before his pants fell down. But I didn’t want to leave Shelby alone. As much as she was under the impression that she could take care of herself, I wasn’t so sure.
Shelby began while I held my breath. “While I admire your attempt to get away from your white-collar roots, I can see through your act. Why don’t you put your expensive shoes that your Wall Street banker father bought to use and walk away? Or does Dante not know that you only play dress-up during the summer and weekends when you don’t have to attend your all-boys academy?”
The guy looked like he was going to be sick. “Who do you think you are?” he asked with his chin held high, but there was a waver in his voice.
“Someone who’s finished having this conversation. Come on, Watson.” Shelby sidestepped the guy and turned the corner, where there was a group of five other teens sitting on a park bench across the street, all of them bearing a resemblance to the guy we just left.
Great . Now we were in even bigger trouble. Shelby proved that she could handle one bully, but five?
“Why, if it isn’t the great Shelby Holmes!” The guy in the center stood up as we approached. My jaw practically hit the floor. This guy not only knew Shelby, he looked happy to see her. “What’s happening, World’s Smallest Detective?” He held out his fist for Shelby to bump. After it was clear she was not going to appease him, he put it down.
“I need some information, Dante.”
“Anything for you, Shelby.” He turned to his companions, who seemed as perplexed as I was. “This little girl may be the smartest person you dudes will ever come across—she got me out of a jam a few months back. You see her around, you take good care of her. Am I clear?”
The group all gave Shelby a nod of respect.
Dante motioned over to me. “You got muscle now? Smart move, girl—you sure do make some enemies.”
This guy was pretty smart.
“Dante, this is John Watson. He has moved into my building, and I’m showing him around.”
Dante laughed. “These parts aren’t usually on the tourist maps. Listen, John Watson, you need anything, you come to me, okay? Any friend of Shelby’s is a friend of mine. Maybe in a few years, when you get a little older, you can come work for me.”
I had no idea what this guy did, but I was fairly positive it was something that Mom would’ve had a huge problemwith. I didn’t want to be rude to one of Shelby’s contacts, but I also didn’t want to agree to a potential life in crime.
What had Shelby gotten us into?
“I don’t think so, Dante.” Shelby wagged her finger at him. “John Watson is going to be an accomplished writer, not a thug.”
A chorus of oooh s came from the group. I highly doubted many people talked to Dante like that and got away with it, but he responded by laughing.
“What’s this info you need?”
“Do you know if there’s betting going on for the Manhattan Kennel Club Dog Show tomorrow—specifically, have there been any rumblings of someone trying to fix the toy breed competition?”
This guy was a bookie ? I’d only seen bookies on TV . They were always really shady characters who threatened people who owed them money from a bet they’d lost. I couldn’t believe Shelby would be friends with one.
Wait, Shelby Holmes didn’t have friends ; she had contacts .
I was a little scared, but also curious. (Okay, I was really scared. I mean, we were hanging out in this supersketchy place where I had no idea how to get home. Plus, if Mom ever found out, she’d really give me something to fear. Dante and his gang seemed tough, but they had nothing on my mom.)
The group erupted into laughter at Shelby’s questions about the dog show. “Yo, Dante!” one of the guys yelled. “Put me down for a nickel on a poodle!”
“Shelby,” Dante said with a grin, “I work with legitimate sporting events.”
“There’s nothing legitimate about what you do, Dante,” Shelby fired back.
“All I’m
Shelby began while I held my breath. “While I admire your attempt to get away from your white-collar roots, I can see through your act. Why don’t you put your expensive shoes that your Wall Street banker father bought to use and walk away? Or does Dante not know that you only play dress-up during the summer and weekends when you don’t have to attend your all-boys academy?”
The guy looked like he was going to be sick. “Who do you think you are?” he asked with his chin held high, but there was a waver in his voice.
“Someone who’s finished having this conversation. Come on, Watson.” Shelby sidestepped the guy and turned the corner, where there was a group of five other teens sitting on a park bench across the street, all of them bearing a resemblance to the guy we just left.
Great . Now we were in even bigger trouble. Shelby proved that she could handle one bully, but five?
“Why, if it isn’t the great Shelby Holmes!” The guy in the center stood up as we approached. My jaw practically hit the floor. This guy not only knew Shelby, he looked happy to see her. “What’s happening, World’s Smallest Detective?” He held out his fist for Shelby to bump. After it was clear she was not going to appease him, he put it down.
“I need some information, Dante.”
“Anything for you, Shelby.” He turned to his companions, who seemed as perplexed as I was. “This little girl may be the smartest person you dudes will ever come across—she got me out of a jam a few months back. You see her around, you take good care of her. Am I clear?”
The group all gave Shelby a nod of respect.
Dante motioned over to me. “You got muscle now? Smart move, girl—you sure do make some enemies.”
This guy was pretty smart.
“Dante, this is John Watson. He has moved into my building, and I’m showing him around.”
Dante laughed. “These parts aren’t usually on the tourist maps. Listen, John Watson, you need anything, you come to me, okay? Any friend of Shelby’s is a friend of mine. Maybe in a few years, when you get a little older, you can come work for me.”
I had no idea what this guy did, but I was fairly positive it was something that Mom would’ve had a huge problemwith. I didn’t want to be rude to one of Shelby’s contacts, but I also didn’t want to agree to a potential life in crime.
What had Shelby gotten us into?
“I don’t think so, Dante.” Shelby wagged her finger at him. “John Watson is going to be an accomplished writer, not a thug.”
A chorus of oooh s came from the group. I highly doubted many people talked to Dante like that and got away with it, but he responded by laughing.
“What’s this info you need?”
“Do you know if there’s betting going on for the Manhattan Kennel Club Dog Show tomorrow—specifically, have there been any rumblings of someone trying to fix the toy breed competition?”
This guy was a bookie ? I’d only seen bookies on TV . They were always really shady characters who threatened people who owed them money from a bet they’d lost. I couldn’t believe Shelby would be friends with one.
Wait, Shelby Holmes didn’t have friends ; she had contacts .
I was a little scared, but also curious. (Okay, I was really scared. I mean, we were hanging out in this supersketchy place where I had no idea how to get home. Plus, if Mom ever found out, she’d really give me something to fear. Dante and his gang seemed tough, but they had nothing on my mom.)
The group erupted into laughter at Shelby’s questions about the dog show. “Yo, Dante!” one of the guys yelled. “Put me down for a nickel on a poodle!”
“Shelby,” Dante said with a grin, “I work with legitimate sporting events.”
“There’s nothing legitimate about what you do, Dante,” Shelby fired back.
“All I’m
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