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 asked.
“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