Page 10 of Tyrant Blood

And with his ill-gotten money safely tucked away inside his metal wallet, Joaquin knew that once he got himself a room for the night back at the Smokers Tavern, he could have at least one night’s sleep before he set about returning to reality and facing his problems.

In the meantime though, there was the chance to dance a little longer – and as he whipped his t-shirt off over his head, Joaquin was ready to truly let loose and dance his way to happiness once more.

After the rain stopped, a wet to the bone Joaquin made his way back to Smokers Tavern. All it took was a quick scout around the place to see that the disgruntled Dolphins fans hadn’t returned, and as far as Joaquin was concerned that was more than enough of a security blanket for him to head back inside.

‘I’ll take one room please Tiffany,’ Joaquin said, flashing the pretty server a smile.

‘Sure, Steve,’ Tiffany replied. ‘But on one condition… you tell me your real name.’

Joaquin looked around to check that no one else was listening. It might have been the excitement of playing a risky game, but he decided that it was okay to tell Tiffany his real name. She seemed sweet and gave off good vibes. It might have been a chance he normally wouldn’t have taken, but Joaquin was willing to let his guard down just this one time.

‘Joaquin,’ he said, handing Tiffany the money for the room, plus a tip. ‘And if you could maybe rustle up a snack too, that would be great.’

‘Pffft, you’ll be lucky,’ Tiffany replied, shaking her head. ‘The cook finished up about an hour ago. The best I can do is a jerky.’

‘I’m good, but thanks,’ Joaquin replied, suddenly conscious that his tummy was rumbling.

But before he could change his mind and take whatever bar snack he could get his hands on, Joaquin felt a presence tower over him from behind.

‘Oh… it’s you,’ Joaquin said, his heart thumping in his chest as he turned and saw the well-built stranger who had saved him earlier.

‘Yup, it sure is. The name’s Cole,’ Cole replied. ‘And I think we need to have a conversation. And I’m not asking. I’m fucking telling.’

Joaquin’s mind sparked up into action. He could run. He could bolt for the door and sprint down the alley and back into the town. He would be long gone before the big, lumbering man in front of him could do a damn thing about it.

But try as he might, Joaquin couldn’t make the move.

There was something about Cole that was making Joaquin nervous. It was more than the fact that Cole was twice the size of him and had the kind of serious, stern look on his face that made him come over as a cross between a high school principal, action movie star, and roadhouse doorman.

Cole was putting Joaquin on edge in a way that Joaquin had never experienced before. He felt scared, intimidated, and a little bit… excited.

Joaquin wasn’t able to put his finger on what the hell was going on when it came to his response to Cole. But a far more pressing problem was Cole’s insistence that the two of them were about to have a little chat. As far as Joaquin was concerned, his business was nothing to do with Cole. Cole on the other hand, quite evidently didn’t see things the same way.

‘We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,’ Cole said, his voice taking on a sterner tone. ‘Now get up, follow me over to the booth, and we’ll talk.’

Joaquin’s heart was racing even harder. As he looked Cole up and down, he found his eyes drawn to the solid, sturdy physique that was probably underneath Cole’s worn grey t-shirt and blue denim jeans. There was something intoxicating about Cole, but there was something about him that was making Joaquin react badly too.

Urgh. What’s this guy’s problem?

What does he want, a medal for intervening in my business?

I’ll listen to him for two minutes, nod my head, and then I’m out.

‘Fine,’ Joaquin muttered, standing up from the bar stool and following Cole over toward the booth in the corner of the bar. ‘But just so you know, I’m not into-’

However before Joaquin could finish speaking, he felt Cole’s arm pushing him down onto the seat.

‘You could have got yourself killed,’ Cole said, his voice gruff and almost sounding angry. ‘And the fact you stole their money… fuck. If I’d known that beforehand….’

‘Yeah, well, no one asked you to help,’ Joaquin said, pouting. ‘You don’t think I can handle myself?’

‘No, I’m pretty sure you can,’ Cole replied, leaning back into his seat and sliding a beer and pack of roasted nuts over toward Joaquin. ‘But six or seven drunken Dolphins supporters versus one kid. At those odds, I’m not backing you.’

‘Whatever,’ Joaquin replied, dipping his hand into the bowl of nuts and rapidly crunching his way through a handful in double-quick time.

‘You won’t have a problem with those guys again,’ Cole said. ‘But something tells me you’ve got bigger problems. I’m right, aren’t I?’

Joaquin looked into Cole’s aquatic green eyes and it felt to him like Cole was staring into his soul. There was no way that Joaquin was going to spill the beans on exactly what was going on with Rohan Katsen, or what he had escaped from back in the city. That would have been several steps too far. But there was something inside Joaquin that was making him want to cave and let Cole inside…

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