put in danger more than once because of you and because of this case. So how about you do the right thing, for the second time in your miserable life, and tell me what I need to know to close this thing? Protect her again, Devlin. It’s the only way.”
Aiden’s chin lifted very slightly. “You gonna protect her? Be her hero, Pierce?” His chuckle lacked humor. “You want it, don’t you? Man, she has an effect. One of a kind.”
I shifted uneasily on the table. This line of questioning, this back and forth, really sucked.
Pierce’s chuckle was just as dark as Aiden’s. “Oh, no. She has a hero, buddy. It’s all you. Now why don’t you prove it?”
That hit so close to home I had to look away. Just for a second.
“It’s part of the game, Albertini,” Nick said, not looking my way. “Take yourself out of the equation. Pierce knows what he’s doing, and it’s a good strategy. Devlin’s getting worked up.”
I turned back to study both men. Nick was wrong. Aiden was as calm as possible, although his eyes blazed that fierce blue they got when he was pissed. “Maybe I should talk to him.”
“Not yet,” Nick said. “Pierce is going down a good path.”
Pierce flipped open the top page of the case file. “You knew her as a kid, when you were almost a man. She was ten, you were sixteen. Got a thing for young girls?”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “No. She was cute and hung around. I didn’t see her as a woman until, well, last week. Now I know she’s all woman.”
My chest did a funny jumping thing.
Pierce straightened. “Know what I’ve learned in this job? Criminals, no matter how smart, always make a mistake. We know Whitaker has created a viable Beast, and we know the Lorde’s are financing and planning to manufacture, and we know the plan for transportation.” He pushed a picture toward Devlin. “Of course, I’m going to get you on murder in the first degree.”
I angled my neck to see better, and it was an autopsy picture of the flat-faced guy.
Aiden didn’t even look down at it. “Is that a fact?”
“Yeah, and even better, since this kill wasn’t part of your job, I’m sure you made a mistake.” Pierce pushed another autopsy picture toward Aiden. “This was heated, and this was emotional, and this was because of pretty Annabella Fiona Albertini.”
I blinked. Pierce knew my whole name?
“You said her name,” Aiden said quietly, pushing away from the table and standing. “I gave you one warning.”
Pierce slapped the table. “Sit back down.”
“No. You brought me in here on arrest, in cuffs, and you read me my rights. You’re fishing, asshole, and it isn’t going to work.” Aiden looked toward the window and directly at me, his gaze heated. “I want a lawyer.” The way he said it was dark and deep and full of innuendo.
For me.
Chapter 34
Something was nagging at me, and I couldn’t place it as I finished a late Sunday lunch at McQuirk’s Deli with two cranky oversized men. Detective Pierce kept glaring at a group of teenagers over in the corner who weren’t doing anything wrong, and Nick kept drifting off into silence, no doubt planning his next opening argument.
I, on the other hand, enjoyed a spinach salad and tried to filter through my brain to see what I was missing.
Various women, from college students to tourists to grandmothers did a double take as they went by. I guess Pierce and Basanelli were hot, but for now, I had set them both firmly in the colleague column. It made things so much easier.
Pierce finally focused on me. “Do you have even more bruises on your face than you did before?”
“Yeah. I thought your guy told you.” I set my napkin down and told him about the naked guy in court. By the time I finished, his cheek had creased in a very appealing way.
“Interesting things happen to you,” he murmured, finishing his diet coke.
Yeah. I couldn’t argue that. My brain finally snapped to attention. “That’s it. Oh. Okay.” I gathered my thoughts. “Beast hasn’t been distributed yet, has it?”
Nick swung his focus back to me.
“No,” Pierce said. “Well, not really. We think there has been a test run to Los Angeles because limited amounts were found during two drug busts.”
Nick nodded, taking a big bite of his pastrami sandwich. He chewed thoughtfully, smiled back at a couple of women out walking their dogs, and then cleared his throat.