Page 16 of Tyrant Blood

‘How many slices?’ Cole said. ‘Actually, don’t answer that. I’ll make two and you can see how you feel.’

Joaquin nodded and fidgeted with his fingers until the toast popped up from the toaster. Cole applied a liberal spread of creamy butter on top of the slices and presented them in front of the boy, alongside a mug of steaming hot coffee.

‘I’d like to think I make it better than they do at Coffee Kings,’ Cole chuckled, exchanging a knowing look with Joaquin. ‘But… you tell me.’

Cole watched as Joaquin inhaled the coffee’s aroma and then took a tentative sip.

‘It’s… good,’ Joaquin said, his voice softer than it had been at any time before. ‘It’s really good.’

Cole felt a surge of pride fill him up inside. And as he watched Joaquin demolish the first two slices of toast too, he could see that his plan was working. The boy was clearly malnourished and probably hadn’t had a decent meal in days. Toast alone simply wasn’t going to cut it though, this situation required bringing out the big guns.

‘Keep sipping the coffee, I’m going to make you a protein bagel,’ Cole said. ‘And no, I’m not one of those feeders you see on documentaries.’

‘Ha-ha!’ Joaquin replied, nearly spitting out his coffee before he managed to get his words out. ‘This coffee is seriously good, by the way. Is it a specialty bean?’

Cole nodded.

The truth was that Cole wasn’t exactly an expert when it came to coffee, but he knew what he liked. Just like he did when it came to young men too.

‘So… were you a barista back in the city?’ Cole asked, curious to find out a little more about Joaquin without making it sound too much like an interrogation.

‘Nah, I’ve never been able to hold a job down for long enough,’ Joaquin replied. ‘I used to fool around with my friend’s coffee machine, that’s all. He had a classic old machine from Italy, something he picked up from a flea market and restored. Fuck. We had some good times together. And drank a shit-ton of coffee too.’

Cole nodded and continued putting together the fillings in the bagel. It was good to see Joaquin seemingly relaxing and opening up about his past, and there was something about the way that he talked about his old friend that was ringing bells for Cole too. Whether or not it had been a romantic relationship or not, Cole was sensing that Joaquin’s claim to not being into guys was possibly a defense mechanism.

‘Here, eat,’ Cole said, placing the ingredients packed bagel down on the table and taking a seat opposite Joaquin.

‘You’re not eating?’ Joaquin replied, his eyes hungrily sizing up the bagel as the various meats, spices, salad, and sauces spilled out from the side.

‘I’ve already got my calories and protein in for the morning,’ Cole said. ‘Trust me, this body doesn’t come without work.’

For a split second, the atmosphere between the two men could have been cut through with a knife. Cole’s innocuous comment had seemingly hit a nerve as Joaquin looked him up and down, almost like he was sizing him up. Cole meanwhile felt himself wanting to devour each and every inch of Joaquin’s delectable body.

‘So,’ Cole said, breaking the tension. ‘Let’s get into it. I brought you here to talk. And that’s what we’re going to do.’

Cole could see a flash of worry come over Joaquin’s face.

This situation would need to be handled carefully. Dishing out a spanking might have worked back in town, but now it was time for a gentler approach. And Cole knew that he had to find the balance between making the boy comfortable enough to speak, while also making it clear that this was what was best for him.

‘Just let it out,’ Cole said. ‘Trust me, you’ll feel better. And once it’s out in the open, you have my word that I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.’

‘It… it started like this…’ Joaquin replied.

Cole listened as Joaquin explained what had gone down between him and Rohan Katsen, and then the situation with Katsen’s men. It was difficult to hear the boy speaking about how Katsen’s thugs had treated him, and how much further it could have gone had Joaquin not taken his opportunity to escape.

Cole nodded as Joaquin continued to talk.

This damn boy’s been through a lot.

This is some fucked up shit, that’s for sure.

I can’t let him go, not now that I know what I do…

‘Katsen has killed people before,’ Joaquin said. ‘Everyone who runs in my circles knows that. But he’s not like the other criminals. He’s vicious. He doesn’t show any mercy, and sometimes he actually hurts people more just to prove a point. I’m no angel, but…’

‘I can see you’re no angel, don’t worry about that,’ Cole said, smiling wryly and lightening the mood a touch. ‘But you need to keep it real with me. You stole from him, and now he wants the money back, and then some more on top of that. You didn’t think you’d get away with that, did you?’

‘I kind of did,’ Joaquin replied, a guilty look on his face. ‘I’ve done it before, with other criminals in other places. I’ve done lots of things I shouldn’t have. But… I stole this money so that my ex-girlfriend could pay her rent. She’s just had a baby, and…’

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