Cold Brew and Bullets (Part 1 of the Syndicate Series)

Chapter 1- Another Day, Another Bullet

Eliana:

I slapped my cleaning rag against the table top, then set the dish bucket next to it, accidentally sloping water onto the surface that I had just cleaned. My shoulders slumped in exasperation. It was only four in the morning, and if this was how my day was going to go, I wanted no part of it.

I had closed the shop the night before and since it had gotten late by the time that the last customer left, I decided to leave the last of the cleaning until the morning. I was now regretting not at least wiping everything down when I first had the chance. With so little sleep lately and tests for school stressing me out, I had been more temperamental than usual.

"Alright, Eliana," I muttered to myself. "Get this done and smile, the rest of the world doesn't deserve to get the brunt of your anger."

Instead of moping, I plugged my phone into the sound system and turned it up until it drowned everything out and got my adrenaline going. I had a penchant for broadway, and singing along usually got my brain working a little bit more, not to mention that it was entertaining. I didn't have the best voice in the world but since no one was there with me, I wasn't going to worry.

I went around and finished wiping the tables off and sent a round of the dishes through the washer before realizing that I needed to start the ovens if the pastries were going to be ready in time for customers. Usually Ezrah helped me open, but his health hadn't been great and I had been trying to take more of the workload so that he could get some more rest. I owed him a lot- not only had he given me this job, but he was most of the reason that I wasn't still on the streets and making bad choices.

The coffee had just finished brewing and the first pastries were set in the display case when the next hour rolled around. I pulled half of my hair up and stuck a pen through it, unlocking the door right before the clock rang out. Coffee customers were common this early in the morning, mostly truckers and business people who were trying to get a jump on the day. It usually wasn't anything more than I could handle alone, and even though this wasn't the best part of town, I kept a baseball bat behind the counter with me. Thankfully I hadn't had to use it, but I was always ready to.

The first customers started coming in, most of them just wanting something quick and on the go, but occasionally they would ask for the breakfast food and sit down at the tables. We didn't start offering full meals until lunch, when there were other people on the shift with me, but we were still a small enough store that I could handle it alone, given that the customers were very patient.

The sun was starting to peek out over the nearby buildings and my 'mello' playlist had just started replaying over the speakers when my first regular came in. "Good morning Mr. Walker, how are you doing today?"

The bell to the door rang again behind him as he used his cane to come up to the counter. He gave me one of his wrinkled old grins, "Hello, Ms. Eliana. A beautiful day, isn't it?"

Mr. Walker was a sweet man whose wife had died a year before of cancer. For a long time, they would come in for breakfast together and sit in their special booth, but even after her funeral, which Ezrah and I had attended, he came every morning at the exact same time and sat in the exact same spot. He had a knack for making anyone smile and no matter what, he stayed optimistic. It was admirable.

"Yes sir, it is. Your coffee is nice and hot in your normal spot, and so is your lemon cake."

"Thank you sweetheart."

He reached for his wallet, but I stopped him, "You know our agreement. Even if you insist on paying every other day, you let me treat you on Fridays."