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1
DAISY
It's getting late, and for the first time in my life, I'm scared of the dark.
Outside of Average Joe Coffee House, there's a slight drizzle, obscuring the vision of New York City outside the storefront windows. I've been working the closing shift for months. As a self-proclaimed night owl, it used to be the perfect hours, but now...well. Now, things are different, and it's all because of my ex-boyfriend.
My terrifying-as-fuck ex-boyfriend, Carlo Falcone. The name alone makes me shiver, and I wrap my arms around myself to chase away the fear. It doesn't help.
The shop is empty, and the cute-but-cheesy decor is comforting at least. I like running the shop by myself when the sun is still up. I force myself to focus on the last task of the day, mopping the coffee shop floor. With a swish and a swirl, I'm not sure it helps, and I glance at the clock nervously. My eyes dart over to the window, and I tell myself there's nothing to worry about. I'm safe here.
Carlo wouldn't come here, right? No one wants coffee at 8:45 PM, and I've just got 15 minutes before I can lock up, but there are still people milling about on the sidewalk at least. Maybe Carlo would try something, but not with witnesses. I swallow hard, trying to calm down, but my hands are shaking as I pick up the mop bucket, ready to take it to the back storage room.
That's when the bell above the door jingles, and I have a moment of panic. I immediately feel bad, though, when a mom with a small child enters, both wearing matching raincoats and matching tired expressions. The little boy is almost falling asleep on his feet.
"Hi, can I help you?" I ask, forcing a smile.
"Yes," the mom says, her tone tired. "I'm looking for a caffeine hit, stat. Any chance you're open for another 15 minutes?"
"Of course," I say, nodding. "What can I get for you?"
She gives me a tired smile. "Coffee, black. And a bottle of water."
I nod and look at the little boy. "And for you, young man?"
He smiles sleepily, his eyes wide. "Can I have a cookie please?"
"Sure," I say with a laugh and turn to get their order.
As they sit down and sip their drinks, I wonder if I'm worrying too much about Carlo. What happened was so bizarre that I find myself questioning if I imagined the whole thing, but his downward spiral was undeniable. Carlo Falcone has been hitting the booze and gambling for months now. He's lost everything he's ever worked for, and what's worse, he owes a lot to a lot of people.
I should have broken up with him months ago, but I have this awful habit of wanting to see the good in people. I've been on this earth for twenty years now, I guess I should know better, but that damned optimism keeps rearing its adorable little head. And now, I've got a man who I thought cared for me accusing me of stealing money out of his safe. A safe I didn't even know existed until he made the accusation.
The mother and her son leave, and I lock the doors behind them. It's 9:05, and the street is mostly empty now. My fear returns and I start to frantically clean. Once I'm done, I do a walkthrough of the shop, checking the windows and the back door. Everything seems locked up tight, and there's no one loitering outside.
"Calm down, Daisy," I tell myself. "You're just jumpy."
I take a deep breath. Carlo wouldn't dare come here and hurt me, would he? And what about his threats? When I broke up with him, he told me he'd burn down the coffee house and make sure I watched as the place went up in flames. Would he really do that?
The truth is, I don't know. Carlo and I have been dating on and off for two months. At first, he was so charming and sweet, and our dates were fun. Then the drinking started and the gambling. I had no idea Carlo even had a gambling problem, and when he accused me of stealing the money he owed, well. That was it. The straw that broke the camel's back. I had no choice but to break up with him.
That was two days ago.
My phone dings and I check it, hoping to see Carlo's name pop up, telling me he's realized he made a mistake with the threats and that he’ll leave me alone. Instead, it's just my boss, Jack, texting me my schedule for the following week, with a few cringey emojis attached. I’ve thought Jack might have a thing for me for a while, and he’s kicked things into high gear since he learned I broke up with Carlo. Ick.
I tuck the phone into my pocket and finish cleaning, then head to the back office. As I do the final count, double-check the alarm, and grab my purse, my fear rises. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and I'm overcome with the feeling that someone, somewhere, is watching me.
I think back on those threats Carlo made and decide to pay the extra to take an Uber instead of walking home just so I can have the driver pull up right out front. I'm waiting for the app to load on our sad WiFi network when I hear it.
The bells above the door. The door I locked. My blood runs cold.
Trying to hold back the panic, I think about my options. I could run out the back door, but there might be someone out there too, and instead of the brightly lit front of the store that opens into a busy street, the back door opens into the dingy, dark back alley. I could call the police, but then whoever is out there would hear me talking, and the cops wouldn't be able to get here fast enough to help.
The store isn't that big, and I can hear whoever entered shuffling around in the front. I hold my breath and listen, hoping beyond hope that I'll hear something that tells me it's just a customer and that I fudged the lock on accident. But no...whoever is out there is nearly silent, and my heart rate skyrockets. Dingy back alley it is, then.
I take one step out into the hallway, and I can't help but peek towards the front to see if someone really is there. To my horror, Carlo and two other men, both tall and broad and angry-looking, are waiting on me. Carlo locks eyes with me and smirks, and I whip around, running down the hallway.
"Grab her!" Carlo calls.
