Royally Broken (Royal Bastards MC: Royal Sons CA)

by Elle Boon

  “No, I’m sorry.”

  Keys tossed his phone onto the bed before pulling her into his arms. “Hey, you’ve nothing to apologize for. We’ve got a couple more hours until the sun comes up. Why don’t you lay down and try to catch some more rest?”

  Palmer snorted. “You think I’m going to be able to go back to sleep now?”

  He understood all too well how hard it was, especially when your body was too keyed up. However, he also knew she wouldn’t like his suggestion of letting him pleasure her, which was a sure-fire way to release some of that tension.

  Her phone, which had been silent all day buzzed. Panic had her freezing.

  “Who would be calling you so late?” he asked, striding to her bag and getting her phone. The name MeMaw was on the screen.

  “Oh no, she never calls unless it’s an emergency. I need to call her back.” She held her hand out.

  “Palmer, think. Someone tried to run you and Jaxson over today. Now you just had someone try to break into your room, a room that you couldn’t pay for because your grandfather froze your accounts. Doesn’t this smell a little fishy to you?” he asked without handing her the little device.

  “But what if it’s not. Or what if whoever tried to...to hurt me has my MeMaw?” she cried.

  “If any of that is true, then what can you do, baby? You gonna barter yourself, or Jaxson? Think, Palmer. You know as well as I do that’s not how this is going to work. You said you trusted me earlier. I’m asking you to have faith that I won’t let anyone hurt you or Hoss. Let me see what I can find out.” He hated that he couldn’t promise her that her grandmother was safe, or that he could keep the older woman safe. He’d told her there would be no lies between them. If someone had the woman or was using Palmer’s love for her to get her to do something, Keys wouldn’t be able to say he’d keep her MeMaw safe. Palmer and Jaxson were his priority.

  “Damn you, Keys.” She hit his chest with her fist.

  “You know I’m right, baby.”

  A sob left her throat, but she didn’t fight him as he pulled her onto his lap at the side of the bed. “Dragon and Katana are outside watching the ones that were here. I’ll see if one of them can go to your grandparents’ place. Is there a way in that is less secure?”

  He listened to her explain the layout of the old estate, marveling at the seemingly lack of security.

  “We live in a small town, Keys. Things that go bump in the night happen in movies not in our hometown.”

  Or so she’d thought.

  He dialed Dragon’s saved number. “Palmer just got a call from her grandmother. I didn’t let her answer for obvious reasons but she’s worried since it’s unusual for the woman to call her in the middle of the night. Can either of you run over there and check shit out?”

  “Well, I’d be glad to, but we got another brother from another mother or two we can send, being since we’re all comfy and shit.”

  Keys pinched his nose, not really in the mood for bullshit or following what the hell Dragon was saying. “What?” he barked.

  “You see, this town is being run over by a bunch of Bastards. I reckon one of the California Bastards could use a job. Whatcha think Katana? Yeah that’s what I thought too.”

  The line went dead but then a text came in showing him a pic of King, Duke, and Traeger along with Dragon and Katana. It was the most fucked up selfie he’d ever seen.

  Brother to brother, you California fuckers are crazy.

  What makes you say that? He texted back.

  That asshole Traeger threatened to feed me some balls. My own balls. He even described to me how he’d do it. Sliced nice and thin, maybe in spiral cut if I preferred. He did this in a very calm, quiet voice. Like all Hannibal Lectorish, the fucker. I was waiting for him to offer me a bottle of fucking wine and fava beans. What kinda crazy motherfucker does that shit?

  He does like a good bottle of wine. You know we do live in the right part of the country for tasting. He texted back. It was a good thing Dragon couldn’t see him because Traeger liked whiskey, not wine. Fuck, he was pretty sure the other man hadn’t had wine unless his ole lady made him.

  This time it was Dragon who sent him the emoji of the middle finger followed by words. UNFRIENDED in all caps.

  He chuckled as he punched in the speed dial for King, “What’s going on, brother?”

  “Nothing much. You know, just decided to make a cross country trip on a silver bird that could fall outta the fucking sky. How you doin, asshole?”

  Fuck, he could hear the anger in King’s tone. Also knowing his friend and his chapter’s president had hopped a plane which was his most hated way of travelling, made Keys acutely aware of his friendship. He quickly explained what had been going down, waiting to hear what King thought. Although he was pissed and rightly so, King was the best man to have at his back.

  “Shit, brother, sounds like you fell into some kind of sex ring or child pedophile bullshit. How much does the woman know?” King asked.

  It was a standard question that had his gut rolling at the accusation. “She was unaware until recently. Like I said, her marriage was brutal, and her husband was a bastard who’s lucky he was killed before I got my hands on him.”

  “So, you’re the great, great grandson of the founder of the town that literally treated you like a piece of shit, and the mayor, who is your woman’s granddaddy, knew this all along?” King asked.

  “I don’t know how much he knew or didn’t know, but I aim to find out. The real truth though, I don’t give a fuck about who I’m related to anymore. I’m Keys. I left here a boy nobody wanted and became a man I wanted to be. Whose DNA runs in my veins don’t make a damn bit of difference to me.” He’d told her the same about Jaxson.

  “I feel you. I have Duke who’s a pain in my ass, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything. Losing Luke and our sister gutted me, man. I won’t lie and say I wouldn’t do anything to get them back, but having my brother Duke, my brothers of the MC, you’re all the family that was given to me when I needed it. You keep me solid, brother. The fact you left thinking you didn’t have us, yeah, we got some shit to settle but that’s after we get home,” King growled.

  A deep sigh left him, knowing his friend and prez had his back and brought his brothers meant the world to him. “I feel you. I didn’t want to bring you into my shit. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was coming into.”

  “Yeah, I got that. Don’t much matter now. We’re here and looks like there’s more going on than what you thought. Plus, whether or not you’re the great, great grandson to the old fuck who founded this town or not, don’t mean shit to me. To us, you’re Keys. Brother and shithead who left us with two snarly fucking dogs and a litter who needs you to come back home. Minus one pup my ole lady claimed,” King muttered.

  “Moana is not snarly, asshole. And I haven’t agreed to give anyone any of my precious babies.” Keys pressed his hand against his chest. Shit, he would’ve sworn he could survive without any of the men and women, yet King’s words had sent a pang straight to the center of his heart. Nope, they were his family he wasn’t willing to lose a single one of them.

  “Minus a pup, shithead. I’ll holler as soon as we get eyes on the MeMaw. Cosmo and his woman are back home watching over the clubhouse and your babies for now.” King disconnected without another word, calling the older woman by the name Palmer did let Keys know King knew a lot more about his ole lady than what Keys had shared.

  Fucking Bermuda or Koyn. He hit redial. “She means a lot to Palmer.”

  “I know how to be nice to old ladies.” King emphasized the old, making sure he distinguished between the two types of women.

  “Keys, tell him my MeMaw has a heart condition.” Palmer moved closer, talking close to the phone.

  “Did you hear my ole lady?” Keys watched Palmer as he spoke, letting her hear the possessive tone.

  “Let her know we will take care with her. Rest assured we got this. You got her boy with you two?” King ask
ed.

  “Yeah, our boy’s sleeping.” He wanted King to know he was claiming them both.

  “I hear you loud and clear, Keys. As your friend, I hear you. As the Prez, you’re gonna need to be straight with me after this is over. I can’t keep my club safe if I don’t know what the fuck is going on.”

  This time it was Keys who disconnected. He would tell King everything about himself, or at least everything he knew. There wouldn’t be any need for secrets, if he made it out of Lionsville alive. Every time his SEAL team went on a mission, he’d always known he was going to make it home, even on the last one when the rest of his team hadn’t, he did. This time, there wasn’t that same feeling of surety.

  “Palmer, if shit goes South, I want you to promise you’ll go with King or Duke. They’re my brothers and they’ll make sure you’re safe and taken care of. Both you and Jaxson.” He needed to make sure she agreed.

  Palmer gripped the front of his vest, the one he had loaded with weapons. “Keys, you listen, and you listen good. I called you home and got you into whatever the heck is going on. I will not stand by and watch you get hurt or worse, killed. Whatever is happening, whoever is out there, will not kill you because of me. So shut the hell up and think of a way that we all get out of this alive.”

  Son-of-a-bitch, his ole lady was a sassy little thing that was going to be the death of him one way or another.

  Chapter Eleven

  Palmer fought back tears as she watched Keys pace the suite he’d rented after talking to King. He had his phone to his ear, talking to another man she heard him call Dragon, he sounded a lot crazier than King. It wasn’t quite five in the morning; sleep wasn’t a possibility for either of them. Luckily for her, Jaxson was a good sleeper. She knew he’d be waking up around eight to be fed and start the day. He was truly the best baby she or any parent could ask for.

  “What’s the matter, sassy girl?”

  She jerked in surprise to find Keys in front of her. “Jesus, you scared me.”

  “Sorry about that. Why don’t you go lay down for a few hours until Hoss wakes up?” He rubbed his thumb over her brows, speaking in low tones.

  If Palmer had any doubts that Keys was a good man, they’d have been erased in the last twelve hours as he did all he could to protect her and her child. “I couldn’t sleep. Besides, it would be my luck little man would wake up as soon as I closed my eyes.” It was a fib, but she didn’t want Keys to press her.

  Keys opened his mouth, then closed it as a noise that sounded like breaking glass caught their attention. He put his finger to his lips, pushing her toward the bedroom.

  She looked around for the gun he’d given her, panic making her heart beat wildly.

  Keys gripped her shoulders, giving a hard shake. “Calm down. Go to Hoss. The gun is in the nightstand locked and loaded,” he whispered.

  Palmer took a deep breath and nodded before hurrying into the bedroom. God, why was this happening? The cot was still where she’d placed it before with a chair between it and the wall. She got the gun out, double checked the magazine was loaded, and took the safety off even though she had been taught to keep it on. If anyone came for her and her baby, she didn’t want to have to remember to do it then.

  Her hands shook so she took a couple deep breaths. She couldn’t hear Keys moving around in the other room or any other noise at all. The machine she had running for Jaxson sounded like a box fan. She normally found it calming and would’ve said it wasn’t too loud, but in those few minutes while she sat next to his cot holding a gun at the ready, she swore it was louder than a freight train running right in front of her.

  The digital clock ticked. One minute. Two. Time slowed as she waited with bated breath for Keys to come in and tell her all was clear. After five minutes her arm began to feel the strain of holding the gun up. Feeling as though she could ease up marginally, she relaxed her arm, placing the Glock on her stretched out legs. With her back resting against the chair, facing the open doorway, she waited.

  Her baby slept. The noise machine droned on. The peace settled over her like a heavy blanket, giving her a false sense of hope and security. Surely if Keys had left the room, he’d have told her. The long night and love making combined with the stress of the past year caught up with her. The soothing sound of the noise machine that was so familiar, combined with the lack of sleep had her body slipping into that in-between sleep and wakefulness. She fought to stay awake, jerking her eyes open when she felt her head drop.

  She blinked several times, looked at the clock, shocked to see the minutes had changed by over twenty since the last time she’d checked. “Shit,” she whispered, horrified to realize she must’ve fallen asleep. With the curtains pulled she couldn’t tell if the sun was coming up or not, but with the time passing it would only be a little longer before it would. People always felt safer in the light of day, she was no different. Not that she hadn’t felt Thomas’s wrath in the daylight, but she was in the public somewhat at the B&B, so it felt safer.

  Getting to her feet, she groaned at the stiffness from sitting and sleeping in an upright position. Her bladder decided to make itself known. She looked down at Jaxson, kissing his forehead. He was her entire world and had been since the moment she’d known she was pregnant. His little chest rose and fell, the sweet baby’s breath wafted over her face while she stayed bent over him.

  Not wanting to be gone too long, she hurried into the bathroom, placed the gun on the vanity before hurrying over to the toilet. Afterward she wished she would’ve kept the gun with her. The saying ‘if wishes were horses then beggars would ride’ hit her like a fist to the solar plex.

  “Took you long enough. I guess what they say about having a baby is true, huh?”

  Palmer froze at the sink, her hands under the running water.

  “Go on, wash your hands. Cleanliness is next to godliness they say,” the man said, waving her gun toward the sink.

  Palmer looked behind him, trying to see her son. “You wonderin’ if I’ve hurt your welp?”

  The derogatory word had her back stiffening as she finished washing her hands. The man looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him. “Yes,” she bit out.

  “Not yet, but that could change right quick. You fixin to rub all the skin off those dainty hands?” he asked, jerking her gun toward her again.

  She flinched knowing the safety was off and unsure if the asshole knew how to shoot a gun or not. She turned the water off, dried her hands on the hand towel then stood waiting for him to tell her what to do.

  “Good girl. Come on back in here and don’t do anything stupid. Your boyfriend ain’t here to play hero. Took us a bit to figure out you’d done shacked up with someone, but we ain’t stupid like you’s thought. Nope, not stupid at all. Now, why don’t you go pick your kid up and come with me without a fuss. I don’t want to have to kill you both right here. Mama wouldn’t like that.” He pointed at the cot then her with the gun.

  “Why don’t you just take me and leave my son here. He’s just an innocent little boy,” she pleaded, pressing her hands against her chest.

  The man’s eyes followed her arms, eyes narrowed on her face. “Ain’t no damn kid innocent. They grow up to be fucksticks just like that damn prick.” His hand holding her gun waved wildly.

  “What do you plan to do with us?” She tried to think, wondered where Keys was. If he’d been there, he’d never have allowed the man into the room. The only scenario she could think was he had been lured out of the room, was hurt, or worse. She wouldn’t allow herself to think of the latter.

  “What’s your name?” she asked, remembering somewhere about getting personal with kidnappers to remind them you were human.

  His bloodshot eyes narrowed. “Ain’t none your business, bitch. Now grab your welp or I’ll do it. I promise you won’t like how I handle him.” He pointed the gun toward Jaxson.

  Palmer cried out, rushing to put her body in-between the gun and Jaxson. “Don’t please.”

 
“Then you best get a move on it. I don’t much mind where I take care of the both of you, but mama said to bring you to her first. She said we could kill you after we play,” he said with glee.

  The look in his eyes said he was looking forward to whatever he had planned. Whoever his mama was, she was clearly a sick woman and her son was every bit the same. “Keys will kill you.”

  He laughed. “Your Keys is a dead man.”

  If a heart could stop but still beat, hers just did at his words. “No.”

  “You grabbing him or am I?” He lifted the Glock.

  Palmer set her jaw. Even if, God forbid something had happened to Keys, there was no way the other men she’d heard him talking to had also been hurt. She had to believe that. She had to take strength in the knowledge that she and Jaxson weren’t alone.

  “Can I grab his bag?” she asked, pointing toward the diaper bag with all his things.

  The man walked over, grabbing it with a jerk. He didn’t take care as he rifled through it, pulling out item after item. Once he deemed there were no weapons or whatever he’d been searching for, he tossed things back inside before shoving it toward her. “Let’s go.”

  She noticed the curtains blowing from the open window, allowing a little bit of light to come in from where the sun was barely beginning to rise. She looked at the window and her son, wondering how the heck she was going to climb out of it carrying him. No way was she going to ask the psycho to help her. The thought of him touching her was bad enough, but she’d do almost anything to keep him from laying a finger on her precious child. Slinging the backpack over her shoulders, she lifted Jaxson up, making little hush noises in hopes he stay asleep.

  “Move it,” he barked.

  Palmer flinched as he shoved the hard metal into her back. In her mind she ran through all the scenarios of what she could do, yet nothing was workable when it came down to the reality of what could happen. She stepped on the table by the window, keeping one hand on Jaxson. Lord, his twenty pounds was never so noticeable as it was in that moment as she teetered on the ledge with one leg out the window and one inside.