The Baker

Part 1

Shouting. Lots of muffled shouting. That was what you heard as you approached the building that towered above you. It was loud and whoever was barking like that sure seemed like they had a good reason. And then, silence. Your dainty fingers traced the slip of paper that was pinched between your pointer finger and thumb. Were bakeries meant to look so intimidating? The soles of your boots thudded softly against the wet cobblestone as you approached the doors. They were worn and dark, but sturdy. The entire building wasn't very welcoming, but when you had asked the man on the street corner as he slipped inside a bar where the closest bakery was, this was where he had told you to go. You questioned yourself once more, truly confused as to why the shop wasn't much smaller and why the hell it was so very menacing. The shadows were overcast and swallowed you whole. You'd never felt so small— despite the fact that you, indeed, were very short. You expected glass to surround the exterior so you could peer inside at the treats that were being made for hungry customers, but found that the walls were a mix of stone, brick, and wood. There was no possible way of seeing inside unless you were nine feet tall and could reach the only visible window in the center of the building. Even it was so tiny.

Wasting time outside in the cold wasn't going to get you any of the desired items from your grandmother's list though, so with a sharp inhale, you moved your hand forward and gripped the door handle. It rattled once and then twice before it opened with a loud groan. Heaving the heavy entrance open, you were met with a wide-eyed boy that couldn't have been much older than you. His brows were furrowed together into a frown as he scurried along the long corridor, rushing toward you with an utterance of curses. What? Was it rude to just enter a bakery?

A look of confusion plastered itself upon your face, stumbling back as he gripped your arms and hauled you, rather forcefully outside of the shop. "Woah- Woah!" Shouting at the brunette, you tugged yourself away from him, angrily creating some distance between the two of you. "What the hell are you doing?" Ollie peered down at you, studying your features and then your attire. Surely, you didn't have an appointment with Alfie. You looked entirely too young and vulnerable to be related to any sort of illegal business. "What are youdoing? Snooping around in places where you don't belong is rather rude, you know?" The boy barked at you. It seemed as though he was trying to be intimidating, but he merely heightened your annoyance.

"What do you think?" You bit back, wiggling the thin slab of paper in your hand at him. "I'm here to purchase some of your bread." You gave him a look that screamed 'are you stupid' and he frowned. "What kind of bread? White or brown?" He tested you, curious to see if you were here for rum. If you weren't here for his boss than that meant you were here to purchase some of the finest—. His thought was cut off as you spoke. "What the hell are you on about? White bread or brown bread? A loaf, I don't know. It's not a big deal what color it is. I need a loaf of bread, some pastries, and my grandmother needs a cake." Pointing to the words that were scribbled on the note, you gave him a look of confusion.

Ollie almost smiled. "My god, girl, you are in the wrong place." His hand moved to your shoulder and he slowly spun your body around, about to lead you off when the heavy door opened again and another man slipped outside. "Fucking useless, mate, innit?" A rather tall, handsome, rugged man emerged from the bakery. His eyes were ablaze and his features were twisted into an expression that you weren't familiar with. He looked angry— but angry enough to absolutely slaughter someone. "Right, come on then." Ollie urged, tugging on your arm as you stared at Alfie, wanting to get you away quickly in hopes that his boss wouldn't find out that you'd so easily entered their distillery on your own accord.

Alfie's eyes snapped to the side when he heard his right-hand man speak. "You." Alfie nodded, shoulders squaring as he straightened. He was staring at you under his hooded eyes, but you couldn't make out any distinct things about him because his top-hat hid a lot of his features. He was built like a bear. You could see that. You couldn't see much of the outline of his body though due to the large black coat he wore. The fabric clung to his large shoulders and you could see a portion of his white shirt sticking out from the center where the buttons weren't done up completely. The heavy cloth fell to his calves where you glanced down briefly to study the ends of his slacks. They were dark and covered the majority of the worn boots he wore. Your eyes snapped back up to his when he spoke again. "Girl, are you deaf?" He asked in confusion. A hardened glare was permanent on his features and all you could do was stare at him.