SLOW - The Story of Signy and Aden, #1 by Julianna West Read Free Book Online

Hurry!"
    I turn the lights off and make my way to the living room, the next adhesive camera already between my fingertips, ready to be applied. I stick it and I'm heading to the kitchen when Aden's voice is back in my ear.
    "They're home."
    I freeze, my stomach twisting with the thought of getting caught. "What?" I whisper back.
    "They're in the driveway. Hide."
    Shit! Where? Where the fuck am I supposed to hide? I look for a pantry but that's too obvious, besides, all it takes is one midnight snack and I'm toast. "They're at the front door, Sig. You hiding?"
    What do I do?
    "Sig?"
    "Yeah, OK. Hold on—"
    Laughter, a mix of male and female voices, comes from the front of the house and I freeze. "Shit, they're here!"
    "Signy, listen carefully. Do not get caught, OK? Do. Not. Get. Caught. Get under that counter, see it?"
    The footsteps are getting closer, they're coming into the kitchen!
    "See it?" he demands again.
    I scan the dark kitchen and spy what he's talking about. It's a space under the counter for pot hangers. I scramble under, knocking several pots together in the process and I hold my breath to see if they heard.
    Loud cracks of laughter come from the middle of the house and I quickly tuck my legs underneath me to hide them.
    "Stay very still, Sig. The cameras are on now, so I can get you out, but you must not let them know you're there. Got it?"
    I nod my head and he whispers, "Good girl," into my ear.
    The laughter switches direction and I breathe a sigh of relief as they make their way to the bedroom. At least I have those cameras planted already.
    I stay sill and listen, then hear a male voice say in a mummer filled with innuendo that he'll be right back. His shoes have a light and quick click to them as they walk the travertine tile that lines the floors, and then the lights in the kitchen flick on.
    "Where are you?" he asks.
    I almost pee my pants.
    He starts pulling open drawers and it takes several seconds to realize that he's not talking about me. I listen to his shoes clack on the tiles as he makes his way around the kitchen and then he stops right in front of me. All he has to do is bend down and I'm right there!
    But he doesn't bend down—he's busy with something and I can't help myself. I lean forward and peer up. I hear Aden take in a sip of breath as I do it, my eyes trained on the well-dressed man in front of me. What's that he's got?
    I pull back a fraction as he laughs softly, then lean forward when his shoes begin to walk away. I lean all the way out and try to see what's he's got in his hand.
    It's a knife.
    A very large, very sharp, almost twinkling with sharpness , very long knife.
    "Get out now , Signy."
    I scuttle out from the pans, knocking a few but not caring this time, and crawl to the end of the island counter and peek out.
    "Now, Signy. Go out the back door and do not look back."
    I get to my feet and scramble towards the back of the house when the laughter ends and I her the panicked female voice turn into shrieks of horror. Things are breaking, screams turn into gasps for air and I know he's choking her, and then I hear it. The sickening sound of a knife being thrust into a body over and over again. Between these noises there are a few pathetic attempt at groaning.
    I freeze.
    "Never mind, Signy. Just get out!"
    Typically I'm on board with being a coward. I mean, I'm a PI who catches cheaters for Pete's sake, not murderers. But I've got a gun and a shitload of extra bullets strapped to my thigh. And this woman is about to fucking die!
    Aden is screaming in my ear as I move towards the bedroom, but I already have the gun out and I'm stalking my way down the hallway, wrinkling my nose at a smell, with my back against the wall and the gun out in front of me in ready position.
    The screams have stopped and I can hear a man taking in long deep breaths, like he's trying to calm himself. I inch forward, little by little and see the pool of blood running on the floor. A few more inches and I