Adam (The Protectors #5)(23)
“Oh, I heard it all, but I still have questions.” Caroline sighed before sitting down in the nearest chair. She hated feeling weak and her insides felt like jelly.
“Then you heard it all, Ms. Fitzpatrick,” Sloan replied, still not breaking eye contact. “And I owe you nothing.”
“I think not, Mr. Murphy.” Caroline’s eyes challenged him. “He made me grab my own breasts, and that alone says you owe me some easy answers.”
“Do you browbeat your students like this?” Sloan frowned down at her.
“All the time,” Caroline’s reply was serious.
“And does it work?” Sloan’s lips curved into a half-grin.
“All the time.” Caroline’s own grin spread across her face; she knew she had won.
Chapter 9
It took Adam seconds to make a decision. Get shot by the woman he loved or move the f*ck out of the way. His choice was move the f*ck out of the way. Just as he dove for the ground, he turned to realize that she hadn’t been aiming at him, but at her husband, who stood in the doorway holding a shotgun. The bullet he thought had been meant for him splintered the wood above Robert’s head. Another round went off this time, hitting the floor in front of him.
“You bitch!” he screamed, dodging wood and bullets. “I’m your husband. Shoot him!” He stabbed a finger at Adam.
“You are not my husband, you bastard!” Angelina screamed, still aiming her gun at Robert, but missing him every single time.
“How can you say that, Angel?” Robert glared at her, but his eyes shifted to Adam.
Anger hit Adam hard, hearing the f*cker call her Angel. No one called her Angel, but him. Slow to stand, Adam kept his eyes on the shotgun, knowing he would survive a blast, but Angelina would not, and this man seemed to be on the edge of losing it.
“He is not my husband.” Angelina’s voice quivered as much as the hand holding the gun.
Adam took a chance to look her way, and he knew the truth in that moment; it blazed from her eyes. She was still his and had not betrayed him. At that moment, that was all that mattered.
“I am your husband, you lying bitch!” The scream that came out of the man was like a deranged child. “Put the gun down or I’ll shoot him. I swear to God, I’ll shoot him.”
Adam made it to his full height slowly, wanting to get between Angelina and the shotgun. Taking a step, he felt a bullet skim past his head to slam into the wall next to Robert, who had raised his shotgun toward him. Knowing he had to get the situation under control and now, he grabbed the metal folding chair to his right, and with a speed untraceable to the human eye, he side armed it at Robert. The chair hit Robert in the chest, knocking him out of the room. The force of the chair caused the shotgun to go off into the ceiling as the bastard fell backwards. Turning to Angelina, he grabbed the gun out of her hand and secured it in the waistband of his jeans.
“I’m not married to him,” Angelina repeated in a whisper. Her pale blue eyes, shadowed with pain, stared up at him.
As much as he wanted to take her in his arms, he knew the situation was far from controlled. He still didn’t know what happened to Lana. That was his first priority, after getting Angelina and the other woman safe.
“How many men are there?” Adam turned so he could keep his eye on the unconscious men. When Angelina didn’t answer right away, he looked down at her. “Angelina, I need to know. Lana is here somewhere and I need to find her, but I have to get you somewhere safe.”
That seemed to snap Angelina out of it. “There are five in total that I know of.” She turned to look at the woman who still hovered in the corner. “I know where we can hide. Go on and find Lana.”
The woman stood, leaning heavily on Angelina as she looked up at Adam with half-breed eyes. “Thank you.” Her voice cracked in pain.
Adam nodded with a frown as Angelina struggled with the woman’s weight. “Stop.” He turned and headed for Robert, who was still unconscious. Walking over, he grabbed him, and punched him twice in the face before tossing him over to where the other man lay. Seeing the women looking at him, he shrugged. “Just making sure he stays out until I get back.” It wasn’t a total lie, though he didn’t mention he took great pleasure of feeling his fist connect to the bastard’s face. He took the woman from Angelina, picking her up.
“Anne was just turned.” Angelina explained the woman’s weakened state. “Tomorrow is my turn.”
“No, it’s not.” Adam stood with the woman in his arms, staring down at Angelina. A low growl rumbled in his chest; he knew that if he would have listened to Jill sooner, he could have maybe saved this woman from this fate. “Where am I going?” Was the only other thing he could say at that moment.
“Down the hall, third door on the right.” The woman in his arms nodded her head in that direction.
Angelina eased past him and led the way to open the door, but it was locked. His eyes rose to the deadbolt, which was unlocked and his gut churned with anger knowing that was the lock used to keep the women prisoners inside the rooms. Angelina knocked on the door with three fast taps followed by two slow. After a few seconds, the lock clicked and the door slowly opened. Angelina turned her head slightly to look up at him with such sadness before pushing into the room and closing the door behind him after he followed her in. He stood with the woman in his arms staring at six women in total, different ages staring at him, some with human eyes, others with eyes like his.