Page 26 of Saving Helena

“Pike and I grew up in foster care together,” I started. “I’ve known him for a long time. He’ll have my back in this if we need him.” I could see that she didn’t like it, but she nodded. “We wanted the deal anyway, but that’s a definite perk. I also found something else out about Makarovich. He’s working outside the parameters of the Bratva. Luckily, we have an inside man with the Volkov Bratva.”

“Wait. What?” Helena sat bolt upright, pulling herself from my grasp. “I didn’t know that you were in foster care.” She looked rumpled and confused.

There wasn’t any reason to get into that whole mess of a story, not that I was keeping it from her. I’d tell her all about it someday, but it wasn’t pretty—none of it. Towards the end, there were some periods of happiness to be found, and I wouldn’t say that I turned out too badly, but it was best not to dwell in the dark hole of my early years.

“I don’t like to talk about it,” I admitted. That wasn’t why I brought it up. It was just how Pike and I met. We were both in the system growing up, and we were at the same school for a while. It makes you automatic allies sometimes. We hung out a lot when we were kids.”

The history between Pike and I could fill a book, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to go into that. We hadn’t been choir boys. “I just wanted you to know that he agreed he’d have my back if I needed help. He’ll be there.”

“Really? That’s a big deal, right?” she said earnestly, wrinkling her nose. Fuck she was adorable.

“Definitely.” I yanked her back toward me. “I need a kiss, baby. Pike and his men will be here any minute, andI willneed that mouth on me before we go. I’ll die without one more kiss.” Pulling herforward,I sealed her mouth against mine, digging a hand into the small of her back and that strip of skin. If I couldn’t get inside her tonight, I might go insane. My need for her was itching against my skin, pulling at my gut.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Helena

Maddox has been setting me off balance these last few days. I didn’t know which way was up or down. He was snatching me from kitchens and collecting his childhood friends to assist him in case Makarovich came chasing after me. Then, just before we left the bedroom, he told me that he’d had Dimitri call in a favor with the Volkov Bratva. How Dimitri knew who to call, he didn’t specify, but supposedly, he’d found out that Makarovich was operating on his own. This was great news!

Maddox said the Bratva was pissed about Makarovich’s involvement with trafficking too. He thought that their contact could get the auction shut down. He didn’t have time to tell me the details but had some inside source. We hadn’t even had time for me to tell him about what I had discovered with his books. I’d forgotten, and he hadn’t asked, which I was now feeling bad about. Embezzlement was a huge deal, so I wanted to make sure that he had all the details.

Jillian and I had been prepping the bar for the last twenty minutes. Finally, it was down to just slicing limes and arranging the random stuff that got asked for occasionally. Being back here at the Open Road was like falling back in time. There was a rhythm and a cadence to how things moved.

“So, have you and Maddox done the deed yet?” Jillian asked, between the maraschino cherries and the margarita salt. She snapped the gum into a rounded ‘o’ with her lips and blew a bubble.

“I’m not telling you that,” I whispered back, even though the crowd’s din already meant that the chance of being overheard was negligible.

“Come on, girl. I’ve been dying to know how that man is in the sack. If I’m not getting a crack at the real thing, which I’m obviously not,” she raised an eyebrow at me. Then the least you can do is put me out of my misery.”

Her words shouldn’t have made my heart go pitter-patter like they did. Maddox was a great-looking man, and there had been no reason for him to be hanging around waiting on me. Still … looking over at the blond motorcycle god that he was, I still couldn’t help but sigh.

“Stop that and spill the deets. Did you or didn’t you?” Jillian demanded.

“Well, not yet. Not really,” I hedged, adjusting the glasses on the counter.

“What does that mean?” Cocking a hip, she gave me another look and pointed a glass at me. “Details. I want them.”

“The morning after I arrived, we had a little hookup in the hallway.” The confession slipped out as I pinched a bit of salt between my fingertips. She waved her hand at me to continue, obviously to elaborate. “There might have been a little oral,” I said, finally picking up a lime and sprinkling it with more salt.

Jillian waggled her eyebrows. “I’d go down on my knees for that man.”

I was sure I’d be willing to be on my knees for Maddox Bishop in multiple ways. I gave a dreamy sigh, which Jillian didn’t miss.

“Not that I wouldn’t,” I agreed, winking.

“Oh my god.” Understanding glimmered across her face as she smacked a hand across her mouth. “Was it amazing?”

“Ladies, we have a guest incoming. Not that I give too shits, but Maddox does.” Whitney was coming around the bar hot with his face screwed up in a frown. He’d been in a sour mood all afternoon, snapping at Amber and the kitchen staff even after he’d been told to lay off. I adored him, but it was enough for me to steer clear. My time at the club wasn’t set, so I wouldn’t be inserting myself into other people’s business.

“Ten out of ten,” I whispered behind Whitney’s back. Jillian fanned herself dramatically.

The Cobras arrived in a group, thirty or forty men deep. The Open Road wasn’t small by any means, but it already felt too small as they entered the area. I knew there were some bad feelings among some of the Brotherhood members and the Cobras, but the rules were crystal – no fighting tonight. Maddox had ensured everyone with the club knew the guidelines, but I could already see the mulish set of mouths as the other bikers marched in. There were chips on shoulders and history that went deep.

The Cobras were just like any biker group, though loud and proud. The jostling and posturing were almost funny as they came in. I loved people-watching, and the biker crowd was some of the best to observe. They had so many different personalities. Jillian elbowed me to get my attention from where we stood watching behind the bar.

“Is that the leader? Pike?” she asked, gesturing to a tall, dark-haired man.

“Yeah, that’s him.” He was no slouch in the looks department but looked a little intimidating. The guy was stocky with dark hair and tattoos, muscled, wearing just his cut without a shirt on. It was not a look I was typically into, but he did somehow make it look good. Sex on a stick, but he looked cold in the eyes and more than a little willing to stab someone in the back if he had to.

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