Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Maddox

Following the leads that I got from Helena, I had narrowed down the theft to two men in the Brotherhood. I wouldn't say I liked either option, which was a stupid thing to think. Of course, I didn't ‘like' either option. The Brotherhood, to me, should be like my team in the military — tight, loyal. Any crack in that foundation made me itch with this inexplicable burning rage. Running a hand down my face, I looked at Dimitri and shook my head in frustration.

"For fuck's sake, just do it," I grumbled in his direction.

Dimitri had Jake's hand laid out on the table in front of us. The hand spread under Dimitri's tattooed one, straining against his, the tendons standing out in relief as the digits pushed against Dimitri's.

"Please, Maddox, please. God, I wouldn't steal from the Brotherhood. You know me," he begged. He'd been begging for hours, so I was less moved now than I was when he first started. The words still grated on me, but probably not in the way that he wanted. Right now, instead of pity, I was feeling nothing but anger toward him and a healthy dose of disgust at the whining he was doing. He wasn't helping the MC with this sort of pitiful display.

I watched Jake's pleading expression, his eyes darting nervously between Dimitri and me. It was hard to ignore the desperation in his voice, but I wouldn't let sentiment cloud my judgment. If he was guilty, he was a dead man, and he knew it.

"You've been saying that for hours, Jake," I retorted, my tone firm. "But the evidence doesn't lie. Money's been disappearing, and you're one of the two who were in on those runs."

Dimitri tightened his grip on Jake's hand, eliciting a pained grunt from him. I could see the sweat glistening on Jake's forehead as he struggled against Dimitri's hold.

"I didn't do it, Maddox, I swear," Jake insisted.

I sighed heavily, feeling the weight of responsibility pressing down on me. If Jake was innocent, then I was making a grave mistake. But if he was guilty... then

"I want the truth, Jake," I said, my voice low and steady. Did you embezzle from the Brotherhood?" Dimitri flicked his knife open and pressed it to the skin of his index finger, breaking the top layer of skin. Jake knew how Dimitri operated; he had seen it. There wouldn't be another moment to confess. Whatever happened next would be up to him.

Jake's eyes flickered uncertainly before he finally broke, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine, yes," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "I needed the money... for my aunt. She had some bills. I didn't know what else to do."

My heart sank at his admission. Despite the betrayal, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. But rules are rules, and betraying the Brotherhood isn't excused.

"Jake," I sighed. "Damnit, you could have come to me." It was too late now, and his face was crumpled with the knowledge of what would come next.

"I should have, man. It's on me, for sure. I covered it up and put the money back," he whined a little, and I wondered where Jake was. Where was the brother that I put in the Brotherhood? Where was the man I thought was trustworthy?

Frustration mingled with disappointment. "It's too late for apologies now, Jake," I said, my voice heavy with regret. "You stole from the Brotherhood. You know what this means."

Dimitri's grip on his hand tightened further, his expression unreadable as he waited for my command. I could see the resignation in Jake's eyes, the realization of the consequences of his actions sinking in.

"Take him to the holding cell," I instructed, my voice somber. "We'll convene Church tomorrow."

"C'mon asshole. I never liked you anyway," he said, pulling him out of the room. I should have said something, but I didn't bother. Jake was as good as dead. Maybe he'd get another day, but there was no doubt about what would happen when the brothers convened for a vote tomorrow. The hammer would fall.

Jake had been stupid to think he'd get away with it. Dumb fucker. Climbing back from the basement and into the Open Road, I returned to the bar. There were things still to be checked on. I had rounds to do and business to handle, and there was the matter of Helena. No doubt she was already starting her shift at the Duck.

"Maddox," Dimitri said as he returned. "Just a heads up," he shuffled awkwardly on his feet, which got my attention. Dimitri wasn't typically what I'd call awkward. He was brooding, grumpy, angry—all of those for sure, but not awkward.

"What is it?" I already knew I wasn't going to like it much. Then Dimitri told me how Helena strolled out of the club near midnight to work at the Duck. Jesus. I knew she was gone for her shift, but the description made me grumpy.

"Damnit. I mean, yeah. I knew that she had her shift there. Not real happy about it." I admitted, trying to ignore the look of glee on Dimitri's face.

"She was mad at us for telling her you wouldn't like it. I was almost thinking I should follow her, but we had this thing," he gestured towards the hallway, indicating our interview with Jake. "You think she's safe out there in town?" Dimitri looked a little concerned at the thought.

"There's been no sign of anyone. That's not exactly a place they'd look to first if they were on the hunt for her, though. They'd come here based on their records if they were looking. Right?" Suddenly, the anxiety welled up in me. Was it a mistake to agree to send her out there alone? I was thinking that by telling Vito to keep an eye on her, it'd be under control. And, like I said, they had no reason to start at the Duck. It made sense for them to come here first if they were looking for Helena. "Did I fuck this up?"

"Nah, prez," he chuckled, nudging my shoulder. "She was pretty determined to go. Like you said, I don't think they'd start there. None of her history would point them there."

I let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the tension from my temples. "Damnit," I muttered under my breath. "I should have talked to her about this before she left. Not having eyes on her makes me a little crazy. She doesn't understand the dangers. Now, with this new deal with Pike, there is a new dimension too."

Dimitri shifted uncomfortably, clearly feeling the weight of the situation as much as I did. "I'll go check on her," he offered, though his tone was hesitant.

I didn't hesitate to jump on the offer, and I'm grateful for his willingness to check on her since I'd be tied up for a few more hours. "Yeah, do that," I said, my voice tinged with urgency. "Make sure she's safe. She'd be super pissed if I went so early in her shift. "I can go a little later, though." I smiled, thinking about having her sit beside me in one of those booths. Maybe she wore shorts, and I could touch her under the tables and make her all hot and bothered before she went on to the next customer. It made me hard just thinking about it.

"I gotcha," he threw me a wink.

Being president of a motorcycle club like the Brotherhood was a pain. After Dimitri left, I hustled through my mental ‘to-do' list. It'd already been a pretty long day. This morning, I hadn't been joking with Helena when I said I'd not be able to lie around in bed, no matter how much I wanted to.

The Brotherhood had four legitimate businesses in town that needed to be run. While we had managers for those, for some fucking reason, the managers required managers sometimes. Then there were the businesses that weren't so legitimate — those needed additional attention, too. We had a system for those that worked out pretty well. Like anything, though, there were grievances that needed micro-managing and supply issues that only I could handle to keep everything running.

Helena could be stubborn and wanted to keep her independence, but I couldn't bear the thought of her being harmed. It made me feel better that Dimitri would check on her, although I wished I were the one doing it. Maybe I could have surveillance added to the Duck if she insisted on working there, but maybe she wouldn't have to know—something to think on. I hadn't decided to confess that I'd spent our time apart watching her, stalking her. Maybe honesty wasn't the best policy there.

Not to mention, I should have been more vigilant and realized that creep Makarovich was working at Concorde Financial. Probably should have gotten her moved to another job. Now that she was here, though, I'd do everything I could to keep her happy if she'd let me. I knew she wanted to work for her own money, which would be a balancing act that I'd have to grit my teeth through. The call to the Duck had been my olive branch. I figured she'd be more willing to stay in town if she could work a little, and her life wasn't so wrapped up in just the MC or the Open Road.

Now, all I could do was hope that we didn't have any issues and that we couldn't figure out. We just needed to keep her protected from this shitstorm with Makarovich if we could. Dimitri and I had talked it out, and the men from his brother were supposed to arrive sometime tomorrow. Once they did, we'd map a route directly to the auction site. Neither of us was comfortable just giving up on the victims. The club agreed during Church that we'd go after the traffickers with the full force of the Brotherhood.

Dimitri had wondered if he needed to tell club members about his past, but I'd told him he didn't. In the end, he'd said he'd prefer they continued to think of him the same way they always had — without the Bratva past. I wasn't sure how that would be possible, but I'd let Dimitri keep that fantasy. He was worried they would treat him differently if they knew where he came from. It wasn't something he could put off forever anymore, but who was I to say? It was up to him anyway.

Buckling down on my office work, I kept at it. I wanted to get to the diner and surprise Helena. There was no way I was waiting until the end of her shift to see her.