Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Titan

DALLAS IS GETTING really good at shooting. Every day for the last two weeks Tripp and I have been taking her out to practice and she's amazing. My ol' lady isn't afraid to fire a gun and tries every single one we put in her hand. Dallas isn't afraid to tell us which guns she likes and doesn't like. It's good information because the second we get back to Clinton City, I'm gonna buy her a gun of her own that she can carry with her at all times. For now, we have enough guns stashed all over the safe house that she can grab any of them and at least take down anyone trying to get to her. Target practice and training are the only reasons my Sweet Girl isn't going out of her mind with boredom right now. She hates not being at the clinic and getting it up and running like she should be. Dallas sure isn't one to sit on her ass and do nothing. She always has to be doing something and remaining busy or she goes insane. The only time she's ever sitting on her ass is when she's reading and right now that's not enough to hold her attention for very long.

When Dallas isn't out with us practicing, she's cooking and baking. We've all eaten better in the few weeks we've been at the safehouse than I can remember. Don't get me wrong, the ol' ladies cook and bake at the clubhouse on a regular basis, but it's not every day. They have lives and are busy with their families so none of us expect them to. And for the most part, we'd rather eat takeout than anything the Fallen girls prepare to eat. None of them can cook for shit with the exception of Rebel. And she already does so much around the clubhouse that we're not gonna add to her daily tasks. So, we've all been eating everything Dallas puts in front of us. She talks to us and asks what we want to eat every single morning so we all have something we'll enjoy throughout the day. Not that I've tasted anything bad from her so far. Tripp already told me Emmie better cook as good as Dallas can. Yes, he was joking, but Dallas overheard him and just glared at him the rest of the day. My girl is loyal to a fault and she'll always stand up for Emmie no matter who it's against.

Dallas is still getting sick and has started taking a nap every day. Sometimes she only sleeps for a few minutes and other days she sleeps for a few hours. It all depends on how she's feeling that day and how much she's been doing. Tripp and I have been keeping a close eye on her. Jay makes sure she's got ginger ale and crackers by her when she first wakes up from her nap, and the rest of the guys have been keeping a watch over her if I'm outside for my guard duty. Reaper has assured me that he'll send Doc up if that's what I feel needs to happen. We can trust Doc not to let himself be followed to the safehouse or give away any treatment Dallas needs. The weirdest part of the entire situation is that Dallas usually gets sick when she wakes up in the morning and from her nap, certain smells make her rush to the bathroom, and then she feels better. It's as if she hasn't gotten sick at all that day. I don't understand it. Dallas just keeps telling us that it's probably stress and her body dealing with everything that's been going on. I don't buy it, but I'm not about to argue with my ol' lady regarding this.

Reaper has been checking in every single day. They haven't been able to make any progress on finding Norbert. He's deep underground somewhere. Probably close to the club and no one even realizes it. Guys from the Wild Kings, Satan's Anarchy, and the Phantom Bastards have been rotating in and out of Clinton City over the last few weeks to help search for the fucker. Cage, Joker, Tank, Playboy, and Kingston have been staying there without leaving for any reason. Every damn day they're out searching from the second they wake up until their bodies are too tired to continue riding. I love that they're there helping the situation involving my ol' lady. It shows the bonds that we've been forming with men from the other clubs over the years. Especially the new ones that have been forged because of marriages of the men to their ol' ladies. From what I understand, Zoey's brothers even plan on showing up for a few days to help in the search. I'm not sure about any of the other guys from the Cedar Bay chapter of the Wild Kings, but I'll thank whoever has been helping out with the situation.

The mayor has also gotten more mail. Pictures, letters full of demands, and threats to his life along with Dallas'. Hilton takes every piece the mayor gets and adds it to the file he's putting together. Reaper always gets a copy of everything to hand over to Hawk as he continues working from the computer with the help of Kingston. Fox, Tech, and a few others have been helping him as well. Pedro has also been in constant contact with Reaper and Hawk. I want to be with them all so fucking bad. Being out searching for the man taking so much from my ol' lady is something that I should be doing. However, being here to keep her safe and know that Norbert doesn't know where she is, is more important. If I were still in Clinton City without Dallas, I'd be losing my mind. It's not because I don't trust my brothers in the club but because I need to be with her. Seeing her every day, kissing her, feeling her in my arms, and watching her when I'm not outside watching over the perimeter are my favorite times of the day.

Jay has been spending a lot of time with Dallas. They talk about the clinic and I've learned a lot about the Prospect. He actually grew up on a farm. When he was younger, his parents were abusive and addicts. His grandparents took him in without hesitation and raised him on their farm. He grew up helping them and now owns the farm. Both of his grandparents have passed away and left everything to him. The day the will was read, he was beaten so bad and left for dead. It was shortly after that when Jay found our club and started hanging around before becoming a Prospect. Here at the safehouse, Jay has opened up more than ever before and I know it's because of Dallas. She makes people feel safe and comfortable enough to open up and make themselves vulnerable because she does the same in return. Dallas will talk about anything and everything, including all of her insecurities. I'd be jealous of the amount of time Jay and Dallas spend together, but they treat one another as brother and sister.

Eagle and Cash are constantly on their phones when they're in the house. We all know who they're talking to. Lately the two men have been talking to Rebel. Our little barmaid has captured the attention of the two men. Honestly, she's had it for the longest time but none of them have ever made a move. I'm not sure what changed between all of them, but if they're happy and don't hurt Rebel, then I'm happy. Rebel has earned a soft spot in all of our hearts because she doesn't fuck with the men of the club and has never acted like a Fallen girl despite that being her title. Rebel only works the bar, cleans the clubhouse, and cooks when no one else is. Cash and Eagle are good men and I know they won't hurt her intentionally. However, if something does happen between the three of them, every member of the club and the ol' ladies will definitely beat their fucking asses. None of us want to lose Rebel for any reason. She's a good girl who fell on hard times and chose to help the club any way she could to get out of her situation.

I'm walking through the inside of the safehouse, thinking about all of this shit before I head up to bed. Dallas went to bed a few hours ago and is already passed out. I've been checking on her repeatedly because there's something wrong with her. After making sure all the windows and doors have been locked and that the alarms Hawk installed on them are working properly, I make my way upstairs to the room I'm sharing with Dallas. Jay is sitting in the hallway outside the door. He's on his phone, but I know he's paying attention to Dallas waking up and being there for her if she needs anything. I've never met a person who can multitask the way Jay can.

"You can go to bed, Jay. I'm headin' in for the night," I tell him as he stands from the floor and slides his phone in his pocket.

"Thank you, Titan. I know this is takin' a toll on you to know Dallas is in trouble and there's not a lot of information about the asshole behind it. So, thank you for trustin' me enough to allow me to help protect her. Dallas is a special woman and I'm happy for the two of you," he says, looking at the floor instead of me in embarrassment based on the red tint to his neck and ears.

"Jay, look at me," I demand, knowing this is one of the many reason he's gonna get his patch when we return home. "I've never had a reason not to trust you. You've gone above and beyond for the club on so many occasions. You anticipate the needs of the members and ol' ladies, have done everythin' that's ever been asked of you without hesitation or question, and your loyalty is unlike any other Prospect we've ever had. You've been there for Dallas even when you should've been sleepin' or restin'. Tonight is the perfect example of that. None of us told you to sit in the hall and watch over her while I was downstairs. Yet, that's exactly where I find you. I would trust you with her life every day of the week and never think twice about doin' so. You're a good man and I know your grandparents would be so proud of you, Jay."

"Thank you," he mumbles before heading down the hall to his room and softly closing the door behind him.

"He needs his fuckin' patch now," Tripp says, opening his door further and looking at me.

"Yeah he does. Gonna be talkin' to Reaper tomorrow about that shit. I want everythin' ready for Jay when we get back. We've pushed it off long enough and he doesn't deserve that shit," I agree with my best friend as I open my bedroom door and slide inside the dark room.

There's only the hint of light from the moonlight shining through the blinds covering the windows. Walking closer to the bed, I make out the lump under the blankets where Dallas lays. She's curled up on her side with just the top of her head showing. Everything else is under the blankets and I honestly don't know how she can breathe with her entire face covered and the blankets held tight around her body. Shaking my head, I strip out of my clothes and leave them in a pile on the floor for now. Climbing into bed, I don't have to wait long for Dallas to roll over and drape her body over mine. It's like she knows even in her deepest sleep when I'm laying next to her and she instantly gravitates to my side. In seconds, I've got her head on my chest, an arm over my stomach, and her leg thrown over mine. I wrap her up in my arms and press a kiss to the top of her head as I close my eyes and let sleep pull me under.

I jolt awake and scan the room still bathed in moonlight. For several seconds, I have no clue what woke me up until I notice the smell of smoke. Danger is at the end of the bed, growling and pacing. He lets out a deep, ferocious bark and I know he's the reason I'm awake right now. The smoke is already thick and the only thing I can smell in our room. I immediately jump out of bed, jarring Dallas awake in the process. Rushing to the window, I find flames licking up the side of the safehouse. They're bright and hot enough that I can feel the heat through the window in our bedroom. Immediately I turn my back and rush to where I dumped my clothes last night, putting them on as fast as possible.

"Dallas, get up, Sweet Girl. You need to get dressed and make sure you have Danger at your side. The house is on fire and we need to get to the basement. Now," I yell, fear filling me that something is gonna happen to her on our rush to the basement.

"He's found me," she whimpers, getting out of bed and pulling on one of my tee-shirts, a pair of leggings, and a hoodie she also stole from me. I grab her sneakers and toss them in her direction before leaving our room. The entire kitchen is already engulfed in flames as I rush from one door to the next getting the men inside up and ready to take off.

Eagle and Cash burst in the front door of the house and look up at where I'm yelling at Tripp, Jay, and Kidd who are all rushing from their rooms at the same time Dallas and Danger enter the hallway. We all rush down the stairs as quickly as possible. The house is filled with smoke and it's choking us as I pull Dallas' shirt up over her mouth and nose while doing the same for myself.

"Basement," I call out to Cash and Eagle as they make their way to the left side of the living room where the stairs to the basement are located.

Tripp, Jay, and Kidd surround Dallas and me as we rush across the floor once we're off the stairs. All of us make it to the basement stairs and rush down them. The good thing about this particular safehouse is there's an underground garage that's off the shelter under the basement floor. None of our bikes or the vans have been seen since we arrived. At least not when we were here. The only time we've even left is to get supplies and then come right back to park in the garage. Now, it's going to work in our favor as we enter the shelter and make our way to the garage door so we can get the fuck away from here.

"Where's the other Prospect?" Tripp asks as I realize we're a man short.

"Right now, his body is out by the road. He alerted us to someone on the property and took off to track the asshole. We heard gunfire exchanged before it all went quiet. When I checked on the Prospect, Eagle tracked the fucker who started the fire and shot our man. The Prospect took a bullet to the chest and one between the eyes. I'll drive the second van so we can bring his body home," Cash answers me as we all get Dallas and Danger loaded up in one of the vans.

"Titan, you're gonna ride with Dallas. She needs to be taken directly to the hospital," Eagle says as I notice my girl is having a hard time breathing and she can't stop coughing.

Jay rushes up with several bottles of water from the shelter and hands them out before getting in the driver's seat and starting the van so we can leave. I start to feel dizzy as Tripp helps me in the van. My throat burns and my vision is starting to fade in and out.

"Jay, get them to the nearest fuckin' hospital. I'll call Reaper and the mayor to let them know what's goin' on," Tripp says, his voice faded almost to nothing as I'm laid in the van and the doors shut behind me. Again, the noise is muffled to the point I can barely hear it and panic starts to set in with the thought of something being wrong with Dallas.

I manage to keep my eyes open and not pass out as Jay rushes from the garage. He's talking to himself as he drives like a bat out of hell. Danger keeps sniffing me and then leaving. I know he's going back and forth between Dallas and myself to make sure we're okay. He's not growling or remaining at her side which is the only reason I have hope that she's okay. There's a muffled sound of bikes surrounding the van. Hopefully at least one of the guys remained with Cash as he loaded up the Prospect's body in the other van and got out of there. They'll have had to put two bikes in with the Prospect in order for them to be transported back to Clinton City. Personally, I don't give a fuck about my bike right now. The only important thing is Dallas and making sure she's okay.

The passage of time means nothing to me as I remain laying in the back of the van, unable to move because of the pain that fills my chest with every single breath I take. I've definitely inhaled smoke and it's causing chaos in my body. When I've tried to tip my head back to find Dallas, it pounds like crazy and makes me want to throw up.

"Sweet Girl?" I rasp out, my voice weak and broken from whatever damage has been done to my throat.

"I'm here, Adam," she whispers and I can still hear the pain in her voice. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, Sweet Girl," I return, letting my eyes slide closed as Jay continues to drive fast as hell before turning sharply.

The van screeches to a stop and Jay's door is opened without him shutting the engine off. I hear a commotion all around us as the doors are opened and Tripp talks to us. He's letting us know Jay is inside getting help as a flurry of activity starts to take place. I make sure he knows to keep Danger safe and not leave him in the van alone. Someone needs to stay with Dallas' dog because if something were to happen to him, she'd never forgive herself or any of us. Tripp assures me he'll take care of him before I'm loaded on a stretcher and rushed into the hospital. I keep asking for Dallas, but the staff keeps telling me not to talk as they place an oxygen mask on me. That's the last thing I remember before everything fades to nothing.