Adam by Teresa Gabelman, Hot Tree Editing

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.”
    “We need you to interview some of the women before we release them to their families.” Slade turned , heading down the hallway.
    Jill watched Adam go in the opposite direction , wondering what the hell was going on. Sloan didn’t tell them much on the way over, other than get their asses to his office pronto, and then they blindly followed him to his car.
    Slade stopped in front of a door before he turned toward them. “Most of the women’s families have been contacted, but ask them to make sure. If they haven’t, then contact their families before