Royally Broken by Elle Boon Page 0,27
smart, not because he studied. Shit, if he’d have brought books home the Langley brothers would’ve taken a sick sort of pleasure in destroying them. No, studying was done while he was safely behind the walls of the school. He’d soaked in the knowledge as much as he could and even more afterward while he’d been in the Navy, then a SEAL. Even now he enjoyed learning new things. Knowledge was power.
The town looked different from when he’d been there. New shops had popped up on Main Street, teaming with businesses that mixed in with those that didn’t look any different from his memories. He bet his left nut the Mayor was having a coronary trying to control all the newcomers that had to be coming in and out.
Making his way to the B&B he’d booked indefinitely. He paid in advance since he was very aware of the shady shit the old man who ran the town with an iron fist could do. Keys wasn’t going to risk getting booted on a clause. Nope, he was smarter than them. The stares he was getting had to be making their way through the grapevine. “Let em talk. Gossip will get me some answers a whole lot quicker.”
Why he was whispering to himself he didn’t know but dammit, he really needed to control himself. This town and its ghosts were bringing out some bad habits he was going to squash once and for all.
Outside the Bed and Breakfast there were several empty parking spaces. He eased his Harley in backward turning it off as soon as his tire bumped the curb. The silence was nearly deafening in the quiet of the town. He sat for a bit, letting the moment settle into his bones. To his right he could see the road that led to the high school and middle school combined. On more than one occasion he’d walked home when he’d missed the bus. The road had been concreted, now it sported a fresh coat of asphalt. Across the road the row of shops had a few different businesses, but the same barber that had been there for longer than he’d been alive still appeared to be open. Dave Stevenson’s Barber with the swirling red and white pole that had to be worth something since it looked like a relic, still spun lazily. The other shops were more home décor and girlie shit. However, at the end was the local pub where the Langley’s had spent way too much time and money. McCormick Pub and Grill, a family owned place that always smelled delicious, but he’d never gotten to eat there since he’d never had the funds. Although the owners had always been friendly, he’d never gone near the place knowing he might run into one of the brothers. They’d gotten a facelift too, looking more family friendly and smelled even better with the fragrant scent of grilling meat permeating the air as smoke rose from the chimney.
He slid off his bike after a few more seconds, pulled his duffel from the back, and then with a final look around, made his way up the steps. At one time the B&B had been an old estate that had belonged to one of the wealthy families. That had been long before Keys’ time. He remembered the other kids talking about the place being haunted. Since it sat all by itself on the street and backed up to the woods, he didn’t doubt that it could be. With the town encroaching on the place, if he’d been a ghost, he’d have haunted the fuck outta the place too.
A bell over the door rang as he stepped in, announcing his presence. He didn’t think his entrance went unnoticed, not with his bike rumbling in. The young lady behind the antique looking desk looked up, a pleasant smile on her face yet she looked nervous. “How may we help you?”
Keys moved up to where she stood, setting his duffel by his feet but kept his backpack over one shoulder. His computer wouldn’t be leaving his sight. “Good afternoon, Kendra. I have a reservation for Keys Royal.” He already had his ID out, figuring she’d need that to verify who he was.
Kendra blinked, licked her lips then blinked again.
He waited, knowing she was gathering her wits. “Oh, let me check the system. Sorry, I was...um, doing homework.” Her hand shook as she took his driver’s license.
“No problem. Nice place you got here,” he said in a