Adam (The Protectors #5)(26)

“Do I need to send you back to the compound or are you up for the task?” Damon’s tone was strict and to the point.

“No, I’m fine,” Adam replied, knowing this wasn’t the time to talk to Angelina. He needed to do his job. “What needs to be done?”

“We have Jill and Steve on the way to interview some of the women since it doesn’t look like you’re up for that task,” Damon’s voice was harsh. “You did good, Adam, but right now, you need to focus on the job at hand and it involves more than Angelina. Take care of personal stuff afterwards. Now, are you up for the task or not?”

Adam’s eyes snapped away from Angelina. Dammit. “I said I’m fine.” Adam forced his eyes to stay on Damon. “I can interview or whatever you need me to do.”

“We need to do a search of the house. Look for anything unusual like vials and stuff like that. Shit, what a f*cking mess.” Damon turned to look at the women and Slade who was calming them down. “Head back down and see what Jared needs you to do. We have it up here for now until Jill and Steve get here.”

Adam nodded, and as soon as Damon’s back turned, he looked to Angelina who was staring at him. In that moment, he made a decision, and without words, he let her know. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the blue hairband and placed it on his wrist. Turning, he walked out the door, but not before he saw the surprised relief flashing across her pale face.

Chapter 10

Jill walked up to the house, not surprised at the turn of events. Cop cars, ambulances and even a fire truck took up most of the street in front of the house. Sloan led the way.

“This looks like it’s going to go over well.” Sarcasm dripped from each word as Sloan surveyed the chaos taking place around the house.

“Well, if Adam would have listened to me in the first place, we may have avoided all of this.” Jill almost ran into Sloan when he stopped suddenly.

Sloan turned to glare down at her. “Listen to you about what?”

“Ah, well…” Sloan’s glare made Jill’s tongue thick and her brain thicker. He was a very intimidating man.

Steve, who had been quiet until this point and probably should have stayed that way, decided to explain. “Jill told Adam from the start she thought Angelina was lying about being happily married to that man.” Steve didn’t seem too intimidated as he continued, “She wanted to come here with him earlier to prove it to him, but he said no. I guess he changed his mind.” Steve glanced around at all the craziness surrounding them.

“And what made you think she was lying?” Sloan’s attention went back to Jill, but before she could say a word, Steve continued.

“You know how women are.” Steve rolled his eyes and actually elbowed Sloan in the ribs, missing the shocked look on Jill’s face and the killing glare from Sloan. “They think the grass is greener on the other side and…”

Jill finally found her brain and tongue as well as her fist that wanted to punch Steve in the face. “That’s not the reason I thought she was lying.” Jill looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Well you were doing a lot of…ah…huh…well…ah…so I thought I would help you out.” Steve frowned.

“Do me a favor and don’t…help.” Jill tossed him a glare, and then looked up at Sloan who seemed to be on the edge of losing his short temper. “I just felt she was lying because I’ve known her for a long time and she has always been in love with Adam. So for her to just fall for some random guy years older than her just didn’t feel right to me, so I told Adam. Of course, being a typical male who thinks he knows it all, he didn’t listen, or at least, I didn’t think he listened.”

“Instincts are usually not wrong. Most of us are alive today because of them.” Sloan nodded at her. “Good job, Jill, but next time, don’t go to the person who is closely involved like Adam in this type of situation. Go to someone neutral to check it out first.”

“Yes, sir,” Jill replied, and then smirked at Steve when Sloan turned his back.

“And Steve,” Sloan said without turning around as he continued to the house. “Don’t answer for other people when you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“Yes, sir,” Steve replied, and then flipped Jill off when she silently laughed at him.

Jill simply shook her head as they made their way up the steps to the front door. No one tried to stop them; actually, they were stepping out of Sloan’s way. It was quite impressive.

As soon as they made it into the house, Jared pointed at her and Steve. “You’re needed upstairs. Third door on the right.”

Without question, both Jill and Steve headed upstairs and were met by Adam and Slade.

Adam stopped, holding up his hand. “Don’t even say it.”

“Oh, you don’t get off that easy, bud.” Jill smirked, liking being right.

“She did tell you so,” Steve added with a smirk of his own. “She was pretty dead on.”

Noticing the stress on Adam’s face, her smirk disappeared quickly. “Is she okay?” Jill asked, her teasing tone gone, replaced with concern.

He nodded. “Yeah, she is.”

“Good. I’ll give you more shit later.” Jill couldn’t help but put the dig in at Adam before she glanced at Slade. “Jared told us to come up here.”