Page 11 of Tyrant Blood

‘I… um… I’m good,’ Joaquin said, sounding not even remotely convincing. ‘I mean… I’m not on the run, if that’s what you’re thinking.’

‘Which is precisely what someone who was on the run would say, right?’ Cole chuckled, a wry smile on his face. ‘I don’t need details. But I do want to help. No strings.’

‘Nah, I’m good,’ Joaquin replied, his words coming out snarky and dismissive. ‘Thanks for the beer and the nuts. But I’ll take it from here.’

With that, Joaquin got himself out of the booth almost as quickly as he sat down and began walking toward the stairs that led to the tavern’s bedrooms.

‘Ridgeback Falls is a small town,’ Cole replied. ‘But it’s not so small that you won’t get found here, boy. Trust me on that.’

Cole’s words stung Joaquin and he doubled his pace and ended up almost running up the stairs towards his room for the night. The sooner he was out of the place, the better.

I’ll stay the night, but that’s it.

Come morning, I’m gone.

Gone from here, gone from Cole, and far, far away from Katsen and his men too…

Chapter 5

Cole

Cole arrived back home at his lodge on the edge of town with his mind spinning – and not just because of the booze he had consumed over the course of the night.

‘That damn boy,’ Cole muttered as he walked over toward Ranger’s food bowl and loaded it up with some late night biscuits. ‘He’s cute though…’

Cole smiled as he watched his faithful hound devour the biscuits before walking into the kitchen area and heating a big pot of broth. Luckily, there was still plenty of sourdough left from earlier in the day, and Cole was able to soak up the alcohol in his system pretty well.

But as he sat down on his large couch, Cole’s mind was still very much focused on Joaquin. Sure, Joaquin had enough attitude to sink a battleship. And there was the fact that not only had he stolen money but seemed proud of it too. This wasn’t ideal. Far from it, in fact.

Cole might have had plenty of problems with the law over the years, but they were never down to dishonesty. It was always a brawl, a confrontation gone wrong, a provocation that he couldn’t resist reacting to. Cole prided himself on having strong morals and never taking advantage of anyone weaker than him.

Seeing how Joaquin had boasted so openly about stealing the Dolphins supporter’s money didn’t sit right with Cole. Even taking into account that they were a group of total assholes, Cole still couldn’t condone pickpocketing.

And yet…

‘Hey, Ranger, what do you think?’ Cole asked, patting his hand on the couch and happily seeing Ranger jump up and make himself comfortable. ‘This boy’s trouble. But I think he needs help. He needs an arm around him. And he needs a firm hand too. Fuck. I shouldn’t be bringing any trouble into my life. Not now that I’m finally living a peaceful life.’

Ranger simply whacked his long tail up and down on the couch’s worn arm rest before resting his head on Cole’s lap. If Cole was hoping for answers from his best canine friend, then he was sorely mistaken. But even though Ranger wasn’t forthcoming with any help regarding Joaquin, Cole could never feel anything less than total love and affection for his hound.

Ranger was six years old now, but Cole had found him when he was less than a year old, wandering the side streets and alleys of Ridgeback Falls all alone and looking malnourished. But even though he was lost, abandoned, and in need of a good meal, there had been something about Ranger’s attitude that shone through. Cole could see that Ranger was a good dog, full of heart and spirit – and determined to survive too.

It was a decision that only took a minute or so to make, but when Cole brought Ranger home with him on that day, he knew it was the right call. Slowly but surely, Cole had trained Ranger, fed him, kept him safe, and helped him become the best hound he could be.

Ranger was still more than capable of getting up to mischief, but that only made Cole love him even more. Together, they were a great team.

‘I’m thinking I need to see the boy one more time,’ Cole said, stroking Ranger’s silky smooth ears. ‘Just to make sure he’s safe. And maybe to make a decision on him too.’

With that, Cole reached over toward the arm rest and picked up the TV remote without disturbing Ranger’s perfect snuggle position too much.

It was time to put on an old movie and unwind before bed.

But when Cole did get to bed, there was going to be something on his mind that he simply couldn’t shake…

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, get out of my head,’ Cole grumbled, tossing and turning underneath his heavy blanket.

Half an hour after his movie finished playing on the TV screen and he got himself to bed, Cole was still awake. And all he could think about was Joaquin. Except this time, it wasn’t about Joaquin’s situation, or even about his dubious moral code. No, these were thoughts of a very different kind.

Cole could feel his cock pressing up against his thick pajama bottoms. His erection wasn’t going anywhere, and he knew it – and it was all down to the God damned boy.

---