"You need to get the fuck out of here, Alph. You're distracting me from work," Ingrid told the big guy for the umpteenth time. But apparently, he had chosen to be deaf today. And the day before. And the day before that. He sat on one of the back tables sipping a morning cup, the small cup almost swallowed in his huge hands.
"Mmmmm," he said, licking his lips exaggeratedly. "This is good. What did you put in it?"
"Poison."
"Poison tastes very good."
She rolled her eyes and moved on when she saw that a different customer needed her attention. She forced a smile and apologized profusely when the man pointed out that she had brought him the wrong order. Then she assured him that his cinnamon tea and black pudding would be covered by the restaurant when in truth, it would be coming out of her wages.
As she dropped the man's wrong tray hard on the restaurant's kitchen table she cursed Alph and all his descendants.
Zephyr had been sending his goon over to the restaurant every day since their fallout when he shared their cut. Apparently, Alph was supposed to relay some written message to her.
But when she had opened the note on the first day and recognized Zephyr's rushed crawl, she had told Alph where he could shove it.
It didn't stop Alph from stopping over every morning. Each time, he ordered the same morning cup and when Ingrid came by to collect his payment, he held out the note to her.
It had been two weeks since their job at the jewelry store and Ingrid was more than tired of seeing his face.
"I think he likes you," Katt, one of her colleagues said, wiggling her eyebrows at her. "When I just went to take his money, he said he would only make his payment to you."
Ingrid gave her a weak smile but inside she wanted to yank hard on something, preferably Alph's teeth.
"Wait!" the girl stopped her before she left the kitchen, the place they came for sanctuary from the humble establishment's demanding customers.
Even their restaurant was located in the lower city, their customers somehow still thought they deserved 'high-quality service' and were quick to project their difficulties on the restaurant staff. Sometimes, they even got physical. A construction worker had once demanded to her that he wanted to be treated with the same level of respect as an Isi-Towner.
"Then go to Isi-Town," she had muttered.
Katt tugged out the first two knots on Ingrid's black uniform so that the top of her breasts showed through.
"What are you doing?" Ingrid said, slapping at her hands.
"You'll thank me later," she said, pushing Ingrid out the kitchen door and beaming like a proud mother.
The customer waiting on his correct order called out for her.
Shit. She had forgotten.
She tried to placate him with a few words then walked briskly to Alph's table.
She slid into a chair and folded her arms. The chair shook under the force and she wondered how Alph's chair didn't crack under his weight. The furniture in the restaurant was ancient, not to talk of stained.
"What will it take?" she asked, leveling Alph with her eyes.
He held out the note.
"Fine." she reached across and crushed it in her hand as she grabbed it. "I'll read it. Now go."
"I need to see you read it."
"I said I'll read it."
"Okay, in that case, I'll have another morning cup. Black tea with sangi spice, please. As hot as it can be."
She gritted her teeth and unfurled the note.
Zephyr's handwriting was scattered over the paper in black ink: 'Meet me by 7 pm at Isi Kremaire Street, at No. 12. Don't be late. Wear the dress from Marya. And the diamond necklace you stole from me ( yes, I know). Zephr.'
At the bottom, in tiny letters, he had written: 'Please, come.'
She folded the note and tucked it into her pocket. She wasn't sure what to do with the information. Neither was she sure how to feel about his revelation of the stolen necklace. It was locked safely in her portmanteau back at the apartment.
"Isi-Town," she asked Alph, who was already getting up. "What's he doing there?"
Something about the address felt familiar, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.
"How am I supposed to know? I only beat people up."
"And deliver notes."
"Exactly."
Katt came over as soon as the door closed behind Alph. It was as if she had flown to Ingrid's side.
"How did it go?" she asked, clapping her hands with excitement.
"Well," Ingrid sighed and turned to her. "He said he wasn't attracted to me."
"Oh. Really? You guys spoke for so long." The piercing on her forehead moved lower as she frowned in disappointment.
"Hmm. I know. Well, back to work." She patted Katt's shoulder and rose from the table. That customer would not be patient for much longer.
"Do you think…that maybe he was attracted to me after all?" Katt asked as she left the table.
Ingrid turned back and pretended to think about it. She tapped her chin. "You know what? Maybe that was it."
Katt gave herself a small smile and looked back at the door.
Ingrid shook her head and headed back to the kitchen.