by Elle Boon
“What’s put that pensive look on your face?”
He was so attuned to her. She should’ve known he’d pick up on her emotions. After she bumbled her explanation to Keys, he nodded, then turned toward his duffel. Her heart froze, wondering what he was going to do, praying he wasn’t leaving. When he came back carrying a black button-down shirt, still naked, she couldn’t stop looking at his body. He was perfect from his head to his toes. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t, she was keeping him.
Keys helped her slip his shirt on, working the buttons through the holes. “See, mine is much easier to do than that one of yours.”
She smirked. “I think you’ve just gotten used to yours and maybe worked the holes out more.”
He looked down at his hands, then at her. “Hmm, I will definitely be working on your holes a lot more.”
“Oh, my gawd, you didn’t just say that.” She fell backward onto the soft bed, laughing at his double meaning. Keys, being the completely unabashed man that he was shrugged, but he did slide a pair of boxer briefs on that he’d grabbed when he got the shirt for her to wear. It really should be illegal for him to cover up all that goodness.
“Woman, you keep eating me up with those cornflower blues and I’ll have to spread those thighs and have my midnight snack.” He licked his lips.
Palmer’s lady bits clenched thinking of him doing just that. A tiny cry had her and Keys freezing. Her little boy chose that moment to let Keys know he had a healthy set of lungs.
“I’ll get him. Scooch up and get comfy.”
She’d never had anyone help her with Jaxson, not even when Thomas had tried to hire a nanny. Looking down at the duvet and the evidence of their love making, she moved, pushing the bedding down to where the sheet was exposed. She piled the pillows up behind her, holding her arms out for Jaxson.
“I’ll grab the extra pillows from the closet.” Keys handed Jaxson to her. The wide-eyed baby stared at her with bright blue eyes as she unbuttoned the top three buttons freeing her left breast. Keys was back, shifting a pillow under her arm. While she sat with Jaxson nursing, Keys fixed the bed, taking the duvet they’d wrecked and replacing it with one that had been in the closet. She hadn’t thought to do such tasks.
“Thank you, Keys.” She ran her hand over Jaxson’s head. The back and forth motion instinctual, soothing to the both of them.
“It’s my pleasure to take care of you two. You want a water or something else?”
Hot tears threatened to spill. By sheer will, she forced them back. “I don’t deserve you, but I’ll be darned if I’ll let you leave without a fight.”
Keys was lying with his arm over her legs where they were stretched out. “I told you before you let me inside your body that there were no takebacks. You knew I was claiming your body as well as you. Now, what can I get my woman to drink while she feeds our boy. Damn, son, you’re a greedy little thing.” Keys kissed Jaxson’s forehead.
Palmer loved every second of having Keys with her and Jaxson. He was so comfortable with her nursing, something Thomas said was barbaric. She shoved all the unwanted memories of the past away. He had no place in her or Jaxson’s life.
“Do you have a juice? If not, water is fine.” She didn’t want to worry him, but she was borderline hypoglycemic. Most days it didn’t affect her, but today she hadn’t eaten right and when she was extremely stressed or active, she tended to need a little extra. Orange juice was the quickest way to fix it.
“I got some in the fridge in the other room. Be right back.” He kissed her and then Jaxson.
The man was almost too good to be true.
After she finished feeding Jaxson he went right back down to sleep. She snuggled up next to Keys, feeling safe and happy for the first time in a long time. “What are you going to do about your parentage?”
His big hand stopped stroking her back. “I don’t know. First, I’m going to get you and Hoss safely away from here. Once I got that accomplished, I’ll be able to think more clearly.”
They’d shut the bathroom light off so she couldn’t see him through the darkness that well. Although there was a small nightlight on her side of the bed, in case she needed to get up for Jaxson, it still cast Keys in shadow. “What do you mean get us to safety?”
“That truck today tried to run you over, baby. It couldn’t have been after me, since nobody was aware I was in town. That means you and Hoss aren’t safe.” He wrapped both arms more firmly around her, pulling her on top of him. “I just found you again. There ain’t no way in hell I’ll let you and that boy get hurt. You said you trusted me, right?”
She held her upper body up, staring down at him. “I do. It’s just...I don’t want you to get hurt either. Why don’t you call the cops or something?”
He put a little pressure on her, forcing her to lay flat on his chest. “Baby, you know as well as I do the cops in this town are on your grandfather’s payroll. I’d have to call the feds in and even that would take a lot of work.” Work that wasn’t guaranteed to go their way, not if he didn’t play shit right.
Chapter Ten
Keys didn’t tell her he had connections through the Royal Bastards Tulsa Chapter with the Feds. Copper and Koyn were two mean fuckers anyone would be glad to have on their side. The town of Lionsville Missouri was gonna wish like hell they hadn’t screwed him over.
“Get some rest, baby. Tomorrow we head out. I want to get you two out of town before the shit hits the fan.”
“Where we going to go, Keys? I don’t see the three of us riding on your bike. I have my Tahoe with the proper equipment for transporting a baby. I also have everything I need in my purse in case we need to fly. I was...prepared to leave with Jaxson should I have the need.”
He heard the fear and worry she tried to conceal from him. Her husband had been a sick and twisted bastard. He wondered just how deep that well ran and who else in this fucked up town knew about the perverted fucker. Usually, when there was one like Thomas, there were more. And the fact her grandfather had set her up with the bastard, he had a sinking suspicion the old man had known at least a little of the fucker’s proclivities. If he found out Palmer’s grandfather was aware of what he’d done with the young men and women, Keys didn’t care how old he was, he’d beat the motherfucker with his bare hands.
“You’re doing it again.” She feathered a kiss over each brow.
He laughed. “What’s that?”
“Thinking too hard.” She yawned, one of those jaw cracking kinds that ended on a shiver.
Keys was a bastard through and through. His cock was hard, wanting to slide into her. However, he’d meant what he’d told her earlier. Her body had been tighter than a virgin. He’d had a few of them, yet none had been as snug as Palmer even after she’d had a baby. So no, he wouldn’t be fucking her until she’d had a little recovery time even if his dick was begging for it. “I’m a thinker, that’s what I do best,” he answered her finally.
“I’m so tired.” She yawned again.
He settled her on her side, holding one of her thighs over his with one hand, keeping her in place. “Get some rest. Tomorrow will be soon enough to deal with the future.”
“My favorite quote is the one by Bill Keane that says ‘Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the Present.’ I know some think it’s silly, but I’ve always loved it.”
His hand flexed on her supple thigh. “No, I’ve always loved that one too. In fact, I’m going to have Tymber tattoo that on me next.”
She looked up at him through the darkness. “Tymber?”
“Most of my ink was done by him or another artist named Ember. They own a shop called Twisted Ink in California. I’ll take you to meet him. He’s engaged to...Ivy. She used to be one of ours. It’s a long story I’ll tell you about it another day. Rest assured I never dated her or saw her as anything other than a little sister.” Keys wanted to reassure Palmer. He’d never put her in a position where she’d feel un
comfortable because of another woman.
“I trust you, Keys.”
There it was, her sealing up them cracks he’d thought were never going to be mended. “Sleep, baby.”
A few hours later, his phone dinged. The alarm he’d placed in Palmer’s room should anyone try to get in through the doors or windows alerting him immediately. The tiny device would be undetected by whoever had broken in, but he didn’t think they’d be too worried about making noise once they realized her and Jaxson weren’t there.
He slid his hand over her mouth. “Ssh, someone’s in your room,” he whispered next to her ear. “Get dressed, quickly.”
Keys punched in the number he’d programed for Dragon. “How close are you?” he asked when the man picked up on the second ring.
“So close I’m watching a show right now. Want to know what I’m watching?” Dragon asked in a low voice.
“Please tell me it’s not a porno starring my naked ass?” Keys wouldn’t mind it if it didn’t mean someone else had seen Palmer. That was for his eyes only.
“Shit, that would mean I’d be seeing that sexy little number that was with you in all her naked glory. If you got that on digital, I’ll watch it. Sadly, that’s not what I’m seeing. No, I’m watching dumb and dumber bumble their way around your little hotel. What the fuck kind of place is that anyhow?”
“Ask him if I can kill dumber first, and if I do, can I watch the porn?” Katana’s question was asked loud enough that it let Keys know he was next to Dragon.
If they were watching some jackasses outside, that meant there were men inside. “What side of the place do you see activity?”
He listened, swearing low when it appeared Dragon and Katana were on the opposite side to where they were. “I got activity next door inside Palmer’s room. Whoever is moving about isn’t who is doing a little B&E.”
“Katana is coming your way. You got a kid with you right?” Dragon asked, his voice no longer held the joking tone.
“Yeah.”
“We got you.”
The line went dead. He finished shoving his feet into his boots, satisfied to see that Palmer had gotten herself fully dressed as well. “They don’t know you and Hoss are in here with me.”
“Do you have an extra gun for me?” She looked at the one he’d grabbed out of the side table, then at him.
“You know how to shoot one?” No way in hell would he give her one unless he was sure she could handle it.
“I’m better than average. Nobody has ever said ‘Palmer can’t hit the broad side of the barn’ when it came to me and my aim. I may not be a dead shot, but I can hit what I aim for, mostly.” Her voice shook, but her hand was still out, waiting.
Keys looked at his Glock, then at her. “Shooting a Glock is like shooting any semi-automatic. What have you shot before and for the love of all please tell me it wasn’t a pea shooter?”
“It wasn’t a peashooter. Now give me the damn gun, Keys.” Her voice was firmer, the hand no longer shaking.
Fuck, he hated handing her a weapon out of necessity, but he hated the thought of her not having one even more. He showed her how to hold it, making sure she had a good grip and stance before he went to the closet. He’d stashed the weapons bag he’d procured from Koyn in there, hoping he wouldn’t need them, preparing in case he would. Looked as though he would need them now. He grabbed two more Glocks, checked the magazines in each to ensure they were fully loaded before sliding them into the guns. He pulled a vest on over his T-shirt, filled the pockets with extra magazines, and slid the knives into their proper places. All the while he felt her eyes on his back. Two more guns were loaded and placed on his body before he faced Palmer. Judgement time came a lot sooner than he’d hoped. As part of the Royal Bastards, they walked a fine line between right and wrong. Many times, his brothers and him were the only chance for some, when it came to getting loved ones back from sick fucks like Thomas Kincaid. Their means weren’t always legal. Their gains weren’t always necessarily voluntarily given. Keys was usually the one behind the keyboard tracking them down, then the one who made sure they didn’t have the means to fund more of the same if any were left alive after.
“You’re not going over there are you?” She whispered, the gun resting beside her on the bed.
He was sure he’d see condemnation, instead all he saw was worry. “Baby, I can’t let them come over here and risk them finding you and Hoss.”
“But what if they come while you’re gone. Please don’t leave us.” She got up, coming to him with love, sadness, and fear on every beautiful inch of her face. What she didn’t have was what he was sure he’d see. Rejection.
Keys opened his mouth to promise he’d be fine, when his phone dinged, the alarm going off signaling it had been tripped again. Shit, he wished he’d used a different tone for the door and windows. As it was, he didn’t know which way the intruders were leaving or if they were making their way to his suite. He placed his finger over his lips. Her body quaked in his embrace. He looked over at Jaxson, sleeping so peacefully. “Go and protect our boy. I won’t leave this room.” He whispered next to her ear.
He let her go when she nodded.
She pulled the cot next to the bed, putting the chair between it and the wall. His fierce mama bear thinking of her child’s safety first. He knew without a doubt, she’d put herself in front of Jaxson to save him, no matter the danger, no matter the cost. If he hadn’t already been in love with her, he’d have fallen hard right then and there. If only his own mother had loved him just as fiercely. But those thoughts were useless. He was a grown man, where Jaxson had yet to live. Keys would make damn sure the kid got a chance to not only live, but to know both his parents, that was him and Palmer, loved him unconditionally. Blood be damned.
“I swear to you, I will do everything within me to keep the both of you from harm. If anything happens to me, you get Hoss out of here and run. My brothers are out there, and they’ll get you to safety. Promise me you’ll do that.” He gripped her chin between his two fingers.
“What are you talking about, Keys. They’re not going to hurt you. They want me, right?” Palmer bit her lip.
He gave her a little shake. “Palmer, listen to me. Did you see that truck? He’d have mowed you and him over. I guarantee you that he was paid to do it. I’ve been thinking about what you said. If someone knows that you found out about Thomas and his dirty little secret, they might be worried you know too much. Shut you up, and then there goes their worry. What you told me sounds like a lot more than just a man and his kink, baby.”
“Oh god, I did this. I’ve put all of us at risk.”
Keys squatted down on his haunches. “Baby, the only ones who put anyone at risk are the sick bastards who are now trying to shut you up. Listen, I need to see if I can hear anything by the door. Stay put and try to keep quiet.”
He hated to leave her when she looked so frightened. Jaxson slept on, unknowing the danger that lurked, just as he should. Giving her a hard kiss, he wished more than ever he could make her forget what was going on. He got up and walked out of the room. God damn, he really didn’t want to kill someone, or a few someone’s on his first day with Palmer. Life was a kick in the balls sometimes, he’d learned that at the knees of Claire as her prick ass boys kicked him in the side when he didn’t do as she’d asked. He’d been seven and knew it wasn’t right to steal. Not even from the rich. Now he had no problem doing it, but the rich they took from were sick bastards who hurt others; kidnappers, sex traffickers, and worse. His moral compass wasn’t screwed.
At the door, he listened but couldn’t hear a thing. His phone buzzed with a text.
Dumb and dumber are arguing with a couple of other dudes who walked out of your swanky place. I’d say your late-night visitors didn’t find what they were looking for. We’ll keep you posted. Stay tuned and don’t leave your room and try not to make her scream, even from pleasure. That might alert them to her whereabouts.
Keys sent him the midd
le finger image, then typed out a thank you a second later.
I knew you liked me. Katana said he don’t swing that way and to back off his best friend or he’d hurt you.
Keys sent him another middle finger emoji. How Koyn didn’t kill the two men he didn’t know but then he got another text, this one a picture of the men with Katana standing behind them. Shit, the crazy bastards were seriously crazy and dangerous, and exactly his kind of people.
Tell Katana you and he are both my new best friends.
Cool, can I see your woman’s tits?
Not gonna happen.
Unfriended.
Keys went in to check on Palmer, hating that she no longer looked like the well-loved woman she had only hours ago.
“Dragon said the men appear to have left the B&B but are sitting out in the parking lot now. Do you know these men?”
He let her see the image that he’d received, watching her face for any show of recognition. She used her fingers to enlarge the screen. A gasp made him frown.
“What? Do you know them?” he asked, looking at the man she’d zoomed in on.
“That’s Charlie, my grandfather’s lawyer. He was in my grandfather’s study yesterday. I think both men were stunned to learn I was the beneficiary. I don’t know why they thought I wouldn’t be. I know his mother didn’t like me, but she passed away a few months after we were married so me and Jaxson were his only heirs.” She crossed her arms over her chest as if warding off a chill.
“What’s his name, Charlie what?” Keys had his phone out, ready to send the info to Bermuda. He didn’t have the time to search for the man’s info, but he trusted Bermuda to get it for him quickly.
“What are you doing?” she asked as his fingers flew over the phone.
“I have a friend who’ll find out everything they can about Charlie boy. You don’t recognize the other guy?” The two Dragon had called dumb and dumber had their backs to the camera but there was something familiar about them, something that niggled at his mind.