mind me askin’?” Dragon raised one dark brow.
“Palmer was the girl from the wealthiest family in town. Her granddaddy was the mayor. Hell, he’s still mayor, but I don’t know how that old bastard still holds the title. I thought he was old as dirt when I left all those years ago. Of course, to an eighteen-year-old, anyone with grey hair was old. He could’ve been in his forties with premature salt and pepper.” Which was true, Keys hadn’t ever looked closely at the older man back then or taken the time to look into him once he’d left.
“Well, since your phone call, Bermuda put a file together. Figure it was better to go in knowing who you were dealing with.” Dragon nudged a folder across to him.
Keys wasn’t really surprised. Hell, truth be known, King would’ve had him do the same. Taking a deep breath, he opened the folder, sucking in air as he got his first view of a grown-up Palmer.
“The woman, Palmer, she’s recently widowed. Has a little boy. Husband was a Kincaid, very well connected to the town. I gather granddaddy approved,” Bermuda sneered.
Keys looked up from the papers to see the other man tapping away at his laptop. “What’s that mean?”
Bermuda shrugged. “He wasn’t a man I’d want my only granddaughter marrying if you know what I mean.”
“Explain,” Keys grit from between clenched teeth.
“Everything I was able to gather in the short time, mind you this isn’t from The Facebook, or Insta, but backrooms and shit, shows he was a sadistic fuck.” Bermuda turned the laptop around so Keys could see what the other man was looking at.
Rage built in his gut, the kind that had him wishing he could resurrect the dead just so he could kill him again. “Who’s the girl?” He knew it wasn’t Palmer that was tied up to the St. Andrew’s Cross. She was too young, too innocent looking. Not that his Palmer wasn’t young and innocent, but that girl didn’t look old enough to be legal let alone consenting to what was being done to her.
“Her name is Dallas James. She’s seventeen and a runaway from Iowa. Not sure how she ended up there, but her family has been looking for her for over six months. Her eighteenth birthday is in a couple months.” Bermuda rattled the information off like he’d memorized it.
“Do you know where she is or where this place is located?” Keys asked. He could have his brothers in place with a phone call. His laptop was always with him, affording him all the things he’d need if he had access to Wi-Fi.
“Yep,” Bermuda agreed.
“We’d handle it, but right now we’ve got a couple other things on the front burner. However, I have it on good authority that you and your brothers can handle it.” Koyn tapped his knuckles on the table that was more like a boardroom style, than a scarred-up thing you’d see in most clubhouses.
The one they had in their clubhouse was a work of art. It’s carved out of a huge Red Wood Tree that had fallen during one of the wildfires that probably would cost a mint today. King’s old man paid a pretty penny for the fucker at the time, then had an artist come in and carve the design every Royal wore on their cut in the middle.
“Katana and I can help you if you need it. We’re only a couple hours ride from Lion County. We always enjoy a good reason to get out and feel the road under our wheels. Ain’t that right, Katana?” Dragon asked his best friend.
Keys looked at the man, his silence could be taken as off putting. Keys was aware he was watching, assessing, and more than likely deciding the best way to kill. He liked both Dragon and Katana. Hell, he liked all of the men in this Chapter.
“I appreciate that, Dragon. I’ll probably be taking you up on that too.” He’d been having that little feeling in the back of his neck, like when he’d been with the SEALs and again anytime they went on a mission with the Royal Bastards. A forewarning if you will.
A couple hours later, he slid onto his bike. He limited himself to the one drink, knowing he’d be riding out for the last place he wanted; Fucking Lion County. Bermuda and Koyn had been a font of information, both having looked into his situation before he’d arrived. Same as what Keys had done on them.