Bailed Out (The Anna Albertini Files #2) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,90

Danny last in your apartment?”

She paused in smiling. “Besides the night he ended up dead?”

“Yeah,” I said softly.

“A couple of years ago when we were dating,” she said, her brow furrowing. “Why?”

I studied her, looking for any sign of deception. Instead, only curiosity met my gaze. I knew my sister, and I knew when she was lying. Right now, she was telling the truth.

That meant that Aiden had lied.

Chapter 32

When I strode into the courtroom the next morning, I nearly tripped over my borrowed black and gold Louboutin pumps when I saw Aiden in the last row. Furious, I stomped toward him.

He looked me up and down and let out a slow and very quiet whistle. “Wow.”

Yeah. The black suit was my serious one, considering it had gold hardware and a flirty slit to the side of the skirt. “You lied to me,” I whispered.

His gaze flared hot and bright. “I doubt that. Man, you’re beautiful when you’re angry.”

Oh, he was going to get punched. I paused in my thinking after remembering Krissy’s black eye. Physical violence didn’t solve anything. “I have to do this trial for your friend, and then you’re going to tell me what really happened the night Danny Pucci died. Got it?”

“I told you.” Aiden’s brows furrowed. “Why are you thinking I lied?”

I leaned in to keep our conversation private. “Because Danny left a print on the toilet somewhere. That means he either was in the apartment before that night, which he was not, or that he was there long enough to use the bathroom, which contradicts your story. I believe my sister. I do not believe you.”

Aiden cocked his head to the side. “Where was the print?”

“On the toilet,” I hissed.

His blink was somehow threatening. “Where on the toilet?”

“Why does that matter?” My voice rose, and I fought to quiet down again.

He leaned toward me until I could see the different flecks of blue in his eyes. “It matters because if the print was on the handle, obviously he’s been there lately. If the print was in the back, like he’d worked on the toilet at some point, it could be years old. So I suggest you ask your buddy Detective Pierce exactly where the print was found.”

“How do you know I got the information from Pierce?” I asked, wondering where the print had been found.

“Please.” Aiden sat back, his gaze still interested but now also pissed off.

I was just as ticked off. The last thing in the world I wanted to do right now was use my experience and brain to help Rich Pucci get out of breaking the law. “We are not done with this conversation.” Without waiting for an answer, I pivoted on the excellent heels and stormed up to my table.

Pucci was already seated in his spot. He had that bad boy thing going on today and would probably charm a couple of the jurors. “What’s your problem?”

“You are the exact wrong person to piss me off right now.” I unloaded my case files and trial notebook from my tote. “Believe me.” I turned to look at him.

He had long scratch marks down one side of his neck, and his bottom lip was a little bit swollen.

Good. He’d deserved it.

He leaned forward, and there were more scratches beneath his ear. “She attacked me, Anna. We were drinking, and then she just lost it. Completely.”

What a freakin liar. “I saw her face, Rich. Her bruised and battered face.”

“Well, you haven’t seen my dick. She kicked me square on,” he said, anger vibrating through his voice.

Oh, he’d no doubt deserved it. Now I was going to help him get off on another charge that he’d probably committed. The temptation to let him hang was strong enough I had to take several deep breaths and remind myself of the oath I’d taken when I’d been licensed as an attorney.

The bailiff entered and we all stood for the judge. Since there weren’t any preliminary matters, the judge called the jury in, and we continued the trial. And I was correct. A couple of the younger female jurors smiled at Pucci, and when he smiled back, the youngest one twittered.

For goodness sakes.

I stood. “The defense calls Kelsey Walker to the stand.”

The back door opened, and the officer let Kelsey walk down the aisle to the witness stand, where she was sworn in. She wore a pretty yellow dress with her hair curling nicely around her shoulders.

I ran her through the introduction questions about her name and