The sun was just starting to rise over the hotel as it shined a glimmer of light through the mostly closed shades. The light shined on his closed eye and slowly brought him back to consciousness. His leg began to twitch making the plastic tarp crinkle. He fought momentarily at the restraints on his wrists and his eyes shot open. His head bobbed up and down as he deliriously tried to make sense of his surroundings, he was fighting his own body to lift his head up high enough. It was painful to watch, such a strong individual when he was avoiding his mortgage payments, but such a weak individual under the effects of a Class 3 hemorrhage. Syndicate swirled his room service coffee around like it was a glass of whiskey and finally addressed the man. 

"Did you know that when the human body loses 3 pints of blood, the heart begins to beat very quickly, straining to get enough oxygen to tissues? It is like being stuck in Fight or Flight, or so I hear."

The man strained with all his might to lift his head to see a wing back chair pulled up at the edge of the plastic tarp and a well dressed banking CEO sipping coffee in front of him. 3 and a half pales of dark brownish red blood were sitting just out of reach, not that he could pick one up or even muster the strength to knock one over. 

"Okay, I may have pushed it a little in your case, I took 3 and a half pints of blood. But you see... I was very angry. A friend of mine here in New York tells me that you are the reason why eight of my mortgagees are in arrears. Figured I moved to LA and all I can do is write you letters, seems you were wrong" Syndicate poured himself another black coffee and took a sip. 

"So what I could do, is drain a little more blood from you, drop you into Class 4 hemorrhaging, your heart will no longer be able to maintain blood pressure and circulation, your organs will fail and you'll slip into a comatose state preceding death. I'll of course be out a mortgage that you aren't paying anyways, but seeing as how you have life insurance through my affiliates I'll be able to sue for the money that is meant to be for your family and I'll also foreclose on their house. I'll have to stuff you into this Room Service cart and toss you into the dumpster outside."

The man let out a painful groan and began to sob and whisper the word No.

"It isn't a bad plan but I'm a business man Mr..." Syndicate checks his paperwork once more "Mr Brown. And as a businessman I think we can get back on the right foot after this... Warning. Now I know your body is in a state of Fight or Flight but I want you to do neither of those things Mr Brown. I want you to listen. You are going to rest, I extended your stay in this hotel room for three days. On the third day you'll check out of the hotel room and before visiting your family you'll stop by the other 7 homes that are in arrears on their mortgages, and you'll explain to them that you made a mistake and they should stop by the bank and pay us whats due. Then Mr Brown, you are going to take this plane ticket and hop on a flight to Los Angeles, you'll stay at the Sunshine Hotel and Suites, room 22, much better than this hotel. You'll sit in that room until the phone rings and when it does, you pick it up. Does that sound like a plan Mr Brown?"

The man began to nod his head slowly, accepting the warning, thankful that he was not about to experience Class 4 hemorrhaging. 

"Mr Brown, I'm going to undo your restraints at this time. You'll most likely pass out but you'll wake up on the bed over there and everything you need to know will be in this folder here, do you understand?"

Syndicate said as the man whispered yes. He set the folder on the night stand then sliced the rope that was tying the mans hands behind his back. The man let out a sigh of relief as Syndicate laid him down on the plastic tarp to rest. "My cleaner will be here shortly, he will see that you make it into the bed, for now, stay here you need your rest."

Syndicate locked the door behind him, placing a Do Not Disturb sign on the handle, then he buttoned up the coat he hadn't had to use yet in Los Angeles. He made his way to the lobby to meet up with his contact and friend, Bubbles who was sitting there waiting for him to finish upstairs. "Everything go alright?" Bubbles asked Syndicate as he got closer. "Everything went great, I should see the Brooklyn mortgages back under control about three days from now." Syndicate checked his watch and spoke again, "Right on time, where did you say we were going to again?"

Bubbles had been waiting downstairs in the lobby for what seemed like forever. It was kind of her fault though, she was told 7:30 but promptly showed up to the motel at 7. It was a bit odd for her, she wasn't quite the morning person but she was excited for today. She hadn't seen Syndicate since his move to Los Angeles and even more on top of that it was going to be a monumental day.

She sat there and sat there some more, finally getting to the point where she took the container of bubbles out of her bag and began blowing them through out the lobby. Those little airy balls of fun filled the entire area, it was as if the lobby was floating on a cloud. She sat there continuing to blow bubbles until out of the corner of her eye she noticed a dirty man walk through the front door. He immediately snarled and began waving his hands back and fourth pushing the bubbles out of his way.

Bubbles could see the irritation in the mans face which made her start to laugh. Which he didn't find very funny at all.

"You think this shit's funny?"

With a smirk and a chuckle she nodded her head. This even more infuriated the man.

"Grow up, bitch!"

Her chuckle immediately stopped. Placing her bubble wand back in the container and sealing it up she put it back in her bag and stood up slowly.

"Excuse me? Did you just call me what I think you called me?"

He took a step towards her, as if he were trying to intimidate her.

"What, that you're a bitch. Damn right I did. You got a problem with that... Bitch?"

Now it usually took a lot for Bubbles to lose her cool but this guy was pushing her last buttons, she took a couple steps towards the guy until she was standing directly in front of him.

"Actually yes, I do have a problem with it."

The man took one more step forward, he was a bit taller then she was and about triple her size.

"You're getting on my nerves bitch, you best back up..."

Before he was able to finish his sentence Bubble placed her hand on his shoulder and took her knee thrusting it right into the mans groin. He fell like a ton of bricks and immediately began rolling back and fourth on the floor while yelling out a bunch of profanities.

"Perhaps next time you will watch your mouth."

She chuckled once more before going to sit back down. Of course as soon as she sat down, Syndicate appeared from around the corner. Standing back up she walked over to him and gave him a warm hug.

"Everything go alright?"

"Everything went great, I should see the Brooklyn mortgages back under control about three days from now." Syndicate checked his watch and spoke again, "Right on time, where did you say we were going to again?"

"Ah yes, I guess we should get going. There are a couple properties I want to have a look at here in Brooklyn and since you were in town and well I know your obsession with properties figured you wouldn't mind giving me a hand."

Syndicate listened as Bubbles explained that she needed his expertise on a few properties. It was still very early and Syndicate was unable to give expertise before having coffee. He looked around the hotel lobby to see if there was any sort of continental breakfast but he quickly remembered how shitty the room service coffee was upstairs. If only he had some of his Tanzanian coffee that he served at his old New York coffee shop.

It was early and it took Syndicate much longer than it should have to realize that he was in fact in New York and only a few short blocks from his coffee shop. It was almost forgivable seeing as how Syndicate was in a different city every few days. The light bulb over his head would have illuminated right then and there but a single bubble floating in the air caught his attention. It caught a stream of air when the front door to the hotel opened causing the bubble to gain some distance and waiver in the air doing a few loops and finally falling towards the ground. A large man was kneeling on the lobby floor underneath of the bubbles trajectory, he was holding his crotch and trying not to loudly sob. The bubble sat suspended in mid air over the gentleman, both Syndicate and Bubbles were watching the bubble intently as it finally landed on his ass and then popped in a glorious soapy burst on the mans posterior. 

"Hahaha, Wet Butt!" Syndicate said as he walked towards the lobby door. "Come on, lets go stop at a coffee shop I own down the street, I really need to wake up and some free imported, scalding hot coffee is what I really need in this cold ass city. Was it this cold when I lived here?" Bubbles and Syndicate both stepped over the man on the ground with the bubble spot on his ass. Syndicate held the door open for the lady like a gentleman and the two crime bosses began to casually walk down the street. 

Syndicate checked his watch at a busy intersection while waiting for the light to change. After a moment the light did change but Syndicate stood there looking around. "Is something wrong?" Bubbles asked him. "My cleaner must be running late, sorry to hold things up, he should be here soon." The light changed again and the two stood there talking about the new changes in New York and the warm weather in Los Angeles, it was not long before a short bald man with thick glasses approached Syndicate. Handing him the keys Syndicate whispered a few statements into the mans ears and then the business was done. The short bald man headed for the hotel they had just left and Syndicate was ready to carry on his day. 

"Right then, the coffee shop is this way, it isn't far from the Insomniac Lounge, Maybe we can stop in, its early enough that Insomnia himself might even be awake" Both of them chuckled at the joke as Insomnia was usually always awake. They finally crossed the intersection and arrived outside the coffee shop Brewed Awakening. 

The door to the coffee shop wasn't even opened yet but the aroma was seeping out of the weather stripping. It was the most glorious smell ever, this would actually be her first time in this coffee shop. For some reason she had just never ventured over here. Though it was more the fact that Bubbles wasn't much of a morning person. She actually despised mornings and it was usually best that most people stay away from her until the caffeine began coursing through her little body. Taking in a deep breath, letting the scent hit her nose a smirk came upon her face.

"I can already taste it, yum..."

Syndicate smiled and took a couple steps in front of her. Being the gentlemen he was he opened the door and held it opened for her.

"After you!"

With a smile she took a couple steps into the coffee shop. The aroma was even more intense inside. It was like a little piece of heaven.

"You have a table preference?" Bubbles looked back and asked Syndicate. He pointed over to the table in the corner. It was kind of funny, the place was packed yet that best table in the place was opened and it didn't even look like it was ever used. She briefly wondered if that was his table and his table alone but with a shrug she made her way over to the table. It really didn't matter, the only thing that actually mattered at this point was the coffee.

"This place smells amazing, I can't believe that I have never been in here. Any suggestions?"

Syndicate looked around the coffee shop at some of the changes his store manager had made. At one time Syndicate was in here every day micromanaging everything but the days have long since gone that he had the time to manage coffee shop workers, he made a deal with a manager to run his business how he wanted and paid the manager a decent wage leaving all the profit locked safely in Syndicates personal account at Goliath National Bank.

The layout of the building was the same, but the employees and decorations were all changed, except for the old man behind the counter. Syndicate paid to have him relocated to New York, he was the greatest brewista in Italy and though he moved at less than a mile an hour, when he was behind the counter he worked circles around the teenagers. Bubbles had asked where he liked to sit, he pointed out the managers table in the back corner and they headed over to sit there. 

Syndicate took the coat from Bubbles and made his way over to the rack to hang their coats up neatly. Bubbles took a seat at the table and not more than a moment later did the old man behind the counter start to shuffle over. "Miss, that table is reserved, there is a seat over here, let me move your things." The old man said respectfully to her. Bubbles was caught off guard but smiled and began to move until Syndicate returned to the table from the coat rack. "She's with me" The old man adjusted his glasses and eyed Syndicate up from his shoes to his face, "Mr Syndicate! My apologies, sit, sit, how are you?" The man said. "I'm doing just fine, how is the family?" Syndicate inquired. 

"Hungry and numerous Mr Syndicate sir, just as all of us Italian families are!" The man said with his arms extended with heavy gestures while nodding a few too many times. "Yes of course, are you doing okay? Getting paid enough?" Syndicate asked to his favorite employee. The old man leaned in, "This new guy, he is no Mr Syndicate, but he... He not so bad." The old man smiled and gave Syndicate a wink, "Shall I get you the usual?" He said while giving another nod. 

"Yes please, two." Syndicate replied. The old man shuffled to the kitchen door, pushing it open just a crack and yelling some words in Italian to the back of house staff. All that was easy to identify was the word Syndicate. Bubbles pushed the small menu to the side since it was clear Syndicate had already decided what she was going to have and he obviously would know the best thing to get. Syndicate saw her slide the menu to the side, "The coffee you are about to have is not on that menu, I had to learn Swahili to negotiate the majority of last years coffee crop from Mt Kilimanjaro, and well. You'll see, you may even be back to have more tomorrow." Syndicate winked. 

"Well I don't know that I'll ever get this kind of service in here again, I'll have to wait for you to visit and tag along." Bubbles said jokingly. The kitchen doors flew open and the small old man shuffled with great speed to the table and set down two delectable smelling coffee cups in front of them. Bubbles felt the pressure of Syndicates eyes as well as the old mans waiting for her to try the coffee. She reached out and picked up the cup and took a gentle sip, then another almost immediately afterwards. "She likes it!" The old man said, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" He asked the table. 

"Actually, yes, this is Ms Bubbles and she lives in the neighborhood, if you see her in here, you treat her like you do me." Syndicate said to the old man who quietly replied, "Absolutely sir, I will remember that pretty face". He winked at Syndicate and then turned and headed back behind the counter to serve the other guests in the establishment. Syndicate picked up his coffee and took a few sips, he nodded along as if he was reading the paper, entranced in his own cup of coffee. "Ahhhh, this can't even be compared to that room service coffee. Now then. I think you have a list of properties to go over Ms Bubbles?"

Her eye's widened as the first sip of coffee hit her lips. It was as if the whole world stopped just for a moment. It was without a doubt the best cup of coffee that she had had in a while, hell maybe even ever.

"Whoa, this stuff is ridiculous. Like seriously, I didn't know coffee could be this good."

She smiled again and took another sip before hearing Syndicate mention the properties.

"Properties?"

Taking another sip of coffee she suddenly remembered the whole reasoning for the pair meeting up."

"Oh yeah, the properties. Duh Bubbles... Sorry, the coffee.. it... Ah never mind."

She placed the cup down, reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of folded up paper. Preceding to unfold it, she placed the piece of paper on the table. It only had three addresses on it but they were prime real estate. 

291 Grand St.

318 Grand St.

627 5th Ave

Flipping the paper around she let Syndicate have a look at it before speaking up again. 

"So there is one thing about these three places, that I haven't disclosed to you yet."

She reached down for her cup and took another sip.

"All these places are currently occupied and are not technically up for sale. Though the location of each is amazing, which is why I picked them. I figured though with your background, if one of these stand out you would be the one to know it. After that it would be just money or other things. What do you think?"