Page 28 of Saving Helena
“Come find me later, beautiful. I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it.” His tone had a hint of mockery that set my teeth on edge, but before I could respond, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
“Guy seemed interesting, but I can’t wait to hear some baby Maddox stories.” Biting my lip, I considered Pike. It was a dilemma but a tempting one.
Maddox's gaze was steely as he watched Pike's retreating figure. “That’s Pike for you. I’ve known him a long time, or I used to know him. He always thought of himself as a charmer.”
There were always guys that tried to talk big and act big. Pike fit well in that category of men. Someone careless with his thoughts and his actions. Even the way he walked in the world was with considerable energy and without a worry about the space he took regarding those around him.
“He’s interesting, alright. When was the last time you saw him?” I asked casually.
Maddox's hand found mine, his touch reassuring as he gently squeezed it. “Four years ago — about when your father passed, but we didn’t really talk.” He frowned while he thought he over. “He approached me about the clubs working together. Your father never liked the Cobras much, or Pike for that matter,” he laughed ruefully. “Pike always was an asshole. I hadn’t seen him for years before then.”
“You said you grew up together, though. In the system,” I probed. “Right?”
“Yeah, baby. We did. I hadn’t seen him for a long time before that, and I was in the service, so we lost touch.” Maddox kept it light and vague. I heard words like ‘system’ and ‘service’. Earlier in the day, he’d let slip that he’d been in the foster system with Pike, but he’d been reticent about explaining the details. My stomach had pitched thinking of Maddox in the system, and I think that was enough for him to cut the conversation off.
All things Pike seemed hazy to me, and inching again towards Maddox, I pressed a kiss against the edge of his lips, enjoying the crinkle of his beard against the softness of my lips. His inhale made me weak in the knees, so I did it again, dipping my tongue into the crevice of his mouth even though I had to stand on my tiptoes.
“That’s right, princess. Give me your sunshine. I’ll take it all.”
“Nope.” I darted away towards the bar. “That’s all you get. I need to help Jills.”
Leaving Maddox to his own devices was a good idea. It wasn’t wise to get caught up in club politics or those sexy eyes of his. I could get lost in motorcycle dreams and the roar of engines. I’d only been here a few days, and already all I could think about was Mr. Bishop.
Helping behind the bar or running drinks was typically something I enjoyed anyway, so it was easy to join Jillian in the rhythm of pouring drinks or running food. It wasn’t until I was stuck bringing beers to Pike’s table that I remembered he promised a few stories about Maddox’s early years.
“Here you go,” I passed out the beers and started collecting the empties without being too obvious.
“Don’t go, sugar,” Pike said, his voice easy and low. “Come have a seat with us. It’s a party, right?” Patting the seat next to him, he pinned me with an effortless look. “I owed you a story, right?”
“You absolutely do. A baby Maddox story.” I was still on the fence about him, but I wouldn’t pass up dirt about Maddox if there were some to find. When I was younger, and he was new to the club, he was an enigma. Nobody knew anything about him. Here was my chance. I wanted to collect every secret about him like they were shells along a seashore.
Jillian had slipped behind the bar and was chatting easily with Whitney, a rag slung over her shoulder. It was evident that I had a little time.
“Alright, I’ll stay for a minute.” Putting the tray on a nearby table, I sat, ensuring space between Pike and me without offending him.
Pike grinned, leaning back in his chair as he watched me settle beside him. His eyes roamed over me, a bit too interested for my liking, and I fought the urge to squirm under his intense scrutiny.
“The story?” I prompted.
“Right, the story. Well,” he rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Would you believe that Maddox used to get bullied in this elementary school we went to? Something terrible. There was this pack of kids that was awful to him.”
Pike was a natural storyteller. He was animated and expressive, with lit and expansive eyes. He was captivating, and I was immediately drawn in.
“They would chase him around the playground and call him horrible names. He’d hide in the morning before school, and then he’d hide during lunch and recess. I was new, and he told me about this pack of kids the week I came.” Pike leaned forward then as if he were telling a secret. “Well, one of the kids was this big greedy fuck who first ate the lunch that his momma made him and then a hot lunch. Not only hot lunch but other kids’ hot lunch — like Maddox’s. Maddox got free lunch,” Pike added. “Of course, after I came, that all stopped because we teamed up,” he said as if sharing a secret.
By this point, I was hooked on the story. The Maddox I knew getting beaten up? What? This must be some horrible joke. I couldn’t imagine him hiding from anyone … but Pike had me by the figurative throat by this point.
“So, poor little Maddox tells me his tale of woe as I roll into Morinrock Elementary, and we came up with a plan to get back at Jed Monroe, who was the leader of the little gang of jerks.”
“What was it?” I asked with bated breath. “The plan?”
“One morning, we got to school early. The day before, we had spotted a dried-out flattened toad on the road and picked it up. Now, it was preserved—extra crispy and, I dare say, mummified. I would have found something better, but what can you do?” Pike said mournfully with an exaggerated shrug.
“A toad,” I said, horrified.
“Yep, a toad. So we took it back to school and waited for Jed Monroe to get off the bus with his posse and put their lunch sacks into the bin. Normally, I would have stolen and eaten them myself.”
This made me wonder for a moment about a few questions I’d like to ask Maddox later about what went on with their childhood and why they’d be stealing lunch sacks.