"Roberts, Nora - Stanislaski 03 - Falling for Rachel" - читать интересную книгу автора (Roberts Nora)

"Cash, T.J., take that first load out to the car." Reece flipped the keys. "Make
sure you lock it. Wouldn't want any bad guys stealing anything, would we?"
TJ.'s giggles echoed off the ceiling as he wiggled out the window. "No, sir." He
pushed his wraparound sunglasses back on his nose. "Thieves everywhere these
days. Right, Cash?"
Cash merely grunted and wrestled his way out the window.
"That TJ.'s a real idiot." Reece hefted a boxed VCR. "Give me a hand with this,
Nick."
"I thought you said we were just going for the small stuff."
"Changed my mind." Reece pushed the box into Nick's arms. "My old lady's been
whining for one of these." Reece tossed back his hair before climbing through
the window. "You know your problem, Nick? Too much conscience. What's it ever
gotten you? Now, the Cobras, we're family. Only time you got to have a
conscience is with your family." He held out his arms. When Nick put the VCR
into them, Reece slipped off into the dark.
Family, Nick thought. Reece was right. The Cobras were his family. You could
count on them. He'd had to count on them. Pushing all his doubts aside, Nick
shouldered his bag. He had to think of himself, didn't he? His share of
tonight's work would keep a roof over his head for another month or two. He
could have paid for his room the straight way if he hadn't gotten laid off from
the delivery-truck job.
Lousy economy, he decided. If he had to steal to make ends meet, he could blame
the government. The idea made him snicker as he swung one leg out of the window.
Reece was right, he thought. You had to look out for number one.
"Need a hand with that?"
The unfamiliar voice had Nick freezing halfway out the window. In the shadowy
light he saw the glint of a gun, the flash of a badge. He gave one fleeting,
panicky thought to shoving the bag at the silhouette and making a run for it.
Shaking his head, the cop stepped closer. He was young, dark, with a weary kind
of resignation in the eyes that warned Nick that he'd been this route before.
"Do yourself a favor," the cop suggested. "Just chalk it up to bad luck."
Resigned, Nick slipped out of the window, set the bag down, faced the wall and
assumed the position. "Is there any other kind?" he muttered, and let his mind
wander as he was read his rights.



Chapter One
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With a briefcase in one hand and a half-eaten bagel in the other, Rachel raced
up the courthouse steps. She hated to be late. Detested it. Knowing she'd drawn
Judge Hatchet-Face Snyder for the morning hearing only made her more determined
to be inside and at the defense table by 8:59. She had three minutes to spare,
and would have had twice that if she hadn't stopped by the office first.
How could she have known that her boss would be lying in wait with another case
file?
Two years of working as a public defender, she reminded herself as she hit the
doors at a run. That was how she should have known.
She scanned the elevators, gauged the waiting crowd and opted for the stairs.