Bailed Out (The Anna Albertini Files #2) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,98

started toward the truck, which was positioned beneath a light.

Aiden held out a hand. “Come on, Anna.”

“She stays here at the fire,” Pucci said.

Aiden leaned over and grasped my hand, pulling me up. My paper plate dropped to the ground. “She comes with me. Period.”

Pucci chuckled and kept walking. “You have to watch that kind of attachment, Devlin. It’s bad for you and for business.”

“I’m aware,” Aiden said.

I stumbled next to him but still managed to give him a look. A mean one.

“That’s why we switch sometimes,” Pucci said, reaching the truck. “Well, that and it’s a lot of fun. How boring would it be to have only one chick for the rest of your life?”

“You really are a moron,” I said.

Aiden squeezed my hand. “Knock it off.” Then he pushed me behind him and to the side of the canopy. “Show me what you have.”

Saber edged closer to me without seeming to move.

Pucci flashed a light into the truck.

Aiden cocked his head. “You’re light.”

Pucci sighed. “Fine. I didn’t manage to get the full shipment of the converter kits, but I have half of them there. I’ll get the rest to you on credit. I promise.”

Aiden’s jaw ticked. “What do you mean you didn’t get the full shipment? Where the hell is the rest?”

“I don’t know. There was a disruption in the distribution line, and I’m working on it. Somebody’s head will roll, and I’ll get you the rest of them. There’s enough here to get you started.”

“Fine.” Aiden motioned for the other two to hand over the cash.

Pucci accepted the bags. “Well now, wasn’t that easy?”

A bang echoed over by the fire, people yelled, and then the entire world lit up.

Chapter 35

A flash and bang blew up the ground around us.

“Duck,” Aiden bellowed, bending over.

My ears rang and I cried out. Was that a flash grenade? People swarmed in from two directions, all yelling, all armed with large guns. I couldn’t see or hear, and my head hurt worse than it had before. Somebody jumped off the top of one of the buildings to the right, followed by several other people.

I pivoted and almost fell.

Pucci grabbed my arm at the last second and yanked me toward him, pressing a gun to my side. It had all happened so quickly that I hadn’t had time to think. He pulled me around the other side of the vehicle.

“Freeze!” Several voices yelled all around us.

A helicopter pounded through the night, directly above us.

I swayed, not sure where I was. My vision remained fuzzy, and the ringing in my ears made it impossible to hear anything that wasn’t yelled. The cops had arrived? Part of me wanted to warn Aiden, and the other part wanted to kick him. Either way, I had to get away from Pucci.

“Let her go.” It was Aiden’s voice.

Gunfire erupted all around us, and several impacts hit the ground next to him, throwing up dirt.

I screamed and tried to fight Pucci, but my limbs were still numb.

Saber stood next to Aiden while Drag was on the ground, blood pouring from his leg as he inched around the other side of the truck and out of the line of fire.

Pucci’s left hand pressed a knife beneath my chin, and I winced at the pain. He pointed the gun at Aiden.

“No,” I whispered.

Aiden held up his hands. “Listen, Pucci. Let her go and I’ll help you here. I know a way out but we only have seconds. Let’s go.”

“You set me up. Or you were followed. Either way, I’m out of here.” Pucci leaned his mouth next to my ear. “We’re going to bend down, and you’re going to pick up both of those bags. If you move the wrong way or try to escape, I’m going to shove this knife up through your neck. Got it?”

“Yes.” I didn’t move my head and kept my gaze on Aiden’s furious eyes.

Gunfights erupted all around us followed by more flash bangs and sounds of pain.

We bent and I fumbled for the bags, managing to nab both of them. Then we slowly stood, and the blade started to hurt my jaw. Blood slid down my neck, heating my skin. My vision was still off, and Aiden wavered in front of me. “Aiden,” I whispered.

“You’re okay, Aingeal. Just stay still and trust me,” he said, his focus on Pucci. “Let her go. We can drive out of here.”

“I don’t think so. Our partnership is terminated.” Pucci fired three times, hitting Aiden center mass. Aiden flew