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

know you, you're right. But I like you. I don't want you to be hurt or sad, that's all. And I love your name. It's so beautiful and that nickname just rolls off my tongue. I feel like know you."
    Well, that's not what I expected.
    His hand grabs mine and pulls me towards him. "Look at me, please."
    I swallow and turn my head slightly, just enough to see his eyes but not give him a full shot of what a wreck I am.
    "I'll take care of this, I promise."
    "How, Aden? If what you said was true, then I'm a target. I'm gonna have to leave Vegas! And this is the only place I've ever known. I need my phone, I need to call Jaxsen and tell him what happened."
    "Your accountant?" He almost snorts, I swear. "You're not calling that guy, he's as dirty as they come."
    "Like you'd know!"
    "I do know, Signy. Look in the back of my truck, Peaches. Do I look like I need a job at your—no offense—crappy little PI agency? I'm decked out with more than two million dollars in equipment back there. You really think I'm a freelancer?"
    My head turns slowly to his face. "You lied to me?"
    He lets out an uncomfortable laugh. "You're surprised?"
    I look back out the window and realize we're far out of the city now. The whole night is blackness—no stars or nothing. "Where the hell are you taking me?"
    "Just relax, we're almost there."
    "Almost where?" My heart starts pounding and I reach over and try and grab my phone from the seat. He swears the truck and knocks me back.
    "Stop dammit!"
    I pull the gun from my thigh holster, pull back the safety, and point it at his head. "Pull this motherfucking truck over, right now!"
    He pulls off the highway but not off the road.
    "I said—"
    "Sig, you're not going to shoot me, so stop. The gun's loaded with blanks anyway."
    "No, I don't think so, Aden. You made a big deal about me going in protected, so you;re telling me that was for show?"
    "I lied about the case, didn't I?"
    "Pull over, I said."
    He turns the truck again, but we don't stop, instead we continue down a very dark and narrow road. It's impossible to tell what's on either side, that's how dark it is. But there are lights up ahead now, so I crane my neck to get a better look.
    "Where are we?"
    He stops the truck, puts it in park and turns off the engine. "My house. Come on, you can clean up inside and get some rest. We'll figure it out in the morning."
    He's out of the truck and I'm sitting alone, pointing the gun at the empty space where he used to be. My door opens up and he stands there, waiting to see what I'll do.
    "Let's just get some rest, huh? We're both pretty tense right now, so come on."
    I jump out of the truck but keep the gun. He turns away and starts walking up towards his house. The windows are all dark and the outside is only illuminated by a single light on the porch next to the door. I close the door with my hip and then point the gun at the ground and fire one off.
    The boom echoes and I can feel the dirt fly up and hit me in the face, but my eyes are trained on Aden.
    He doesn't even flinch—but he does talk as he jingles his keys in his hand, getting ready to unlock the door. "Smart girl." He turns to look back at me, the key still in the lock. "I knew you knew, by the way."
    Right. "Don't underestimate me, Aden. I swear to God, I will not hesitate. You seem to have some misconstrued opinion of me based on how this whole relationship started, but I'm not a bimbo who fell into a job running a investigations agency because her mommy died and left it to her in the will. I'm trained and I will not be led along like some pet, you got it?"
    "You like coffee, right, Signy?"
    "What?"
    "Coffee? Come on, I'll make us some while you take a shower. Then we'll talk, OK?"
    I hesitate and look around for a moment, take in my surroundings. What I can see of them anyway. I'm pretty much in the middle of BFE, so I don't really have a choice, do I? Unless I want to steal his two million dollar truck. And something tells me that might rub him