14. Joaquin

Chapter 14

Joaquin

Cole had crossed town to stake out Katsen outside one of his favorite bars. Despite initially wanting to go with Cole, Joaquin had accepted that it would be a better idea to keep his face well away from the action until the very latest opportunity.

Joaquin knew that Cole was in charge, and he also grudgingly accepted that in this case, Cole very much knew better too. After the experience of losing his virginity all over again to Cole, Joaquin's mind was also arguably too all over the place to have handled seeing Katsen or one of his men so soon.

And as Joaquin walked down the street in a very familiar old neighborhood, he took a moment to pause and take stock…

That felt so right.

I fucking loved feeling Cole inside me.

But does that mean everything else from before was just fake?

Joaquin had also been open minded and fluid in his interpretations of what sexuality meant. But now that it was him who was experiencing a slight confusion regarding his own identity, he felt himself floundering a little.

And it was all coming at the worst time too, because Joaquin was heading over to see his ex-girlfriend Jenna and her new baby…

‘Shit. I don't know if I can do this,' Joaquin muttered, resting up against a wall at the edge of Jenna's block. ‘Maybe I'll message Cole and tell him that I'm coming to see him after all…'

JOAQUIN: Hey. I'm thinking I might come after all. You know, to keep you company. Jenna's cool, she'll understand. I just think it's better if I'm with you. Just in case you need my help identifying one of Katsen's men or something.

COLE: Don't even think about it. We've discussed this. Go and see Jenna. You and her need to talk. It'll be for the best. I'll pick you up later. And don't go getting into any trouble. I might not have mentioned, but I brought my paddle just in case…

Joaquin rolled his eyes. Cole had seen right through this message. But the truth was that Cole was right too. Joaquin knew that he needed to see Jenna and talk things through with her. It was what was fair for Jenna, and Joaquin knew that he would feel better about himself for doing it.

‘Okay, let's do this,' Joaquin said, steadying himself for what might be a difficult conversation.

Jenna's house was only a couple of minutes away and when he arrived at the door, Joaquin's heart was racing. He knew that it would feel strange to see his ex-girlfriend in the flesh, especially as he had kind of resigned himself to never seeing her again when he first fled from Katsen.

However when the door opened and Jenna stood there with her newborn baby in her hands, all Joaquin could feel was love in his heart. Immediately, he knew it wasn't romantic love, but something else – something that he hoped would be reciprocated by Jenna.

‘Well come on in, stranger,' Jenna said, her charming smile and black bob looking as immaculate as ever. ‘Mr. Sleepypants here didn't manage to stay awake to meet you, but there was no way I was going to miss it.'

Joaquin smiled shyly and stepped inside.

All he could hope for now was that Jenna would be as happy to see him when he spilled the beans on what had gone down between him and Cole…

With the newborn baby fast asleep in his cot, Jenna and Joaquin settled down on the couch with a mug of mint tea and a soundtrack of some relaxing music in the background.

‘You've taken to being a mom just like I knew you would,' Joaquin said, seeing from Jenna's glowing face that life was good.

‘Hey, don't let looks deceive you,' Jenna chuckled. ‘I'm freaking exhausted! But, no, it's been great. Obviously, I'd have liked it if the biological dad would have stuck around, but…'

‘I can't believe he just cut and ran like that,' Joaquin said, shaking his head. ‘That sonofabitch.'

‘Hey, I'll be fine,' Jenna replied. ‘We both will. Thanks to your money, I've been able to arrange childcare. I'm going to get my degree and one day I'll be on a nice salary, good pension, dental. You know, all that cheesy domestic shit we used to laugh at.'

‘Ha, I remember,' Joaquin said, fondly recalling how wild him and Jenna used to be. ‘We got up to some pretty crazy things back in the day, didn't we?'

‘Yup.'

‘Yup…'

‘Okay, J, I know you. Spit it out,' Jenna said, a knowing look on her face. ‘You've got something to say, so just say it. As long as it's not that you want the money back with interest, then I think I can handle it. When you've given birth, there's pretty much nothing that scares you anymore.'

Joaquin knew that this was his moment. Jenna knew that he had something on his mind, just like she always had done when they were together. It was time to spill the beans about him and Cole.

‘Okay, so I've met someone,' Joaquin said, his voice trembling for just a moment. ‘And that someone is a guy. And he's older than me. Please don't fucking hate me, Jen.'

Joaquin wasn't sure how Jenna was going to react.

Like him, Jenna had been pretty wild in the past and she had more than once caused her own special brand of chaos. But after the briefest of pauses, a big smile came over Jenna's face.

‘Why the hell would I be mad?' Jenna asked, her voice full of incredulity. ‘I'm delighted for you. I mean it. And the sooner I get to meet this older hunk, the better. Come on, let me give you a big hug.'

With that, the pair of former lovers embraced.

Joaquin felt his heart sing as a new connection was made with Jenna, one that he hoped would last forever. But now that he had spilled the beans about Cole, Joaquin knew that he needed to explain why he was back in the city too…

‘But you know me, there's a complication,' Joaquin said. ‘And I don't think you're going to enjoy hearing about this one as much either…'

Joaquin went on to explain everything about what happened with Katsen, Katsen's thugs, and the mission that he and Cole were on. Jenna took it all in her stride and it reminded Joaquin why he and Jenna had gotten along so well from the very first moment they met one another.

Jenna was a true ride or die chick, and by the sounds of it she hadn't changed even in the slightest.

‘You gotta do what you gotta do,' Jenna said, a knowing look on her face. ‘And seeing as it was me who received that money, I'm rooting for you even more. The last fucking thing I need is a bunch of asshole thugs showing up here. You know, I might even be a little mad at you for this…'

‘Hey, I know, I'm sorry,' Joaquin replied. ‘But you needed that money. And after our breakup, I was determined to get it for you. No matter what. Luckily for us, we've got Cole on the case.'

‘Cole?' Jenna asked. ‘Sounds sexy . And I'm going to need you to spill me the tea on all the nasty things you two get up to in bed. Getting pregnant and having a baby puts you out of action for a long time. There's only so many Daddy romance novels I can read, you know?'

Joaquin blushed and laughed.

It was time to get comfortable and get talking with his new best friend. Joaquin didn't know if he would ever return to living in the city full time, but he already knew that his and Jenna's bond was going to be one that lasted a lifetime.

‘Get in the truck, we don't have long,' Cole barked, the intensity in his voice telling Joaquin that there wasn't a second's hesitation to be had. ‘Katsen is on the move and I know where he's going. This time you're coming with me too. Let's go.'

Joaquin waved back at Jenna's house as she watched on from the window.

‘All good?' Cole asked, crunching the stick shift into first.

‘All good,' Joaquin replied. ‘In fact, it's never been better. And that's down to you.'

‘Great to hear,' Cole snarled. ‘But we'll save the emotional stuff for later. Right now we've got a shortcut to take and one dead man walking to surprise. Plus if my sources are right, we might just have a surprise helping hand from a stranger…'

Joaquin didn't know who or what Cole was talking about.

But as Cole revved the engine and sped away, Joaquin knew that the action was about to get turned up a notch or several. It was time to finally put an end to Katsen forever – and in the shape of Cole, Joaquin felt like he couldn't have been in better company.

‘I want to see him die,' Joaquin muttered. ‘There's no room for him in my future. There just can't be.'

‘That's the plan my boy,' Cole said, keeping both hands on the wheel as he navigated a hard left. ‘That's the God dammed plan.'