11. Cole

Chapter 11

Cole

After couple of days passed and Cole and Joaquin were getting on great. Cole was happy to have the boy around, and it turned out he was useful as well as all kinds of hot.

Joaquin was more than adept at chopping wood, assisting in the kitchen, and was even a pretty mean card player too. All in all, Cole was feeling a lot more contented than he had in a long time.

And as if that wasn't enough, Cole could see that the young man and Ranger were forming a strong bond too. Cole knew that Ranger wouldn't simply accept any fool into his life, and it was very rewarding to see the hound and the boy bonding on a deeper level. It felt like Ranger was giving Joaquin a place in the pack, and Cole was more than happy to see it play out in front of his eyes.

However as good as all this was, it didn't mean that everything was a smooth ride.

Cole was realistic and knew that the Rohan Katsen situation wasn't going to be going away any time soon. And as he re-read some messages he'd received from Roddy and Vince that morning, Cole knew that he would need to sit down and have a talk with Joaquin sooner rather than later…

VINCE: Okay… Katsen is a piece of shit. And worse than that, he's a dangerous piece of shit. We're talking about a guy who's killed people. He's got a rep for torture, kidnap, and just about every form of intimidation and extortion too. If you're thinking about getting involved with this guy, then you need to know exactly what you're going up against, brother. If there's any other way, then I'd think about taking it.

RODDY: What Vince said. I've heard back from my guys in the city and they confirmed everything that V said in his message. But one thing I did hear was that Katsen has been making enemies, and lots of them. Seems like he's ambitious to rise to the top, and he doesn't care who he fucks over to get there. This hasn't made him very popular. Put it this way, if someone was to take Katsen out, there wouldn't be any consequences to worry about from other mobsters in the city…

Cole could see what Roddy was angling at. Katsen was trouble, and he was a violent, ruthless criminal who should be steered clear of where possible. But if steering clear of him wasn't possible… the reality was that Katsen wasn't connected to a family or organization. And this meant that wiping him from the face of the earth was likely to be a one and done situation.

Taking a life wasn't something that Cole wanted to do.

But everything he knew about Katsen was telling him that Joaquin would never be safe while he was still roaming the streets.

‘Joaquin, we need to talk,' Cole said, bringing himself back to the present moment and walking over toward the boy as he prepared a fresh coffee. ‘And I don't mean about your barista art… which is actually very fucking cool.'

‘It's Ranger!' Joaquin replied, handing Cole the coffee and proudly showing off the dog pattern he had made in the crema.

‘Ten out of ten,' Cole replied, patting Joaquin on his shoulder as he took a seat at the kitchen table. ‘Here, sit. We need to discuss something.'

Cole could see by the look on Joaquin's face that he probably knew what was coming next. Despite having a fun few days, there had always been a Katsen shaped cloud hanging over them. It was as if every time they stopped from whatever they were doing, Rohan Katsen's threat made itself known. It wasn't good. And Cole knew that it was time to make a start on rectifying the problem.

The only issue was whether Joaquin would be ready to hear what Cole had to say about the matter…

‘It's Katsen, isn't it?' Joaquin whispered, sipping on a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. ‘Has he found where I am?'

‘Do you hear any bullets?' Cole replied, attempting to put a hint of humor into the situation. ‘No, but seriously… yeah, it's Katsen. Or more specifically, it's my plan to get that motherfucker out of your life.'

‘Okay… you know he's seriously not a good guy?' Joaquin asked, the look on his face giving away how traumatized he had been by his experience with Katsen's thugs.

‘I know what you've told me, and I know what my buddies have found out through their contacts,' Cole answered, a steely determination coming over him. ‘But Katsen doesn't have a clue about me. He might know me from my hockey career. But he hasn't got the feintest idea of what I'm capable of. Especially when it comes to defending what I care about most.'

Cole could feel his heart thumping inside his chest.

This was a serious situation, there was absolutely no denying that.

But Cole knew that he had no choice but to defend Joaquin and keep him safe. Cole had made many, many mistakes in his life. Even before his hockey career, Cole was never more than one step away from a bad decision or trouble. And just because he had managed to find some peace in Ridgeback Falls, it didn't mean that the old Cole wasn't still alive inside him.

‘Old habits die hard, J,' Cole said, reaching across and placing his hand over Joaquin's palm. ‘I was a mean son of a gun on the ice, and I've got that dog inside me today too. Katsen's going down, and I'm going to be the one to do it.'

‘I want to help,' Joaquin replied, a flash of wild desire in his eyes as he looked up from his orange juice.

‘Too risky,' Cole barked.

‘I know the city, I know where Katsen hangs out, and I know how his thugs move too,' Joaquin countered. ‘And…'

‘And?' Cole asked, seeing the look in Joaquin's face change to something more akin to bloodthirsty revenge.

‘After what his men tried to do to me, I want to be a part of the payback,' Joaquin said, his voice full of emotion. ‘No… I have to be a part of it.'

Cole could see that Joaquin wasn't going to take no for an answer.

And truth be told, Cole didn't blame Joaquin either.

‘Okay, that's settled,' Cole replied. ‘We'll do it together. And we'll do it soon. But first I need more information from my contacts in the city. Now how about we head into the town and pick up some food? I want us both fully fed and ready to burn some calories later on…'

Joaquin blushed and looked away from Cole.

Cole could feel that the attraction between him and Joaquin was building into something else. Yes, he may have been desperate to fuck Joaquin's brains out, but at the same time there was another layer to his feelings.

The boy was special. He was worth risking everything for.

And if the mission to eradicate Katsen did prove a step too far, then Cole wanted to ensure that he had no regrets before the final curtain.

Cole was going to give Joaquin everything that he desired, and a whole heap more on top of that too…