Bailed Out
Bailed Out
The Anna Albertini Files #2
Rebecca Zanetti
RAZ INK LLC
Copyright © 2020 by Rebecca Zanetti
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
* * *
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Created with Vellum
This one is for the Voltolini Sisters, whose grandma really was Nonna Albertini: Suzanne, Kathy, Janine, Marie, Ann, Julie, and Lisa. And of course, for Steve—their one brother.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this book a reality!
Thank you to Tony, Gabe, and Karlina for being an understanding and fun family who let me bounce ideas (often odd ones) off them constantly;
Thank you to Craig Zanetti, Esq. for the help with criminal law and procedure. Any mistakes about the law are mine and mine alone;
Thank you to Asha Hossain of Asha Hossain Designs, LLC for the fantastic cover;
Thank you to Debra Stewart of Dragonfly Media Ink for the wonderful edits;
Thank you to Jillian Stein for being the best social media guru in the history of the world;
Thank you to Stella Bloom for the fabulous narration for the audio book;
Thank you to Liz Berry, Asa Maria Bradley, and Boone Brux for the advice with the concepts for this new series;
Thank you to my incredibly hard working agent, Caitlin Blasdell;
Thank you to Jenn from Social Butterfly, Sara and Gwen from Fresh Fiction, Cissy and crew from WriterSpace, and M.J. Rose from AuthorBuzz for helping get the word out about this new series;
Thank you to Rebecca’s Rebels (my FB street team) and their hard working leader, Anissa Beatty;
Thank you to Rebel Katy Nielsen for her creativity with helping to name my novella in the Lone Wolf anthology (Rescue: Cowboy Style);
Thank you to my constant support system: Gail and Jim English, Kathy and Herbie Zanetti, Debbie and Travis Smith, Stephanie and Don West, and Jessica and Jonah Namson.
Contents
Note from the Author
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
ADVERSE POSSESSION
Have you started the Deep Ops series yet?
Have you looked at the Scorpius Syndrome yet?
You’ll love Alpha male vampires who enjoy the sun, eat steak, and don’t need to take your blood to survive!
Also By Rebecca Zanetti
READING ORDER of Series
About the Author
Note from the Author
Howdy everyone! Thank you for so much support for his new series of mine. Sometimes, as an author, you have to write something a little different. This series is that for me.
I’ve loved the emails and FB notes about this series, and I’m happy to keep writing about Anna and her family. Sometimes we need a little bit of humor, right? The next book is called Adverse Possession, and then we have a Holiday book called Santa’s Subpoena coming Fall of 2021.
Also, I am a lawyer, and I might live in a small town, but this is in no way autobiographical. It turns out that the name Albertini is a distant family name of my relatives, which is pretty cool. However, the story is all made up. The characters are all fictional and so are the towns and counties (like usual). Also, the law is correct. :)
I hope you like Anna’s world as much as I do!
Also, to stay up to date with releases, free content, and tons of contests, follow me on Bookbub, Facebook, the FB Rebel Street Team, and definitely subscribe to my newsletter for FREE BOOKS!
Also, I like to pair up with other bestselling authors to cross promote and give away books in our newsletters, so I will be giving away copies of my friends’ books coming up. Just go to my website (RebeccaZanetti.com) to sign up for my newsletter.
XO
Rebecca
Chapter 1
“You’re an idiot,” I muttered, not too quietly, to my boss.
Nicolo Basanelli shrugged, his shoulders powerful beneath his killer black suit. “Look at the situation as great job security, Anna.” He turned and strode up the marble stairway in the courthouse building toward the district courtrooms.
“Ha,” I muttered, taking the stairs down to the world of misdemeanors and traffic tickets. I meant the insult. Nick was being a moron. It had been two weeks since he’d fired the entire cache of lawyers in the district attorney’s office in our medium sized town, and it was time he rehired them. Cleaning house on his first week as the prosecuting attorney had been his strategy, and right now, it was killing me. “I need a vacation,” I said to nobody in particular as I pushed open the double wooden doors to the smaller courtroom, furnished in 1980’s salmon colored accents.
“I’m with you.” Clark Bunne stood from the back bench and straightened his Monte Carlo style gun-metal glasses. “Is Nick any closer to rehiring people?”
I switched my file folders to my other arm and took a quick glance around the courtroom without making eye contact with anybody. “He seems to be holding strong for some reason.”
Clark gestured me toward the two tables in front, and I turned on my red kitten heel and strode down the aisle to push open the gate and wait for Clark to come through before closing it. Oh, the gate was attached to railings on either side that only rose to my thighs, but at least they would slow down an attacker for almost a second before he or she could get to us.
I flopped the files on the defense table and drew out a chair.
Clark already had his file folders neatly stacked, and he took the chair he’d keep for the preliminary hearings. “What’s up with the red shoes?”
I settled my light-weight blue skirt with a red border of poppies around my legs. The skirt reached just above my knees and was both casual and smart. “The shoes match my outfit.”
Clark leaned back, his dark brown gaze taking in my legs and the shoes. “You only wear red when you’re in a mood to kick ass.”
Huh. I hadn’t realized that fact, and since I’d only worked with and against Clark for a month, his attention to detail should be a warning. “I haven’t had a chance to look at our cases today, and to be honest, these were the first pair I came across in my closet. I’m running on fumes here.”
He shrugged, and I decided to study him. The guy was good looking, but I’d already noticed that. He was maybe an inch over six feet tall, thi
n, well dressed, and had a smile that no doubt mothers loved. His skin was dark, his eyes an intriguing blend of different browns, and his hair black and short. A month ago he’d shaved it, and either way looked good on him. “What do you wear when you want to kick ass?” I asked.
“These glasses.” He reached for the first file folder and flashed me a grin. “Unlike you, I have looked at these cases.”
I sighed. “All right.” Quickly, I read through the first one. It was a misdemeanor vandalism charge against a junior in high school who’d painted his girlfriend’s name on a local water tower. “Mitch Styles. First offense. How about we scare him for ten minutes and then let him off with a fine?”
Clark nodded. “Sounds good. You be mean, and I’ll look worried on his behalf until cajoling you into accepting the plea?”
I set the file aside. “I do like being cajoled.”
Clark laughed, and I started, looking up at his handsome face. He had a great laugh.
He caught my gaze. “No.”
I blinked. “I didn’t ask anything.” Then I frowned. I had enough on my plate without dating anybody else right now. “I’m not interested.”
“Thank God,” he said, and truth to heck, it sounded like he meant it.
“Hey.” I tugged on my navy blue jacket. “I’m a catch.”
He grinned. “Keep running. You’re pretty and interesting and smart, but you’re a whole boatload of trouble, and I don’t need that right now. Or ever.”
How had this conversation gotten so out of hand? I really wasn’t interested in Clark. “This is a weird conversation.”
“Agreed.” He flipped over the next manila file folder.
I did the same. Should I be a little bit insulted? We were around the same age, had both just started as lawyers, and seemed to get along. He was much nicer than the other three men I seemed to be juggling, and at that thought, I shut down the entire idea. I might not really be juggling three men, considering only one was front and center in my brain right now, and I couldn’t find him. Aiden Devlin had a reckoning coming for him…if I ever saw him again. He’d disappeared two weeks ago after saving my life and quite possibly ruining me in bed for other men, and my concern had now turned to irritation.
“Well?” Clark asked.
I blinked. “Sorry. Got lost in my head.”
The door by the judge’s bench opened, and the bailiff strode out. His name was Jay, he was around thirty, and he had a beard most men could only hope to grow. “All rise,” he said, his voice quiet with authority.
I stood and took my files over to the prosecuting attorney’s table. It was common for the prosecuting and defense attorneys to try and reach some sort of agreement on cases before the preliminary hearings started, so long as the criminal defendant ultimately agreed. We didn’t get very far today before Judge Williams strode confidently to her bench and sat, reaching for the gavel. “Looks like a light day.”
Thank goodness.
She peered down at us, her brown eyes twinkling. “Ms. Albertini. Has the prosecuting attorney’s office hired anybody else yet?”
I huffed out a breath. “I believe it should happen soon, Judge.”
“Good.” Her skin was a deep brown, her lips red today, and her hair salt and pepper with awesome curl. Her shirt peeked above the judge’s black robe and matched her lipstick. What shade of red was it? I made a mental note to ask her later because it was the perfect color. “At this point, it appears as if charging documents are being submitted too slowly,” she said, a slight bite in her voice.
My eyebrows rose, and I nodded subtly. Oh, I’d definitely hit Nick with that information and soon. Then I smiled, silently thanking her for the opportunity to kick Nick in the preverbal butt that she’d just given me.
“All right. Let’s start with Elk County vs. June Applebee for public nuisance,” the judge said, perching her glasses on her forehead and reading from a file.
I dug out the correct file and read quickly. After a couple of hours, Clark and I had pled out thirteen cases, set for trial ten more, and had worked in tandem well, even though we’d end up against each other in the trials. But we were efficient, and the judge was quick to find trial dates, so when I picked up the last file and began to read, I was already planning my lunch.
The judge cleared her throat. “Elk County vs. Danny Pucci.”
I stifled a gasp and swiveled to watch Danny lope to Clark’s table.
“Hi there, little sister,” Danny gave me a slow wink as he took his seat. I gaped in shock as I stared at my sister Tessa’s ex-fiancé.
Danny was long and lean with a crapload of mean. He was the guy who had mothers rushing to shut their daughters behind locked doors before running out to say hello themselves, and his tan brought out the deep green of his eyes. I had the biggest crush on him while he was engaged to Tessa. Until he beat the heck out of her and stole her car. Now I wanted to return the favor.
I liked to believe that my even mix of Italian and Irish genes lent loyalty, spirituality and spunk to my make-up. But in truth they also created fire and a need for revenge. To hurt those who wounded mine. Danny had nearly destroyed my sister. The wild sister.
I checked the hackles rising on the back of my neck and turned toward the judge.
The judge looked our way. “The charge appears to be domestic violence against a live-in girlfriend, but this charging file is terribly light. Ms. Albertini?”
I cleared my throat and leaned down to read the charging documents. Oh, I wasn’t going to be nice. “Your records are light, judge.” Way too light. It wasn’t a surprise, considering the former prosecuting attorney had gotten involved in the drug trade and then was murdered before all of the lawyers were fired. “From the records, this looks like a third offense.” Yeah, the asshat should’ve been charged with a felony. This had fallen through the cracks. I stood taller to take the lumps. “It appears that additional charges are required here, your honor. The state requests a postponement and a week to prepare for a preliminary hearing.”
Clark glanced my way, surprise in his eyes. “We could plea this out.”
Glass sharp eyes narrowed on mine as Danny stood in faded jeans and a tan shirt decorated with a dragon spitting fire. “I plead not guilty, your honor. Regardless.”
The judge gave me a look that clearly said this was my last favor. “It appears we’re not ready for a plea. This time. Very well, Ms. Albertini. One week to amend charges.” She stood, we all jumped to our feet, and the judge strode gracefully out of the courtroom.
Clark turned toward me. “You okay?”
“Yes.” I grabbed the files off my table and ignored his client. My afternoon was swamped, and I had to get through it and fast. I had to find Tessa.
Once I got back to the office, I tried to call but went to her voicemail. Then my first witness arrived to prepare for an upcoming trial, and I had to get down to trying to fix the mess the office had become.
I worked diligently until quitting time and all but ran out the door at five o’clock. Nick hadn’t returned from court, and right now, I didn’t care.
After an afternoon where my red shoes made me feel like anything but a badass, I swung through Margo’s Tai Palace for buckets of calories to take to my sister Tessa’s place. I had tried her phone a couple more times through the afternoon, but she must’ve been working. This was better news given in person…with wine. I’d already picked up several bottles before hitting Margo’s.
It was finally summer, and I drove my Fiat with the top down, trying to suck in fresh air and lose the worry. Timber City had about forty-nine thousand citizens, which was the big city to a girl from Silverville. Most of my family still lived in my hometown, fifty miles east through a mountain pass. Tessa lived here, right off the main drag in town in an apartment above Smiley’s Diner, where she worked as a waitress.
A lot of people, locals and tourists, strolled along the brick sidewalks in the warm weather now that the workday was finished.
&nbs
p; I parked at the curb, grabbed the food and wine, and then walked past the diner entrance to a doorway just around the corner. Using my hip, I nudged it open and walked up the cement steps and through another doorway that led to an alcove with two apartment doors.
Tess’s door was the one to the right, and it was ajar.
I stilled. Tessa never left her door open. Panic tried to grab me, but I had to stay smart. Had Danny already found her? No. Maybe she was just putting groceries away or something. As quietly as I could, I set dinner against the wall. Then I walked on my toes across the hard cement to the blue steel door, careful not to let my heels make any noise. My heart pounded, and my lungs tightened painfully.
The massive lump in my throat didn’t allow me to swallow. Okay. Tess had to be okay. I reached her door and gingerly pushed it open, listening for any sound.
“Freeze!” A male voice bellowed from behind me.
I yelped and fell against the door, going down to the soft rug inside and coming up fast. Wincing at the pain in my hip, I threw my head back and put my shoulders against the wall.
Then I just stopped thinking as my brain tried to interpret too much information at once.
Tessa stood near the head of a bloody and beaten body, a silver gun in her hand and her eyes wild. At the feet of the unmoving guy stood my pseudo-boyfriend, Aiden Devlin, a man I hadn’t seen in two weeks. His beard rivaled that of the bailiff’s earlier, but his piercing blue eyes were in a category of their own.