Bailed Out (The Anna Albertini Files #2) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,47
now, I wasn’t going to argue about being Aiden’s property, which I so was not. But the idea might get me out of there. “I think I’ll go find him now,” I said. “Kelsey? Why don’t you come with me? We can grab an early dinner.” A buzzing set up in my head.
“She’s fine,” Krissy said, moving forward to sit on the sofa by her sister to take her hand. “Just fine. It’s all good, right?” She wasn’t as pale as her sister, but her eyes darted from me to Rich and back. “Sorry about the misunderstanding, Anna.”
It was a good cue to leave. Yet I hesitated. “Kelsey?”
Kelsey leaned into her sister. “I’m fine. Don’t worry. It was just a rough day, and I’m sorry I called you. Please forget it.”
I didn’t feel right leaving her, but at least she was with her sister.
Saber opened the door. “Bye, Anna.”
Well. Okay, then. I turned and advanced toward the doorway with my head held up and my steps measured when I really wanted to run. “If you need me for anything, give me a call, Kelsey.” I walked out onto the porch, and the door shut quietly behind me.
I hurried to my car and slipped inside, pausing to look back at Kelsey’s house. Saber stood on the porch, watching me with no expression on his face. I started my car and drove away, quickly dialing Pierce’s number with one hand.
“Detective Pierce,” he answered.
“Hey. Have you found any connection between Danny Pucci’s death and Kelsey Walker?” I asked, turning the car toward the main drag of town.
Papers shuffled. “No. I mean, he beat the crap out of her, so we’ve been looking into anybody who’d want to take him out, but so far, everyone of interest has had solid alibis. Why?”
I told him about the afternoon, including that she thought it was her fault that Danny was dead.
Pierce was silent for a few minutes. “Could mean nothing. Survivor’s guilt and all of that, but I’ll ask her to come in for an interview anyway. Maybe I can say the police spent valuable resources making sure she was okay and that we want to talk to her.”
“I’d like to be there for the interview.” I almost turned for my office and at the last second realized it was after quitting time. Kind of. I usually did some work at home at night, but tonight I was getting grilled something. Probably steak? “What do you say?”
“I say you need to clear that with your boss,” Pierce said. “Real quick, answer one more question. Was this Rich guy a Lordes member?”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “I can find out, though.”
Pierce coughed. “That’s okay. I can do my own work, Anna. Try and stay safe, would you?”
“I’ll do my best,” I said, clicking off. I’d done my duty by calling the information in to Pierce, so now I could enjoy a nice dinner with Aiden. Our conversation would be pleasant and lead around to good ole Saber and his buddy Rich. Of course, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Saber had already contacted Aiden.
I sighed.
Chapter 17
There’s nothing like watching a hot guy make dinner. Aiden had his own recipe for marinating steaks, and watching him flip them over in my Pyrex dish as the grill heated up outside made my abdomen go all squishy again. “You know, I don’t think it’d be that difficult to domesticate you,” I mused.
He glanced up and flashed a grin that had my ovaries flipping over. “Not a chance.”
I tried not to melt. He stood at my kitchen counter with a half-finished bottle of Jackleg Stout beer from a brewery over in Silverville. Not only had he brought all of the groceries, he’d brought beer and a good bottle of Leonetti Cabernet. It was one of my favorites, but I was a girl on a budget and rarely got to indulge. The wine had been breathing on the counter, and he poured me a glass, handing it over.
I sniffed deep and moaned.
He chuckled, grabbed his beer and the steaks, and opened the sliding glass door. “It’s a nice night. Come keep me company.”
I’d be lying if I didn’t say the whole domesticated moment didn’t start spiraling little daydreams through my head. “I’m not ready for anything serious,” I muttered to myself as I followed him outside to the deck.
He flipped open the lid of the grill. “This is an excellent grill. Nicely done.”