Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Dallas

WE'VE BEEN AT the safehouse for the last week. I can admit the house is amazing. We're at a log cabin deep in the woods. There's only one way in and out from the house so the guys will know if anyone gets close to us. Inside there are five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large living room and kitchen, the basement is furnished with games and a bar, and there's a lake just behind the cabin. I can go to the lake if the guys go with me. Otherwise, I'm not allowed to leave the house for any reason. Even just to get a breath of fresh air. I feel as if the walls of the amazing house are crowding in on me and there's nothing I can do to stop it from happening. Adam isn't even a distraction for me these days and that's saying something because he's been trying his very best to keep me thoroughly distracted and not thinking about everything going on.

Loading up in a van with Danger in the basement of the clubhouse was an experience I won't forget. Reaper and the other members cleared out the common room so no one was sitting in there before I was ushered through by Adam and Tripp with the rest of the guys following behind us. I was put in a van that Jay's driving. Adam did the best he could to ensure I was comfortable by adding blankets, pillows, and packing snacks and drinks so I didn't have to get out of the van if they chose to stop for gas or anything. Jay never once left the van the few times we did stop to ensure no one got close enough to look in the van at all. They even built something to place behind the seats in the front so no one could see the back of the van where I was laying with Danger at my side. I could still talk to Jay because it didn't go all the way to the floor, but it was insane the steps they took to ensure no one would catch the slightest glimpse of me.

Danger is loving his life out here. Tripp takes him outside for a few hours each day and lets him run around. They play and Danger has even gone in the lake. My baby loves the water and it took Tripp forever to get him back out the first time. We all laughed as Tripp got frustrated when Danger wouldn't listen to him and come out of the water. Tripp literally had to walk in with Danger and make him follow him out by hooking his leash to the collar my baby always wears. When we're in the house, my dog doesn't leave my side. Especially if I'm still in bed after getting sick. That's when he shows what a baby he is by jumping up in bed with me and taking up more room than Titan and I combined. He lays his head just above my stomach and stares at me with his sad puppy dog eyes. I just laugh at him when he gives me that look because there's nothing he can do to take away the sickness from me.

The first day we were at the cabin, Adam explained everything in detail to me. He let me know about members from other clubs coming in to help the Fallen Brethren search for this Norbert guy. I've never met him before in my life and have no clue why I'd be singled out by him. Other than the fact that he wants something from my dad and believes threatening and hurting me is going to get him what he wants. My dad would do anything to protect me, that's the entire reason I'm with the MC now. They're the best ones to protect me and I'm going to follow everything they say because I won't risk something happening to me or any of them.

Every single day is hell for me. Not only do I wake up getting sick as hell, but there's hardly anything for me to do here. I'm bored as fuck and want to be at work. No, we're not open yet. There's still so much to do though. The new equipment will be delivered soon and the old, damaged stuff picked up and taken away. All the new equipment will be installed once again by the men who deliver it. I can't even be there to test it. Thankfully, Adam arranged for Hawk and Emmie to be there for the men and watch over the installation before Emmie tests each piece to ensure it works before letting the workers leave if anything doesn't work as it should. Emmie knows what to expect with the equipment and has used it in the past when we were both in school.

Adam is getting worried about how sick I've been. He can't just pick up the phone and call the club's doctor to come in and give me an exam to determine what's wrong with me. There's no one he can call to come figure out what's going on because it means someone knows where I am and it could get back to the fucker after me. Every morning when I rush to the bathroom, he's right at my side, keeping my hair out of my face and rubbing my back. Adam always places a cool washcloth on my neck and then makes sure I'm taken care of to the best of his ability. He makes sure I have water to drink, I brush my teeth after getting sick, and then have something like saltines to munch on until my stomach feels better. It usually only lasts a few hours before I start to feel fine and ready to get out of bed. I'm also tired a lot more than normal. I'm thinking it might simply be stress and everything going on right now. I mean, I haven't even had my monthly cycle since all of this started and I'm pretty regular with the exception of times I'm under extreme stress. I'd say all this shit qualifies as extreme stress.

Getting out of bed once I start feeling better again today, I dress in a pair of shorts with one of Adam's tee-shirts covering me. The house is eerily quiet as I make my way down to the kitchen so I can get something to eat. I'm actually pretty hungry and want to make the guys something to eat. They haven't been letting me do a lot because Adam doesn't want me to. Not when he doesn't know what's wrong with me. Today that's not gonna work for me though. I feel better than I have in days and want to cook and bake. It's been way too long since I've baked anything and I'm more than ready to get back to it.

"Oh. I didn't realize anyone was in here," I say, seeing Cash and Eagle at the table with cups of coffee in front of them.

"You're fine, Dallas," Eagle says, his voice washing over me and making me feel at home instead of in his way as I've felt with others in the past before meeting the men of the club.

"How are you feelin'? Titan said you weren't feelin' good again today," Cash asks me, taking a sip of his coffee before setting his cup down in front of him again.

"I actually feel better than I have in a few days. Maybe being here is starting to help me get rid of the stress I've been feeling," I say, opening the refrigerator and seeing what's inside. "Have you guys eaten?"

"Yeah. We ate when we came in from our watch overnight," Eagle answers me. "Titan and the guys should be back soon. They went to town to gather more supplies and stock up on extra food. We're supposed to be gettin' a storm today and they're expectin' it to be a bad one. I've been watchin' the weather and it might change from thunderstorms to a tornado watch before too long. They want to be prepared in case that happens. Or if we lose power. We have a generator that we can use for short periods of time, but most of the food we have is perishable and we won't take chances when you're already not feelin' the best."

"Okay. I've never been through a tornado before," I say, panic starting to fill me as I think of what we'll do if one comes close to us.

"We'll keep you safe, Dallas. There's a storm shelter under the house. We can access it through the basement. Once we get inside and lock the door, nothing will be able to get to us," Cash informs me as he yawns and stretches his body at the table while I pull out what I need to make eggs, toast, hash browns, and sausage for breakfast. "The Prospect has eaten too. Jay went to town with the guys."

"I'll just cook for myself then. I plan on baking later if I'm able to. Is there anything you'd prefer over other stuff?" I question as I start moving around the kitchen to find what I need to cook.

Eagle and Cash both give me their favorite desserts and I add them to the mental list I'm making. I know Adam's and Tripp's favorite desserts that I can make as well. There's a list of things I can make that we have the ingredients for and it will keep me busy and my mind off of everything. At least that's my hope as I focus on the task at hand so I don't burn my food. Eagle and Cash are still at the table when I sit down to join them. The smell of their coffee so close to me turns my stomach, but I don't have to jump up and rush off to the bathroom once again. That would suck because I hate throwing up more than anything else in the world. I manage to eat all of my food before taking a seat in the living room with a book. There's a full library here that I discovered yesterday that holds every kind of book known to man. Including romance books. I've grabbed a few of them to read and see if that helps how damn bored I am all the time.

I read a little, took a short nap, and I've been baking for a few hours now and the guys still haven't returned. I'm honestly getting worried about them. Cash and Eagle don't seem to be concerned as they nap in the living room. Both men assured me they're light sleepers and will wake at the first sign of trouble. Eagle left me his gun even though I told him I have no clue how to shoot one. That's the one thing I've never been trained in over the years. I'm sure that will be added to my training because Eagle wasn't happy with that knowledge. He more than likely sent a message to Adam the second the words escaped my mouth.

As I set the last tray of cookies I've made on the top of the oven and grab the spatula to move the cookies to the cooling rack I found, Cash suddenly jumps off the couch he was napping on and scares the shit out of me. Eagle is up seconds later as they both head for the door to see what's going on outside the house.

"The guys are back. Jay and them are unloadin' everythin' from the van," Cash informs me as he turns from the door and Eagle opens it to go help them.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart, I finish moving the cookies from the sheet they were on before sliding the brownies into the oven. This is the last thing I have to bake today. I've already made four kinds of cookies, a cake, fudge, and now brownies. The cookies have four dozen each and the cake is ready to be frosted now. Grabbing everything I need, I make homemade peanut butter frosting and start covering the cake in front of me. Cash makes his way over to me and attempts to slide his finger through the frosting in the bowl that I'm using. I swat the spatula at him and he quickly pulls his hand back.

"No sampling until I'm done with it," I tell him, laughter filling my voice as a grown ass man pouts at me like a kid about to have a tantrum.

"What the fuck are you lookin' at my ol' lady like that for, Cash?" Adam asks him, walking in the house and straight up to me.

Adam wraps his arms around me and I sink back into his chest. Safety and warmth immediately surround me as he rests his chin on my shoulder and continues looking at Cash across from us.

"Your ol' lady is mean. She just tried to take me out with her frostin' spreader," Cash says, making me laugh again.

"Frosting spreader?" I ask him as Adam joins me in laughing.

"Yeah. I don't know what the hell that thing is called," he answers with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I call it a spatula," I tell him as Adam kisses the side of my neck after moving a few stray pieces of hair out of his way.

"I just wanted a taste," he pouts again, trying to get me to give in to him.

"I'm almost done and then you can. And no touching this stuff until after dinner. I'm gonna put a roast in the second I pull the brownies out," I warn Cash as the rest of the guys come in the kitchen.

"Holy shit, Dallas! You made all this while we were gone?" Tripp asks me, his voice full of shock as he slowly walks toward the rack of cookies.

"Go near them and I'll swat you too," I tell him, holding the spatula up as he stops moving.

"Titan, why is your ol' lady so mean?" Tripp whines, making Danger race up to my side in protection mode.

All the men in the room instantly calm down as I call my baby off and he lays down with his head on my feet. I continue to frost the cake while the brownies cook. I plan on putting the frosting on one pan of the brownies as well. The other one will have nothing on it but I've been wanting some peanut butter brownies and this is the best way to get them if you ask me.

"How much more do you have to do, Sweet Girl?" Adam asks me, his voice a whisper against my ear that sends a thrill through my body and goosebumps to break out against my skin as usual.

"Not much. The brownies will come out soon and then I'll put the roast in. I've already got it prepared and ready to go in the oven. Including all the vegetables cut up and added to it. After a while I'll make the potatoes, biscuits, and gravy. Once the brownies cool, I'll frost one of them with the peanut butter frosting. If none of you like that, I'll eat them. I've been craving them more than anything lately," I answer him, as I continue working while the men keep unloading the van after leaving us alone in the kitchen.

"Tripp and I are gonna take you out to shoot. Eagle let me know you didn't know how to fire a weapon and that's not good, Sweet Girl. So, we're gonna teach you while we're out here. There's a small clearin' off the side of the house that we can set up the targets in. Every day we're gonna start trainin' you. You'll be workin' on self-defense, shootin', and anythin' else you want to learn while we're here," he tells me, his voice still nothing more than a whisper.

Once I'm done frosting the cake, I cover it with the lid for the pan it's in. Adam pulls out the pans of brownies before putting the roast in for me. He has to remove the one shelf in the oven in order to fit the roasting pan. Since it's hot, Adam carries it outside to place on the cement where it won't burn anything. Eagle and Cash have gone to bed so they can be up again all night long. The rest of the guys are already outside walking the perimeter with the exception of Tripp who's waiting for us in the living room with a game on the TV.

Adam grabs me one of his hoodies before we make our way outside. It's still pretty warm out, but the breeze makes it feel colder than what it actually is. I'm glad he thought to grab me one because I get cold easily and then it takes me forever to warm back up. The three of us walk to the clearing and Tripp lines up the targets while Adam walks me through everything I need to know about a gun. He shows me how to break it down, clean it, put it back together, and then load the bullets. I listen intently to everything he tells me. When he hands the gun to me so I can practice what he's already shown me, I break it down as if I've done it my entire life. I stall a few times when I'm ready to put it back together, trying to recall what he told me. Adam patiently guides me as I work to put the gun back together before loading the bullets. I repeat the process a few times until I can do it without Adam's or Tripp's help.

Once I've shown them that I can take care of the gun, Adam shows me how to aim and fire the weapon. Tripp hands over a pair of earplugs so I don't hurt my ears while I'm practicing while Adam slides a pair of safety glasses over my eyes. Both men stand behind me as I take aim and fire the gun. It has more kick to it than I expect and I almost go flying back to land on my ass. Adam manages to catch me and helps me line up again so I can practice firing. We remain outside for a short while before I'm reminded that we'll make our way out here every day that we're able to in order to practice.

The rest of the night passes by in a blur. We all eat dinner together before Cash and Eagle go outside to change spots with Kidd, Jay, and the other Prospect. I make sure they have plates ready before Tripp cleans up the kitchen and Adam leads me up to our room. We're at the very back of the house where someone will have to go through the rest of the men in order to get to me. The rest of the night is spent with Adam and me as we lay in bed and talk about our future. It's something we've been doing lately and I love our talks. Danger climbs into his bed and promptly closes his eyes. As usual, my baby faces me so he can immediately spy any danger that might come my way. Before long, I can't stop myself from falling asleep as exhaustion claims me. The day was long and filled with more than I've done in the last week. I welcome sleep as I snuggle further under the covers.