Bailed Out (The Anna Albertini Files #2) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,7

and trying to see how far you’d spin it.”

Pierce sat back. “Fine. Forget bullshit. How about you tell me what happened?”

I caught my breath again. Finally. What in the world had happened in that apartment?

“I don’t have anything to say about that,” Aiden said.

Damn it.

Pierce pounded the table with his fist. “Damn it, Devlin. I thought you left town. Then you show up back here, wearing a Lordes jacket and standing over a dead body. For the love of Christ, do the right thing and get Tessa Albertini off the hook here. Let’s start at the beginning. When did you get back?”

“Who said I left?” Aiden said.

I stilled, and my chest heated. Well, he’d certainly left me.

“I do,” Pierce said. “I’ve been watching for you, and I think you know it. You came back on the radar yesterday along with a whole new crew of Lordes motorcycle members—all moving into the Lorde apartment complex just outside of Timber City.”

I reared back. What? I truly had believed Aiden had left the Lordes or that he’d been using them for a job or something. That maybe he was a private detective actually on the right side of the law. What was happening?

Aiden cocked his head. “It’s nice to be noticed.”

Oh, I could just punch him in the face right now.

Pierce’s back looked like one long line of pissed off male. In fact, he reminded me of a Doberman our neighbor at the river had for years. Old Bastard Bud had been the dog’s name, and he was always pissed but never bit. Something told me that Pierce was going to bite. “What are you up to?”

Aiden exhaled. “You arrested and are going to put away several members of the Lordes club, so we had to reach out to keep our numbers strong. We patched over a couple of smaller clubs in San Diego, Denver, and Dallas. Good news. More tax revenue for Idaho.”

My chest ached. I couldn’t believe this.

Pierce shook his head. “Don’t tell me. Now you’re one of the longest standing members, even though you’ve only been a Lorde a short time. You gunning for president of a motorcycle club that deals in illegal matters, Aiden?”

“No,” Aiden said softly. “I already got the job, Pierce.”

I all but ran out of the station and around the flower-scented park to my car, jumping in and squealing out of the lot. Aiden wasn’t going to tell the detective anything, and I just couldn’t watch any more. Quickly, I dialed Clark’s number.

“Hey, Albertini,” Clark said, sounding like he had a mouth full of a late dinner.

I swallowed. “Hi. How did it go with Tessa?”

“Good. She’s being held overnight for bond, and the hearing is first thing in the morning,” Clark said, taking a drink of something. “She’s solid, Anna. She’ll be okay.”

My sister didn’t belong in a cell. But I was a prosecuting attorney and knew many of the police officers, so hopefully they’d look at her as one of their own. One of our own. “What happened in that apartment?” I whispered, my voice shaking.

Clark was silent for a minute. “You know I can’t break client confidentiality.”

“Clark,” I snapped, even though I knew he was right. “That’s my sister. Talk to me.”

“No, sorry. Talk to her tomorrow. That’s the best I can do, and you know it.” He coughed several times and then took a big drink of something. “Sorry about that. Wrong pipe. Make sure Nick is up to speed on this because you can’t represent the State. See you tomorrow.” He clicked off.

I wanted to scream. Instead, I fielded calls from our mom, dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins before arriving at my sister Donna’s house. Although it was tempting to leave my phone in my car, I just couldn’t do it. My body felt like it was a hundred years old as I lugged myself to the front door of her Craftsman style cottage in the older part of Timber City.

She had the door open before I could knock. “Come on in.” Donna was the oldest at twenty-eight, and whereas Tessa took after the Irish side of our family, Donna looked like the Albertini side with her black hair, soft brown eyes, and definite curves. I’d always thought she looked like a young Isabella Rossellini because Donna had that natural style and grace. I didn’t take after either side with my brown hair and grayish-green eyes.

I stumbled inside and threw my phone onto the sofa before making my way to the