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

see her bruised and beaten face.
    I'm about to rush him and start shooting when I realize that smell is gasoline. The whoosh of fire erupts, glass is breaking, and suddenly the whole place is up in flames!
    I back track my way to the kitchen, feeling helpless, but now I have to worry about getting out of here before I'm burned beyond recognition. The gasoline trail has been dripped all down the hallway and the flames follow me as I retreat. I make it to the kitchen and flank right towards the front of the house, and then something explodes and I'm thrown forward, my left side crashing up against the massive maple front doors.
    "Signy, dammit!" Aden is pushing open the door but my body is in the way and it's stuck. "Scoot back, Sig! Now!"
    I inch backwards a little bit and my ribs ache. Aden scoops me up and bolts out of the house to the idling truck in the driveway. He pulls the door open and sets me down in the seat, then races around the front of the truck and jumps in beside me. "You OK?"
    "What the fuck just happened, Aden! I just witnessed a murder and arson! Oh, my God ! What the fuck just happened ?"
    He slams on the gas and we book it down the driveway and out into the street. We make our way out of the suburbs and back to the city lights before I can even think straight again. Holy shit. Holyshitholyhsitholyshit . "We have to call the police!" I pull my phone out of my pocket and start dialing 911 when he snatches it away.
    "No, no cops. We gotta handle this ourselves."
    "What? You're crazy! I just witnessed a murder!"
    "Right," he says with no emotion at all. "You witnessed a murder. Of a very important woman, in her own home, who was cheating on her husband. You really think you're just a PI in this case, Signy? That client is setting you up! He said they'd be gone all night, until ten?"
    "Yeah, but—"
    "But nothing, we should've had at least another two hours! That was no coincidence!"
    "That doesn't even make sense, Aden! He's not in on it! Why go through this ruse if he's the one—"
    "Because he wanted you to see some other guy kill his wife, Signy. Get it? He hired someone to kill her, and he wanted you to see that guy in the house."
    "I don't know."
    "It doesn't matter if you don't know. I do know . I've seen this shit plenty of times to recognize the set-up. Your client put a hit out on his wife and you're his alibi."
    We drive in silence back to my place and I'm just about ready to think that being nabbed for sexually harassing Aden this afternoon is sounding a lot better than this crack partnership he's sucked me into.
    And then I notice the sirens and flashing lights.
    Aden picks up speed just as he should be slowing down to turn into my hotel parking lot and I'm about to scream at him when I see the flames. "My place is on fire !"
    We rage past at full speed and I desperately try to get a glimpse of my room door and my bike in the rear-view mirror when we turn on the next block, but all I see is the glow that lights up the night sky.
    I fall back in my seat. "What the fuck just happened?"
    "He just sent you a message, Sig. That's what happened. You're his alibi, Peaches. And that fire back there was a way to let you know he expects your full cooperation."
    Oh, my fucking god .
    I was set up!
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
    Las Vegas passes by in a blur once again as I think about what just happened.
    What did just happen?
    My whole freaking life is gone, that's what just happened! Everything I owned was in that little hotel room. Granted, it wasn't much—I'm a minimalist. But there were memories in there—photos and small trinkets and sentimental jewelry that was passed down from my mother. My mother! The thought makes my breath hitch as I tuck down a sob and I turn my head as far as I can into the window so Aden can't see me.
    But he hears me.
    "You OK, Sig?"
    This makes me angry. "Stop calling me Sig like you know me or something, OK? You don't know me!"
    "Sorry," he mumbles. "I don't