a towel. I did feel a lot better, but I wasn’t sure I could drive home.
A strange ringing sound echoed through the bathroom, and I realized it was coming from my pocket. I quickly pulled the phone out and flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Babe. Sorry I had to leave. Are you okay?”
“Yes. So much better. Dimples gave me an energy drink. It really helped.”
“Good. When can you leave?”
“I’m not sure. Dimples left to arrest the bartender, so I think I’ll head down there and see if he found my phone.”
“Okay. Just make sure you get a ride home. You shouldn’t drive.”
“Yeah… you’re
