My little cousin was always a bright kid. Told me how someone could go into cardiac arrest after ingesting chemical preservatives. The kinda stuff easily found in a medical school laboratory. Lucky enough for me, his girlfriend was attending medical school. He got me exactly what I needed, told me how much to use. He told me how a cup of coffee with some milk and a bit of flavor would mask the taste. It made me wonder. What did death taste like?
Alfredo had been spending the last few days in a remote vacation house. Hiding. The heat from rival Colombians and the police was making him uncomfortable, and it was only a matter of time until the Punisher started to fuck things up for all of us. Most of the other capos didn't give six shits about Alfredo, so they allowed just two of his soldiers to play Secret Service. One was Danny Fierro, and the other was me. I was sure that Penelope somehow had arranged this.
We developed a daily routine. Fierro kept watch at the house, and I drove to the local café for Alfredo's croissants and coffee. Espressino. If only the community college bitch that worked mornings could get it right. She was mixed with something. Filipino, fuckin' Chinese, I couldn't tell. Black hair tucked under a cap, a ponytail poking out the back. I hated broads with attitude. Spend your five AMs tits deep in coffee beans and fuckin' half n' half and you had no one to blame but yourself. But her café was the only game in town, or at least the closest.
The poison filled up two vials in my inside coat pocket. They rested above a baby Glock I carried in a shoulder holster. I was nervous. This was gonna be Alfredo's last cup of coffee. I walked in the place surprised I wasn't shaking.
The bitch was her usual self. She was small. Barely cleared the register. It was just me and her in the place. I ordered what I always did, expecting her to purse her lips. Roll her eyes. Then she went and did it. She sighed. Like I was an inconvenience to her. Like I was ruining her day. She sighed at me and typed the order in with her fragile hands. That was it. I was gonna show her how a day really gets ruined. Was my last visit anyway.
I opened my coat, revealing the Glock. You should've seen the fuckin' look on her face. She kinda froze. Just stood there. I knew I had her attention.
"You know what this is. Yeah you do, you half-breed bitch."
I pulled it out to give her a better look, and she tried her hardest not to cry.
"This is an attitude adjuster. It's really something."
She started to stutter. Her voice was so small.
"Keep your mouth shut!"
With that she closed her eyes, unable to see how much I was enjoying myself.
"Look at me," I said. She did. I leaned in just a pinch. "If you sigh at me ever again, I'm going to take you in that back room and blow your brains out while my dick's in your ass."
I looked at her name tag. Kelsey. "Turn around and make my coffee, Kelsey."
Watching her get to work couldn't have been more satisfying. Her arms, her legs. Everything shook. I gave her a friendly reminder. "Last time it wasn't warm enough. I'd like a hot drink today." Scared to death, she nodded. For the next few minutes, I heard nothing resembling a sigh.
When the espressino was ready, I left. I told her that if she called the cops she was going to die.
I pulled over down the road, and drank some of the espressino. Doing so made room for the poison, and made sure the flavor was strong enough to conceal it. The liquid burned my mouth a little. It tasted nothing like death. It was delicious.
