Royally Broken by Elle Boon Page 0,25
bastards had something like that on their property, especially the way they were connected and the money they had backing them. Nope, he could see it. Hell, they had one on their property.
King grunted. “Fine, you get a pass. I got an email from Bermuda. He reminds me of you.”
“Nope, not my brother from another mother.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he felt that same gut punch he’d had as a kid, wondering who his parents were and why they didn’t want him. Anger at himself for falling into the same childish ignorance made him roll his shoulders like he’d done hundreds of times during BUDS. He didn’t ring the bell then and he sure as fuck wasn’t going to do it now.
“You cool, brother?” King’s question was low, sincere like the man was worried.
“Yeah, just thinking about the shit I’m rolling into.” He’d taken Koyn up on the offer of firepower before he’d left. Since he hadn’t wanted to travel across several state lines packing too much heat, he’d only brought his Glock and a couple blades. His hands and feet were deadly but having an extra gun or two made him feel better. Also knowing Dragon and Katana were planning to ride up and find a place to chill close by, should he need them, was reassuring. Why he felt as though he’d need backup, he wasn’t sure, but Keys learned long ago, on a dirt road with nothing in his belly to trust his instincts.
“You’ve gone quiet on me. I don’t like it when you get like that. We can load up and be there in twenty-four hours,” King offered.
That was why he’d given his oath to the Royal Bastards after leaving the SEALs. He’d been looking for something even after he’d settled into the old trailer in the junkyard with the old man, yet still hadn’t felt like he’d found his place. After the gang had come in and killed Burt, King and the others had given him a place to start over.
“I appreciate that, man. I’ll let you know once I get the lay of the land. Is Cosmo and his woman handling my shit alright?” He needed to turn the focus off of him for a moment.
For all he knew, he could be walking into a shitshow. Or it could be one of those ‘What the fuck was he thinking?’
“That’s a shitshow in and of itself, but we got you covered. Why do I get a feeling you ain’t planning on calling us in?” Silence filled the air for a few seconds. King’s muttered curse sounded muffled as he spoke to Duke in the background.
Keys let them chatter while he took in the quiet around him, knowing it wouldn’t last.
“You check-in every other day like we agreed. I don’t give a single fuck what is going on, or your little Podunk town will have a contingent of Bastards rolling up in there. Feel me?”
Keys could just see his Prez all but staring at him through the phone, the man willing Keys to answer him with an affirmative. “Yep, I said I would, Prez.” He didn’t go back on his word, not to men he admired and the men in his MC he held a lot of respect for, especially King and Duke.
After ending the call, he sat on his bike for a little longer, taking in the silence surrounding him, minus those fucking birds that had set up a ruckus. On the West Coast, he’d have had to ride up into the Hill Country for such peacefulness. Out here, it was common to not meet another person on the road.
On that fateful day he’d been hoofing it out of town, his graduation gown blowing in the wind, he’d waited for the sheriff to pull up and arrest him for murder or assault. Shit, he’d actually thought during his Navy training they’d jerk him out at some point when Claire Langley pointed the finger at him for killing her boy. It wouldn’t have mattered that Keys had been innocent, not in the town he’d grown up in. Blaire had been an abusive drunk and fallen on his own knife. But if Claire claimed it was Keys who’d done the deed, Keys had no doubt the town would’ve sent a mob after him.
“I wonder if Blaine cried like a little bitch at his brother’s funeral?” He felt no remorse at the thought of any of their suffering. Did that make him