Page 6 of Tyrant Blood

‘Thanks,’ Joaquin replied, smiling at the driver before taking the step down onto the street and immediately launching into a full-scale sprint across the road, albeit quickly realizing that the damage was already done and he was soaked from head to toe.

As he walked underneath the neon sign and opened the door to the bar, Joaquin was immediately hit by the sight and sound of hockey jerseys, loud music, and the kind of high-energy atmosphere that he knew would present opportunities as well as danger.

On the one hand, there would be the chance to pickpocket, hustle, and maybe even end the night in a profit. Drunk sports fans were rarely vigilant with their wallets, that was something that Joaquin had learned over the years.

However, Joaquin also knew that hockey fans with several beers inside them were also prone to losing their shit and go from enthusiastic to outright aggressive in the blink of an eye.

‘Okay, okay, let’s see who’s who here…’ Joaquin muttered, finding a barstool in the corner that would hopefully allow him to observe in peace and without making himself a target for any hustlers or assholes.

Joaquin began to cast his eyes across the bar and saw a broad mixture of hockey fans in various states of intoxication. There were couples dotted around the bar too, either quietly drinking together or making out – something that always provided an excellent gap for a skilled pickpocket.

Joaquin decided that it was time for him to get to the bar and get himself a drink. After all, he didn’t want to draw any unwarranted attention from a bar manager.

With the bar area quiet, save for a few barflies propping up the bar, Joaquin was quickly served by the young bartender.

‘What can I get you, stranger?’ the bartender asked, flashing her pearly-white teeth and standing with one hand on her curved, strong hip.

‘Just a beer, thanks,’ Joaquin said, not giving anything away as he cast his eyes around, checking to see if there were any obvious troublemakers around.

‘Here you go,’ the bartender said, placing the frosted beer glass down on the mahogany surface. ‘The name’s Tiffany, by the way.’

‘Thank you, Tiffany,’ Joaquin replied. ‘I’m… Steven.’

With blonde hair that came with two purple streaks, there was no denying that the bartender was cute. But Joaquin kept his comments brief and polite. He wasn’t in the mood for anything other than a beer and some much needed solitude.

Giving Tiffany a false name was something that Joaquin did without thinking. Joaquin figured that with a name like his, it was always a bad idea to reveal his true identity. And given the fact that he might end up committing some low-level criminal acts in this bar, it felt like an especially good idea to serve up Steven instead of his real name.

‘Okay… Steven… Ridgeback Falls is a small place. I’m sure I’ll see you around,’ Tiffany said, a knowing smile on her face as she walked to the other end of the bar to serve a customer.

Joaquin smiled to himself. Tiffany clearly sensed that Steven was a false name, and it made Joaquin aware that he was going to have to keep his wits about him. Clearly, the residents of Ridgeback Falls were no idiots. And Joaquin knew that if he had any thoughts of an easy ride, he probably needed to park them, and park them fast.

Just as he was about to take his beer and go back to his seat, Joaquin’s eyes were drawn toward a man at the bar. He hadn’t been there a moment ago, but was now very much taking center stage.

Tall, strong, and with a rugged look to him, Joaquin could tell that this was one man in Ridgeback Falls not to cross.

But there was more to it than that.

Joaquin almost felt like he’d seen this man somewhere before. Frustratingly, Joaquin simply couldn’t place where he might know this man from. Racking his brains, Joaquin thought about the dead-end jobs he’d worked in various towns – it was more than possible that this guy could have worked in a factory or power plant, he certainly had the broad shoulders and strong arms for it.

There’s something about him.

I don’t know what it is, but he’s making me…

Nah. I’m being paranoid. He’s just another customer.

Joaquin broke himself out of his thoughts and picked his beer up. But just as he did, he made the briefest of eye contact with the man – who was now staring directly in his direction.

With his self-protection instincts on high alert, Joaquin immediately averted his eyes and took his beer to the relative safety of his spot in the corner. Whoever the gruff man at the bar might be was none of Joaquin’s business – and with plenty of susceptible targets emerging in the increasingly rowdy Smokers Tavern, Joaquin was thinking along very different lines.

Joaquin may have escaped a terrible fate in the city, but no one in Ridgeback Falls knew that. As far as they were concerned, he was just another face in the crowd.

With the taste of a frosty beer on his lips, Joaquin smiled a deliciously devious smile.

It was time to make some money…

Chapter 3

Cole

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