Page 37 of Buried

Adelaide was bent over, dry heaving into the trash can that Reina had probably put in front of her. “Reina, get one of the women to clean this kitchen up, and then make Axel a bottle. It should be almost time for him to eat.” I crouched so that I was at eye level with Adelaide. She looked up at me through teary eyes, breaking my heart. Her face was pale, and she gagged again, squeezing her eyes shut as she did so. “Can you make it to our room if I carry you, darlin’?” I asked her gently, reaching out to push some of her dark hair behind her ear.

She nodded, slowly standing back up to her full height. She was pale and swaying slightly on her feet, her hand reaching out forme to hold herself upright. I quickly slid my arms under her back and knees to lift her against my chest, striding out of the kitchen to take her to our bathroom. Her skin was practically on fire, and I knew if I couldn’t get this fever to break soon, I would need to take her to the doctor.

Adelaidehateddoctors. Hell, she barely tolerated her midwife.

I pressed my lips to her forehead before I sat her down on the closed toilet seat. “Sit right there for a minute,” I ordered before I strode back into the bedroom and grabbed some Tylenol for her to take to see if I could get the fever to break. Tylenol was safe for her to take during her pregnancy, and I knew if I had to take her to a doctor, this is what they would prescribe her for her fever anyway.

When I strode back into the bathroom, she was leaning her head back against the towel rack behind the toilet, her eyes closed. Sweat trickled down the side of her face. I frowned. Fuck, I hated that she felt like shit. “Adelaide, darlin’, I need you to take this,” I coaxed as I crouched in front of her.

She slowly opened her eyes, taking the bottle of water I had grabbed and the Tylenol from me. “Do you want to lay in here, or do you want me to put you in bed with a trash can?” I asked her as I soothingly rubbed her belly, feeling Jaxon kick beneath my hand. Adelaide moaned in discomfort, her hand weakly reaching up to wipe the sweat from her face.

Jaxon moved under my hand again, already seeming to know my touch. “Bed,” she grumbled. “Is Axel going to be alright?”

I lifted her easily, loving that she was such a good mom that she was still worried about him despite how ill she was. “Yes, darlin’.Reina has him, and I’ll take over from her when I find out why Tristan and Jesup are here.”

She looked up at me tiredly. “They’re here?” she asked, frown lines appearing on her forehead. She didn’t look happy that they were here, and that surprised me. Normally, she would be ecstatic.

Guessed after what Tristan did to try to ‘protect’ her, she wasn’t too happy with him.

I nodded, clenching my jaw. This was the last damn thing she needed on top of her being sick. “I’ll come in to check on you in a little while, darlin’,” I promised as I laid her on the bed. “Try to get some rest.” Grabbing the little trashcan from the corner of the room, I set it beside the bed in case she needed it.

“I love you, River,” she mumbled, her words almost incoherent as she snuggled into my pillow, passing out almost immediately.

A small smile touched my lips. “I love you, too, darlin’.” I softly replied, though I knew she wouldn’t hear me. She was already lightly snoring, her illness knocking her out easily.

When I stepped outside, Tristan and Jesup were standing beside their bikes talking to Sam. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarled as I strode up to them.

All three men turned their eyes to me as my boots crunched across the gravel lot. “We need help,” Tristan told me. “This conversation can’t happen over a phone, and I couldn’t warn you in advance that I was coming. My club is fucking falling apart. I’ve got a rat, and I don’t know who the fuck it is. We were fucking ambushed yesterday on a run. I lost three fucking guys. And three days ago, my fucking clubhouse got shot up.”

“They took Zyla,” Jesup interrupted him as he shoved his hands through his hair. He was stressed and tired. Dark circles were imprinted under his eyes, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. “Goddammit, River, even if you don’t decide to help the club, just help me get Zyla back,” he begged me.

I’d always liked Jesup more than Tristan, and if anyone asked me, I always thought Jesup would have made a better president than Tristan. He was calmer and more collected than Tristan, better at making decisions, and he was damn good at reading people. I also had mad respect for him for keeping his mouth shut even though he figured out with only one look that I had feelings for Adelaide.

“How long has she been missing?” I asked, giving Jesup my undivided attention. I frankly didn’t give a fuck about what Tristan had to say. I would help Jesup because no woman deserved to go through the hell that Zyla was probably going through at that moment.

“She was taken yesterday when we got ambushed. I can’t track her cell phone. Whoever took her left it lying in the club parking lot. Everyone is claiming they didn’t see her get taken. I’m at my wits fucking end, River,” Jesup told me, sounding panicked.

“First, calm the fuck down,” I snapped. “Panicking and losing your head isn’t going to get her back home to you.” He drew in a deep breath, nodding his head.

I looked at Sam, and he met my eyes, inclining his head to me, already knowing what I was thinking. I looked at Jesup. “I’m going to make some phone calls and see what I can find out. Give me three hours, and then we’ll ride out of here back to your territory. I’ll see if I can find out more there.”

“And do what with Adelaide?” Tristan demanded, finally speaking up, though I’d been enjoying his silence.

My eyes flashed with anger that he had the fucking audacity to question me aboutmywoman, overstepping my boundaries about her. Only Joey had that privilege, but that was because he really did put her first, and he held her together, breathed life into her so she could live for me.

“Don’t worry about what I do withmywoman, Grim,” I snarled. Anger sparked in his dark eyes, but I didn’t give a fuck. “She’s not your fucking concern anymore.”

Turning on my heel, I strode back into the clubhouse. Reina was holding Axel in her arms as he played with a lock of her hair. “You,” I said as I walked up to her. She snapped her eyes up to my face. “I need you to take care of Axel until Adelaide gets better. I’ve got to ride out in a few hours, and I don’t know when I’ll be back. Adelaide is sick as fuck. She’s not capable of taking care of him right now.”

She nodded in understanding. “I’ll take care of him, River,” she promised.

I nodded at her before I strode down the hall to my room, quietly opening the door so I wouldn’t wake Adelaide up. I quickly packed a small duffel, and once I was done, I strode over to the bed, gently shaking her awake. I didn’t want to disturb her, but I wouldn’t leave without first letting her know where I was going and what was happening. She was my old lady. She needed to know. Hell, she deserved to know.

She blinked up at me slowly, her tired eyes meeting mine. I ran my fingertips over her cheek, noting that her skin was still hot and clammy, but it wasn’t as bad as before. The medicine wasbeginning to take effect. “I’ve got to ride out, darlin’,” I told her quietly.

“Why?” she asked, moving so she was closer to me. I slid my hand over her body, soothing her, wishing I could take her illness away and make it my own.

I ran my hand over her hair. “Zyla is missing,” I informed her. She sucked in a sharp breath of air at the sound of her friend being missing, then proceeded to cough. “Jesup needs my help.”

---