Chapter 4
"That big mouth," Judy faked a frown at something Mama Kate whispered to her, and both women laughed as they stepped into the shop, indulging in more conversations as they set the tables and chairs, getting ready for the day's business. By the time they were done, a few minutes had passed, and Mama Kate's worker had yet to show up.
"Are you sure you don't want to go in and rest? Your pageant is in a few hours," Mama Kate asked with concern.
"No, Mama, I'm okay." She needed to keep her mind occupied with something other than her crisis at home, and the coffee shop was a perfect option.
"If you say so," Madam Kate responded shortly, picking up her purse. "I have an errand to run, as Kim has yet to show up," she added, leaving the shop in Judy's care.
*******
Julius sat in the back of his car, his P.A. Mathew at the wheel. His expression was void as he busied himself with his tablet, a black jeep trailing behind them from a distance. After his dinner last night, he had asked Mathew to find out that the two men he had sent on a mission had returned with a solid lead. The man they had in his basement was as good as useless; he didn't seem to know who he was working for, as he was just being used as a middleman. But thanks to Mathew's movements yesterday, they had a man who was willing to give out information for a handsome payment, of course, and they were headed to meet him.
"How long has it been since he stopped working for the Bears?" he asked his P.A., his eyes still focused on the image of the man on his screen, the man they were going to meet.
Mathew, taking a quick glance at his boss in the rearview mirror, cleared his voice to respond.
"He worked directly under the previous leader of the gang for 28 months; that was 18 years ago."
Unlike the other men who worked for him, Julius shared a friendlier relationship with Mathew, as the two had a history together. However, the latter knew not to cross the boundaries of the boss, irrespective of their friendship.
"Were there any issues that caused him to stop working with the Bears?"
"His contract was with the previous leader of the gang. After his death, many of the gang members who supported him fled for their lives."
There were no questions about whether they were killed or not. Once a gang member, always a gang member; you either stay or die, and it was a surprise the man was still alive after all these years. Unless he didn't know as much as they were expecting of him.
Julius let out a chuckle; he wondered if the man was foolish to accept their offer in the first place. But then again, their pay was very high. "Greed," he murmured.
If the man had come out in the open, it meant the gang must still be aware of his existence. That was if they weren't on his tail as he was about to rattle on them. In about thirty minutes, the duo arrived at the coffee shop bearing the address given to them. Alighting and taking in the surroundings, he could tell it was the average men's society. Well, that was the point of choosing this part of the town.
Mathew pushed the glass door to the coffee shop open, and they walked in, taking a seat at one end of the tables in the corner, where they would not be easily noticed by passersby.
On seeing the two men enter the shop, Judy gladly put on the apron and took the menu list to attend to them. Getting closer, she observed their features, taking note that they might not be men from this part of the city. One was bald-headed and bearded; he had one of his ears pierced with a small gold piece resting on the piercing. The other backed her, so she couldn't tell much about his features, but his brownish-golden hair color reminded her of the man she had shamelessly spoken to last night. Why did she feel shy remembering that now? She had to focus on work now, though. Both men were dressed in expensive suits, which led her to conclude that they were not from this place.
Approaching their table, she gave a not-so-deep bow, offering a greeting to the men, and dropped the menu on the table for them to place their order. Irrespective of her background, she knew how important it was (to Mama Kate) to be nice to the customers to keep them.
"Will just have water," the bald man said, but more than three seconds passed, and he noticed the waitress hadn't moved yet.
"Iced water," he said again, this time with a charming smile, as if to bring Judy back to reality. The girl must have been charmed by the Young Master's look, as she seemed to have spaced out while staring at him, something he was used to. Julius, as smart and quick as he had always been, had noticed the blonde-haired girl upon their entrance. He recognized the red car he had seen last night outside and wondered if she owned the coffee shop or if she was just an employee, but he doubted the latter; a mere staff member of a coffee shop wouldn't own a car. Also, what was she doing before his fashion institution? But she was no one important to bother him, aside from her familiar scent.
Matthew's second words brought Judy back from whatever she was thinking. Her cheeks had turned red in embarrassment, which Matthew didn't fail to notice. She bowed her head a little as if to apologize, an embarrassed smile on her face as she headed to the counter to prepare their order. Of course she recognized the other person. It was the stranger from last night.