Page 42 of Saving Helena

“Let’s go get our princess then.”

With the weight of the Brotherhood's support behind me, I felt a surge of determination coursing through my veins. The air in the clubhouse crackled with anticipation.

"We ride in an hour." The men knew what this meant, even if they didn’t know where we were going. Fuck, I didn’t know where we were going yet. My palms were sweating, and I had no idea where Helena was, but fuck me if we weren’t going somewhere. They sprung into action, rallying together to prepare for the coming battle. There was a sense of purpose in the air, a unity that bound us together as we geared up for the fight ahead.

Preparations were made to ride into a fight. Some of us likely wouldn’t return if the Russians were involved. The gun safes were opened, and the weapons were checked. Bulletproof vests were pulled out—just because the Brotherhood was a biker gang doesn’t mean we were stupid. They were top-notch, too. Roscoe insisted on them, and I continued the practice for raids and high-target runs. It was just good sense.

Amidst the flurry of preparations and the mounting anticipation, Dimitri approached me with a grave expression etched upon his features. A solemn determination replaced his usual swagger as he pulled me aside, away from the hustle and bustle of the clubhouse.

"Hey, Maddox,” Dimitri said, his voice low and serious. “I took care of Jake. I handled it myself."

Jake was my responsibility, and yet Dimitri had shouldered the burden alone. His tone had a sense of finality, a silent acknowledgment of our sacrifices for the Brotherhood. I would have dealt with Jake another day and let him rot while I went after Helena, but I appreciated that Dimitri had handled it.

"Thank you, brother," I replied, clasping his shoulder in solidarity. Dimitri had always been willing to do what was necessary for the club’s good, which was even more apparent now. Seeing how he handled the crisis with Helena meant I’d made a great decision when I brought him back into the Brotherhood.

With the weight lifted from my shoulders about Jake, I focused back on the task. Helena's safety was our top priority now, and nothing would stand in the way of bringing her home.

“Also, I got some information from Maxim.”

It was weird to hear him mention his brother so casually, but his face was pinched, and I knew he was still uncomfortable with it. “What’d you find out?” I asked.

“He was able to get an address on the auction site—there are several, as a matter of fact. Maxim believes it is a multi-pronged organization that Makarovich just stumbled into, but he is sending some of his vors to dismantle them. He’s tracking Makarovich, but he hasn’t picked him up yet. Maxim says that he doesn’t believe that he’s the one who has taken Helena, but Sergei—perhaps it is him, Makarovich’s right hand.”

That was good news about the auction sites since it gave me one less thing to worry about. If Volkov could handle dismantling the auctions until I had Helena back, then we could assist afterward. My brain couldn’t handle anything now other than getting her back where she belonged.

“What about the victims? Can your brother relocate them? Get them help?” I was worried about turning the whole thing over to the pakhan. He wasn’t a man whose character I knew personally. The idea of forcing people into slavery was one of the most disgusting ideas ever to me, and I didn’t want people victimized all over again.

“Maxim is a good man. He will ensure they are provided with all the assistance they need. The Volkov Bratva does not believe in flesh peddling. It was one of the reasons that I was so sure that Anton was acting without permission. There was no way that my brother would have sanctioned such a thing. Ever,” Dimitri’s voice was firm. We hadn’t had time to sit and talk about this new development with his brother, with the Bratva. I wish we had because I knew that he was struggling with it. I could see on his face that he had significant feelings about it. How could he not?

“Okay, I trust your instincts. I’m relieved that he will handle that then. It gives us one less thing to concern ourselves with.” Taking a deep breath, I pushed a hand through my hair. I was trying hard not to let panic overwhelm me. “What do we know about Sergei? Are there any properties or previous locations?”

I took a moment to steel myself, to push aside the doubts and fears that threatened to overwhelm me. Helena's safety was paramount, and I’d be damned if I let anything stand in the way of bringing her back. Hopefully, she was unharmed despite the sick feeling that churned in my gut.

Dimitri hooked his hands into his back pockets and lifted his chin toward the men hanging toward the back of the room. The Bratva suits stuck out like sore thumbs. “They’re working on that now with some of our contacts. Hopefully, they’ll have somewhere for us to ride to—something. Anything.”

“Are you going to try to call Pike?” Dimitri was strapping on his vest as he asked, adjusting the Velcro.

“Yeah,” I conceded.

I’d contemplated it for the last half-hour but feared what I would discover. Our friendship was long ago, but maybe I had hung on a little too long to the memories that I had as a boy. If we needed men, then I would call in all the favors possible, which was one reason I wanted the treaty in the first place. Taking the Smith and Wesson M&P off the table, I loaded the 12-gauge slugs.

“We need all the men we can get,” he nodded at the M&P. “You can still blow people into tiny pieces. I promise I’ll save you a few.”

“Yeah, fine.” Stuffing extra slugs into my vest, I put the safety on and retreated to the hallway, pulling my phone out. I hesitated for a moment and then pushed the contact for Pike.

“What’s up fucker.”

“Helena’s missing — someone snatched her from the Duck,” I wasted no time saying.

“What the fuck? Are you serious? When?” The anger in his voice settled me. At least since we were waiting for information, another person who was angry and looking for retribution on her behalf was something. More eyes looking for her were better.

“At the Duck, some suits took her from the alleyway. We think they were working for Makarovich.” Not giving him the rest of the information made me a dick, but I was interested to hear the response. Would Pike take the Bratva full force with me if I needed him to?

“Bratva? You think they took her? Why? Holy shit.”

“She found some information that Makarovich would prefer to be kept quiet. He was into some shady shit.” Giving him this small piece wasn’t too hard. He hadn’t backed out yet. I was still curious.

“Shit. Well, we need to get her back. Fuck the Bratva. The Cobras are in.”