Page 4 of Tyrant Blood

‘Right you are,’ Joe laughed, his wise old face breaking into a smile as he put the pedal to the floor and powered away from Cole’s cabin. ‘You boys just ain’t never gonna change.’

‘Hell no,’ Cole replied, to cheers from his friends. ‘It’s time to show the Smokers Tavern who runs this town.’

The Smokers Tavern was every bit as busy and full of life as Cole had anticipated. With its down to earth vibes and rough and ready décor, there was no room for pretension at the Smokers Tavern that was for sure – and this was just how Cole and his friends liked it.

‘I believe the first round is on you, Roddy,’ Cole laughed, pointing his friend in the direction of the bar. ‘We’ll grab our spot over in the corner.’

Roddy nodded and made his way toward the already bustling bar.

As Vince went to commandeer their preferred booth, Cole took a moment to cast his eyes around the tavern. There were plenty of familiar faces to be seen, plus some out of towners and occasional visitors too. This was pretty typical for a hockey game, and Cole couldn’t help but notice a small pocket of Red Dolphins fans who had decided to sit themselves front and center near to the main projector screen.

‘It’s a free country,’ Cole muttered, somewhat unsure as to how things might turn out later.

The Ice Bears were very much the home team in Ridgeback Falls, and Cole had a feeling that the already loud Red Dolphins fans might need to be kept an eye on as the evening progressed. If the Ice Bears won big, then it could be a case that the Dolphins fans might try to cause some shit with the locals. Similarly, if the Red Dolphins won then it could be that some of the home fans might decide to take their frustrations out on the Dolphins fans.

Either way, Cole knew that he needed to stay the hell away from whatever went down. And he was pretty sure that both Vince and Roddy would agree too. The three of them had been involved in plenty of bar brawls over the years, and while they were never likely to back down to anyone, their days of actively looking for trouble were ideally best behind them.

‘Yeah, I reckon there could be trouble brewing,’ Vince said, clearly thinking along the same lines as Cole. ‘We’ll just keep our counsel over here. It’s not like anyone’s going to go out of their way to fuck with us, is it?’

‘Not if they want their limbs to stay intact,’ Cole laughed, making himself comfortable next to Vince in the booth. ‘What are you thinking for the game? I’m saying Bears by two goals.’

‘I wish I shared your confidence,’ Vince replied. ‘My heart says Ice Bears, but my head is saying Red Dolphins for this one.’

Cole shook his head. He was never going to play professional hockey again, but that didn’t mean that his instinct for the game had gone. Cole wasn’t a gambling man, but all his old instincts were telling him that this game had an Ice Bears win written all over it.

It was at times like this that Cole wished he was back on the ice. There was something so special about the game day energy that had fueled Cole for so long that was now sadly absent from his life. The crowd, the camaraderie with his teammates, the thrill of pushing his body to its limits…

‘Shit, you wish you were playing?’ Vince asked, taking his drink from Roddy as he returned from the bar. ‘I don’t blame you, brother.’

‘Nah, that was a long time ago,’ Cole replied, trying his best to sound convincing. ‘Hockey was fun. Life was good. Then it turned to crap. Now… I’m an armchair fan who just wants a quiet life.’

‘Cole Tyrant and quiet life don’t quite go together,’ Roddy said, raising his beer bottle. ‘But screw it, here’s to a quiet life!’

‘Ha! Fuck the quiet life, here’s to screwing it!’ Cole roared, clinking his bottle against the others and proceeding to down it in one long swig. ‘Now let’s go Ice Bears!’

With that, the three friends began their evening in as they meant to go along.

There was another hour before the first buzzer, so plenty of opportunity for more drinks, more banter, and maybe even a detailed insight from Vince as to how he got the scratch marks on the side of his face.

As much as Cole might have missed the adrenalin rush of being a hockey professional, there was no doubting that at moments like this he was happier than ever. Sitting with two good friends in a bar that served good beer, and with his trusty hound Ranger waiting at home alongside a delicious stew.

What else could Cole wish for?

Perhaps the real question was who else could Cole wish for…

Chapter 2

Joaquin

Joaquin felt himself wake up abruptly as a couple began to argue a few seats ahead of him on the bus. With the rain still lashing down outside, Joaquin wasn’t best pleased to have been woken up – but he was immediately more concerned about the argument that was taking place.

‘Is everything okay down there?’ Joaquin said, leaning over toward the aisle so that he could get a better look.

‘Leave them, they’ve been going at it for a half hour,’ the vodka lady replied, a dismissive tone in her voice. ‘Couples argue. Shit happens. Here, have another drink…’

Joaquin rubbed his eyes and saw that the woman was now deep into a bottle of white wine. The thought of gulping down some wine wasn’t especially appealing, and Joaquin’s mind was still on the couple as they continued to shout at one another.

‘Suit yourself,’ the lady said, withdrawing her outstretched hand and the bottle of cheap wine too. ‘And if I was you, I wouldn’t even think about getting involved down there. The assholes woke me up too.’

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