2. Bear

Chapter 2

The lights were low and the smooth hum of jazz music in the background gave the perfect backdrop for Bear and his fellow Daddies Taine and Paolo to enjoy a late night whisky.

‘Damn, I love this place,' Bear said, casting his eye around the dimly lit members bar and seeing the usual array of distinguished gentleman in their favorite seats. ‘I just wonder why the hell they let us assholes be members?'

Taine and Paolo laughed, and the three friends toasted to one another.

Bear had seen many things in his forty-one years on planet Earth. From high school wrestling star to mafia bodyguard and now to one of the Doni family's academy instructors. It had been quite a journey, that was for sure.

But as he sat with his fellow instructors, Bear felt happy and at ease with himself. He may not have found a boy to call his own yet, but other than that bear felt satisfied and contented. Maybe even a little bit too contented…

‘We've all seen some shit,' Bear said. ‘And now we've got these easy jobs working for the Danilo family. But... do you guys ever feel like you miss the old days?'

‘Kinda,' Taine replied. ‘But with my MMA comeback, I kind of have the best of both worlds now, you know? And what with looking after my boy, Donovan… I've got my hands full in more ways than one.'

‘I bet you do,' Paolo laughed.

It was no secret that Donovan was not only one of the biggest Littles in town, but also packed the most in the trouser department too. Bear knew that both Taine and Paolo were happily settled with their Forever loves, and he could see that working at the academy was pretty much enough for them now.

Sure, Paolo would still go out on hits for the Danilo's, but it hardly compared to his life as a freelance assassin. Similarly, Taine's MMA comeback was a far cry from the days that he used to fight eight or nine times a year for whoever could pay him the most money.

But Bear didn't have a boy.

And there didn't seem like much possibility of that changing any time soon either.

As far as Bear was concerned, as much as he was enjoying the slower pace of life in the academy, he missed the days of working with his old boss, Dante Chiellini back in New York.

Bear had spent many years working alongside the so-called Mafia Daddies NYC and a part of him was beginning to hanker for a return to the kind of life and death situations that he used to find himself in on a regular basis. It wasn't that Bear had a death wish or anything like that, but undeniably there was a part of him that missed his old way of life.

However rather than let his wandering mind bring him down, Bear decided that another round of whisky was due. A quick signal to the bartender, and a fresh round was delivered.

‘So, guys, tell me… what's the best part of being a Daddy to a boy?' Bear asked, knowing how in love his two friends were and wanting to live vicariously through them for a moment.

‘Damn, that's a tough one,' Taine said, sipping on his whisky and slowly rotating the ice cubes around the glass. ‘I mean… there's the physical side. But it's more than that. It's the day to day stuff that knocks me out.'

‘Yeah, do say more,' Bear said, eager to hear precisely what his friend meant.

‘Having a cuddle after a long day training,' Taine said. ‘Or helping him put on his favorite romper.'

‘I hear that,' Paolo said, chiming in. ‘I never knew how much I enjoyed making packed lunches either until I got with Tommy.'

‘You? Packed lunches?' Bear laughed. ‘You've gone from head shots to sliced apples. But you're happy, I can see that.'

‘And you will be too,' Paolo replied. ‘We just need to find a boy who can handle you.'

The three friends chuckled together.

Bear was a big man, and he knew that his 6'4" height and strong body was intimidating for a lot of boys. Not only that, but his dark brown hair and dark brown eyes gave him a brooding quality that only added to the intimidation factor. It was going to take a special boy to be able to feel comfortable around Bear to let him in.

And realistically, Bear felt that whoever this Little was, he was going to need to have some understanding of what life in the criminal underworld was like. Bear didn't want to date a gangster or stabby young man, but he knew that he needed someone who at least understood the lifestyle – and this was all dependent of course on whether Bear truly did want to settle down.

‘I don't know guys,' Bear sighed. ‘Maybe I'll leave that lovey-dovey stuff for you two. Hell, it's not like I don't have fun being a single Daddy around town.'

‘Yeah, yeah, protest all you want,' Taine laughed. ‘But we all know that you'd be a great Daddy, and any boy would be lucky to have you.'

‘Taine's right,' Paolo said. ‘There's no rush, but there's a boy out there desperate to be yours.'

With that, the three men toasted one another again and before they knew it a fresh round of whisky was being delivered to their table by the handsome young bartender. With his brown eyes and floppy side-parting, the bartender was cute. And that was even without mentioning how pert his butt looked in his black trousers.

Normally, Bear might have considered flirting with the bartender.

But not that night. With all the talk of Forever love and perfect boys, Bear decided that he would keep things nice and simple and enjoy the company of his friends before heading back to his place and enjoying a nice long sleep.

‘You look like you've got something else on your mind,' Taine said, noting Bear's slightly distracted look.

‘It's nothing,' Bear replied smiling. ‘I spoke with Danilo earlier and he said that I've got a one on one training block booked with that Olivier Rennes kid.'

Bear then watched as both Taine and Paolo exchanged a knowing look before bursting into laughter.

‘Come on, he's surely not that bad?' Bear asked, already knowing what the answers coming back his way would be. ‘I know he's got that reputation of being the spoilt prince, but…'

‘Oh no, Olivier is just perfect,' Taine laughed, rocking his head back.

‘Yeah, he'll be plain sailing,' Paolo chuckled, the heavy sarcasm in his voice clear for all to hear.

‘Pffft. Whatever,' Bear countered, not wanting to show his fellow Daddies friends any fear. After all, Olivier Rennes was nothing more than a jumped up celebrity offspring who could play a little hockey. How bad could he possibly be?

‘I think we should call this night early,' Taine said. ‘You're going to be needing all the sleep you can get from here on out. Olivier is a nice boy. But that's only when you can get him to focus. Or he decides to listen to you.'

‘I'll have no problems keeping him in line,' Bear said, suddenly a focused look on his face. ‘He might have given you two crap during your training blocks but he hasn't met Bear Bridges yet.'

The three Daddies laughed and after one more round of drinks both Taine and Paolo decided to call it a night. But not before the three of them discussed the rumors that trouble had been brewing for the Doni family out of town. Bear had maintained many of his old contacts from his days as a bodyguard for the Mafia Daddies NYC, and apparently the Doni family were being severely tested by a situation that was getting more serious by the day.

Still, that was for Danilo and the senior family members to resolve.

Bear and his fellow Daddies were simply hired hands, academy instructors, and men who were happy to be taking a step back from the front line. But try as he might, Bear couldn't quite shake the feeling that his true place was in the heart of the danger…

The next morning, Bear arrived early at the Ice Bears academy building. With its sleek interiors that almost looked like they could be from a science fiction movie, Bear would still shake his head and wonder how he got there. After all, not many mafia bodyguards made it past thirty-five, let alone found themselves working at a multi-million dollar, secret training base nestled deep in the forest.

‘Good morning, Mr. Bridges,' Danilo said, remaining seated at his desk as Bear entered his office.

‘Good morning, sir,' Bear replied. ‘Good morning, Jack.'

Alongside Danilo was Jack Steel, the former Ice Bears legend who was now taking on various roles off the ice as he became an increasingly important member of the management structure.

Bear had met Jack a few times before and he seemed like a thoroughly decent man – although Bear couldn't help but wonder whether Jack knew the full extent of what it took to work alongside a mafia family long term.

‘So, Olivier Rennes?' Bear asked, taking a seat on the other side of Danilo's desk. ‘I hear he's a handful.'

‘He is,' Danilo replied. ‘Jack tells me that his skill profile is almost unmatched for a young player. The boy has a very high ceiling. But he comes with baggage.'

‘DUI, drug possession, various other off ice controversies,' Jack said, a look of concern on his face. ‘For a twenty-one year old he's certainly racked up enough of a history that would put him alongside the most notorious of senior players.'

‘And you need me to teach him some discipline,' Bear said, warming to the task. ‘I can do that. But I need to know that you'll back me in my methods. I won't have some rich kid going against my word. That's not how this works.'

‘Don't worry, you'll have full authority on this,' Danilo said. ‘Use any methods necessary to make the boy understand. We think he can be our most valuable asset on and off the ice. But if you can't bring him into line, then we'll cut him. It's that simple.'

Bear nodded.

He could see how much this meant to both Danilo and Jack. And while it wasn't the kind of life or death work he used to be a part of for Dante Chiellini, Bear could see that it gave him the opportunity to potentially feel some of the thrill that he used to get form his old work.

Bear began to smile as he thought of the scenarios he could put Olivier in. If the boy was going to learn discipline, he would need to experience the real world, and real consequences too. Suddenly, a plan was forming in Bear's head that would put Olivier to the test.

‘I think our friend Mr. Bridges is warming to this challenge,' Danilo purred, exchanging looks with Jack.

‘This is very important to us, Bear,' Jack said. ‘And any help you need from a hockey development or tactical point of view please come to me, I'd be happy to help.'

‘Got it,' Bear replied. ‘You can count on me. I've faced down uzis, shotguns, and sniper rifles all in the name of service. A spoilt little brat like Olivier Rennes won't know what's hit him…'