Adam (The Protectors #5)

Adam turned to stare at her, turning the radio off. “Do you even have a license?”


“A what?” Jill laughed at his expression. “Chill out, dude! I’m an excellent driver,” she answered as she pulled out into the path of an oncoming car.

“Stop the damn car!” Adam yelled, but waved sorry to the driver who almost plowed into them.

“There’s a speed limit on this street and that guy clearly wasn’t doing it.” Jill frowned, getting ready to flip the guy off, but Adam grabbed her arm to stop her.

Reaching over, he slammed the car in park, turned off the ignition and took the keys. The guy in the other car was still yelling and cursing out his window as Adam got out and marched to the driver’s side. “Get out!”

“Okay! Okay!” Jill jumped out and headed to the other side of the car. She yelled back at the other driver who was still cussing her out. “I didn’t hit you, man! Go on, get out of here!”

Adam got in, put the keys in the ignition and started the car. Pulling off to the side of the road, he rubbed his forehead with a long sigh. “Do not ever and I mean ever drive my car again.” When Jill didn’t reply, he glared over at her. “I mean it, Jill. My car is off limits to you, period.”

She nodded without saying a word, but the pissed off expression she wore let him know she was mentally cussing him out.

“Where we going?” Adam put the car in gear ready to go. When she didn’t answer, he slammed it in park. “Well, until you tell me where your parents live, I guess we’re going to sit here. What’s the damn address?”

Jill’s head turned slowly toward him, her eyes gleaming in anger. “One-Twenty-Two Fuck You Avenue…asshole.” And with that, she jumped out of the car, slammed the car door and headed back to the compound.

Chapter 7

Adam tapped his thumb against the steering wheel, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the two-story house. Silently cursing Jill for putting doubts in his head, he wished he had the strength to leave. But her doubts reflected his own, even though they had been buried deep where he pushed them. Jill, with her annoying habit of getting into his business, drew those doubts out. He didn’t need this shit. He had read Angelina. He knew what he had seen in her thoughts. So he couldn’t help but wonder why he was here sitting on a darkening street like a stalker. “Shit,” he hissed, knowing he was just wasting his time.

“What are you doing here?”

“Shit!” Adam yelled, jumping away from his window. His eyes found Lana leaning down and looking at him. “You scared the fuck out of me! What are you doing here?”

“I was on my way home when a call came over the scanner. A jogger heard someone screaming from one of the houses. I was close and told them I’d take the call. I’m just waiting for back-up.” Lana eyed him for a second, and then looked down the street. “Seriously, what are you doing here, Adam? Do you know someone on this street?”

Adam had a bad feeling, a really bad feeling. Pushing open his door, he got out looking down at Lana. “Which house?” He started down the street, heading away from his car.

“Where are you going?” Lana caught up to him. “I’m waiting for back-up.”

“Is it that house?” Adam pointed to the house where he had last seen Angelina. When Lana didn’t respond but just stared at him, he knew that was the house. “Fuck back-up.”

“Dammit!” Lana ran after him, but by the time she reached the house, he was already banging on the door.

“What in the hell is going on?” She grabbed Adam’s arm before he could continue.

“Angelina is here.” He pulled his arm away. “In this house.”

Understanding lit her face. Lana stepped between the door and Adam. “Listen to me. You need to calm your ass down and let me do my job.” Lana lowered her voice, “If you interfere whatsoever, I will arrest you. If she is in there and in danger, I will take care of it.”

When Adam didn’t say a word, just glared over her head at the door, she cursed, grabbing her radio out of her back pocket. “I’m one second from calling in a distress,” she warned Adam. “If I do that, cops will be all over this place and your ass.”

That brought Adam’s eyes down to hers, but the intensity of his stare hadn’t diminished.

“You need to check yourself and do it now before that door opens.” Lana didn’t back down from his heated glare. “I’m not playing, Adam.”

Finally he nodded. “I’m your back-up and what you say goes.” His eyes shot up to the door when it opened. When Lana didn’t turn around right away and continued to warn him with her eyes, he turned her with a squeeze to her shoulders.

“Can I help you?” The man Adam wanted to put six-feet under asked. When their eyes met, surprise was evident on the man’s face; fear also shadowed the man’s eyes, something that Adam did not miss.

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