Page 3 of Tyrant Blood

And with that prospect very much at the forefront of his mind, Cole and his canine companion Ranger powered their way through the forest very much in the hope that they would be home safe before the storm truly hit Ridgeback Falls.

Cole was feeling happy to be back home and under the shower’s piping hot water. With Ranger curled up in his dog bed in front of the roaring wood burner, it was very much a case that the whole family was feeling warm and ready for the evening.

The only difference between Cole and Ranger though was that Cole was due to head out to Smokers Tavern in half an hour for beers with Vince and Roddy. Speaking of which, Cole saw his phone flashing up with messages from his friends – the only problem was that Cole didn’t want to get out from underneath the hot shower just yet.

‘Quit messaging!’ Cole barked, the sight of the flashing cell phone over on the other side of the bathroom proving too much of a distraction. ‘These guys are acting like we won’t be sitting on our asses and talking all night.’

Cole soon grew tired of watching his phone flash and decided that he needed to see just what was so important that Vince and Roddy couldn’t let him shower in peace…

VINCE: Tyrant, we’re headed over to your place to pick you up. This weather fucking sucks and there’s no way you’re driving home in it after ten beers. Old Joe is giving us a ride in his truck. We’ll be there in twenty.

RODDY: Make it fifteen.

VINCE: Make it ten. And don’t even think about calling time early tonight. I’ve got a feeling the game is going into overtime. And before you ask, yes I do have money riding on it.

RODDY: And by ten, what Vince means is five. Tonight’s going to be a busy one at the Smokers, so we need to arrive early to get our seats. Let’s Go Ice Bears!

‘And by five, I assume you mean one,’ Cole said, his naked body dripping water on the bathroom tiles. ‘But I ain’t saying no to a ride, that’s for damn sure.’

With that, Cole grabbed his thick red towel from the rail and proceeded to dry his body as quickly as he could. And no sooner than Cole had patted himself dry, he heard the sound of knocking on his front door.

‘You have to be kidding me,’ Cole said, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘Let yourselves in, it’s unlocked!’

Cole walked through from the bathroom into his bedroom and slung on a pair of black boxer-briefs, jeans, and a jet black t-shirt. Already, he could hear the sound of Vince and Roddy making a fuss over Ranger, and Cole figured it wouldn’t be long before they were raiding his refrigerator to look for snacks to give to the dog.

‘Leave Ranger to sleep, you sonsofbitches,’ Cole barked, striding into the kitchen and promptly throwing out a couple of playful punches to the arms of Vince and Roddy. ‘Anyway, I thought we were in a rush? You don’t have time to get the dog all excited or he won’t let you leave. Trust me, this dog knows how to keep a human occupied.’

‘Hey, you know we can’t ignore Ridgeback Falls’ King of Canines,’ Vince laughed, his slicked back blonde hair revealing a painful looking scrape on the side of his face.

‘Don’t tell me, another hunting accident?’ Cole asked, arching his eyebrow and trying to figure out how Vince’s scrape occurred.

‘That’s what he tells me,’ Roddy replied, shaking his head. ‘But I’m not sure. Something tells me things might have got a little wild for Vince in the city last weekend…’

Cole and Roddy exchanged a knowing look, but it was clear from Vince’s ignoring of the banter that he wasn’t about to go into details any time soon.

‘Joe’s waiting in his truck, we need to bounce,’ Vince said, feeding Ranger one last snack before standing up and making his way to the front door. ‘And if you really want to know more about my scrape, then I’m thinking the first four beers are on you two…’

‘Asshole,’ Roddy smirked.

‘He knows we’ll do it,’ Cole laughed. ‘You two head out to the truck. I need to take my slow-cook stew off the stove. I don’t want to come back to a pan of burned veggies and potatoes and let all my good work go to waste.’

And with that, Vince and Roddy made their way out to the truck.

‘Okay, you be a good boy,’ Cole said, crouching down and helping Ranger settle back into his basket. ‘Uncle Vince gave you a nice snack, so I imagine you’ll be fast asleep when I get back. Just remember, if anyone breaks in… rip them to fucking shreds, right?’

Ranger simply nose-bumped Cole’s outstretched hand and then rested his heavy head on his legs as he curled himself up to fit perfectly inside his bed.

‘Hmmm, something tells me you’re not in a shred-ripping mood,’ Cole chuckled. ‘Some guard dog you are.’

With that, Cole gave Ranger one final ruffle on his wiry head and walked out of the cabin and made a quick dash over to the truck, ready to travel into town.

It was time to sink some beers and watch the Ice Bears big game against the Red Dolphins at Smokers Tavern. Hockey might have been part of Cole’s past, but he still held a love for the game – almost as much as he loved sinking beer with his buddies.

And with the game coming at a high stakes part of the season, the atmosphere at the Smokers Tavern was likely to be jumping from the get-go. Emotions would no doubt be running high, but Cole was determined to mind his own business and keep himself to himself – after all, he had a piping hot and perfectly marinated stew waiting for him when he got home.

But there was something about the prospect of hockey alongside beers that sent Cole all the way back to his wild past. And the second his hand touched the truck door, all Cole could think about was tasting a cold beer and letting loose.

‘Okay, Joe, let’s rock and roll,’ Cole said as he clambered inside the truck. ‘Get us there in ten, and I’m buying you a whisky. Get us there in five, I’m making it a double.’

---