Page 34 of Tyrant Blood

‘Katsen…’ Dante said, stepping out and walking over toward Cole and Joaquin. ‘Yes, we talked. And yes, I initially agreed to do business with you.’

‘Good. So shoot these motherfuckers,’ Katsen said, a slight look of panic in his eyes. ‘I’ll double my price. I’ll take a smaller cut of the profit. Just kill these assholes and let’s move forward together.’

‘I don’t do business with people like you,’ Dante said, his voice cold and his face showing zero emotion. ‘There’s a code. And it’s a code that’s written in stone. Fuck you.’

With that, Dante stepped back and nodded at Joaquin.

‘This is for everyone you’ve ever bullied, tortured, abused, and killed,’ Joaquin said, his voice full of venom but under total control too. ‘And most of all, it’s for me.’

Joaquin wasted no more time and shot Katsen in the head, directly between his eyes.

It was all over.

Cole could see a weight lifted from his young man’s shoulders right there and then. A new chapter was ready to be written in both his and Joaquin’s lives. But before they could get ahead of themselves, it was time to make a sharp exit.

‘Follow me, we’ve got cars waiting for us,’ Dante said. ‘It’s been a pleasure gentlemen. Hopefully next time we meet it can be under more relaxed circumstances. You’re welcome at Dante’s Kitchen at any time. And you might want to check out my club too. We cater for all tastes, and you might just find something you like.’

Cole and Joaquin nodded their appreciation and before they knew it they were both sitting in the back of one of Dante’s cars and being driven to a safe spot where they could wash and change.

‘J, I need to say something,’ Cole said, looking across the rear seat toward Joaquin as the driver carefully took them out of the city center and toward the safe house.

‘It’s okay, I get it,’ Joaquin replied. ‘This was fun, you did what you thought was right, but now I’m safe you don’t want to be with me anymore. That’s cool.’

Cole couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

‘Hell no,’ Cole roared. ‘Hell, hell, hell no! I don’t want to break up with you. I love you. I want us to be together. I want you to be mine. And I mean forever.’

For the first time that day, Joaquin’s eyes filled with emotion.

‘And I want to be with you forever too,’ Joaquin replied, tears streaming down his face as the enormity of the whole situation suddenly hit him. ‘I love you. I think I have since the first time I saw you. But now I know it’s not a phase or some passing thing. I love you, Cole. And I’m yours forever.’

Cole took Joaquin’s hand and nodded. His body was aching and he felt more exhausted than at any time during his hockey career or in the ensuing wild years in the wilderness.

But Cole was happy. And it was a feeling he wasn’t ever going to let go of again…

Chapter 18

Joaquin

Three Months Later…

After sending Katsen and his men to the deepest pits of hell, Joaquin and Cole settled into life back home in Ridgeback Falls with ease. It sometimes felt like a fairytale, but Joaquin had never been happier.

Working as a barista at Coffee King was giving Joaquin the kind of stability and routine that he’d simply never had in his life before. And the fact that he had radically improved the quality of the coffee there was an added bonus that very rapidly endeared him to the local community.

Joaquin loved putting in a shift at Coffee King and then heading home to be with Cole and Ranger. Together, the three of them made a great team. And what was especially nice was being able to invite friends over too…

‘Guys, this place is so cool,’ Jenna said as she sipped on her glass of freshly squeezed OJ. ‘And Ranger is a great dog. He’s so gentle with little Jo.’

Joaquin looked on in delight as he watched Ranger and Cole lying on the floor alongside baby Jo. Jenna had named Jo in honor of Joaquin, and it was a great feeling to be an unofficial uncle to the baby alongside Cole.

‘I’m proud of you,’ Jenna said, putting her hand in Joaquin’s. ‘You’ve made a real life for yourself.’

‘You don’t miss the old me?’ Joaquin laughed.

‘The old you was cool,’ Jenna said, a knowing look on her face. ‘But he was too much trouble! And anyway, people change. And I like the change I’ve seen in you.’

Joaquin smiled.

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