It was just a cake.

Steve sat in his office with a glass of whiskey. He was content with how things were going. For the last few days, he had been texting with her—only cake-related things, but it was a start.

He couldn’t stop thinking about how cute her face lit up when he offered her the chance to make the cake. He wanted to be the one to make her face light up every day of her life. He knew he sounded crazy, he had just met her, but something about her was appealing to him.

He compared her to a little bunny in a world full of foxes. She was smaller than him, with big, expressive eyes. He could see how broken she was, even if she was good at hiding it from others. But in his line of work, he had learned to read people, and he had only failed once at that… Sharon.

The knock on his door snapped him back to reality.

“Come in,” he called out.

“Hi, boss.” A boy with brown hair entered his office. He was barely of age.

“Hi, Peter. What do you have for me?” Steve pointed to the chair in front of him for Peter to take a seat.

“I have some information about the baker.” Peter was the man he had asked to follow her. “She seems like a normal girl. She’s still looking for a job. She’s a person of routines, always wakes up and goes to sleep at the same hour. She asks for the same coffee in every coffee shop, vanilla latte. She’s been working hard on your cake request, buying ingredients and everything she needs.”

Steve nodded, taking in all the information Peter was sharing with him. “No boyfriend?”

“Not that I’ve seen. She doesn’t even have guests in her apartment,” Peter answered. “No men, no women.”

“Thank you, Peter.” Steve took out money and handed it to him. “Make sure to keep a close eye on her. If you learn anything else, please let me know.”

“Thanks, boss.” The boy nodded and stood up. “I will.”

To say he was surprised when she offered to let him taste the three cake options was an understatement. He didn’t expect her to be so professional, so intent on making sure the cakes were perfect. But who was he to reject the opportunity to taste the cakes in the company of his girl?

He texted her back, agreeing to the “appointment” for the cake tasting. When she told him where, he smiled. He knew the coffee shop she proposed, it wasn’t close to her apartment, but it was close to where they had met.

“Smart girl” he thought. She wasn’t aware that he already knew where she lived, what routes she took to get home, and where she was going for interviews. But he was pleased that she was being cautious.

When the day came, he arrived at the coffee shop ten minutes earlier than her. He knew from Peter that she always arrived ten minutes early to all her appointments. She was careful with punctuality, a trait he could relate to.

He saw her walking toward him, appreciating the way the sundress she was wearing hugged the right places perfectly.

“I hope you haven’t been waiting for me too long.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I just arrived.” He pulled out her chair for her to take a seat in front of him, allowing him to appreciate her a little better. “I took the liberty of ordering our coffees. I hope I chose correctly.”

Just then, the waitress arrived with the order, an American coffee for him and a vanilla latte for her.

He saw her reaction to the order, she seemed a little wary, even surprised.

“Thanks, Steve. You chose correctly,” she said, her voice shaking almost imperceptibly. He smiled at her, trying to reassure her, and saw how she relaxed.

“Good girl.” His inner voice said.

She took out the box where she had brought the three slices of cake and handed it to him.

“Here, vanilla, mocha, and chocolate,” she said, pointing to each slice. “Let’s see if they fulfill your expectations.”

He looked at her discreetly. He could tell she was nervous, the way she fidgeted with her fingers, how she couldn’t stay still, like a teenager waiting for their final math grade in high school.

He took the first bite of the vanilla cake and chewed it slowly. It definitely wasn’t what he was expecting, but he kept a poker face. He liked too much how cute she looked while waiting for his reaction. She was trying hard to read him, but he was an expert at hiding his feelings, reactions, and intentions. He did the same with the other two cakes and took a big gulp of his coffee when he finished eating.

“I must say, this exceeds my expectations.” Steve cracked a smile at her, and she sighed in relief, almost making him chuckle. “I’m not a big fan of big, fancy bakery cakes, but this” he pointed to the slices in front of him “this tastes really good. Not too sweet, not tasteless, but balanced.”

“Oh, I didn’t use the bakery’s recipes.” The little prideful smile on her face at his praise made Steve’s heart beat faster. “I used my own recipes. my family’s recipes.”

“That makes more sense.” He nodded. “So, being good with cakes is something that runs in your family?” He wanted to learn more about her.

“Yeah, kind of. My mom and my grandma loved to bake all the time, and I learned because of that.” He could tell there was more to that story, but he didn’t want to push too much. Patience was one of his virtues.

“And you’re the only one who made a career out of it?”

“Well, right now, I’m making a career out of anything that pays the bills.”

He felt a little guilty again about getting her fired, but it was a good thing. He had big plans for her.

“These cakes are delicious, sweetheart.” When her cheeks turned pink, he smiled to himself. She liked to be praised, she liked his praise. “Tell you what… I want all three flavors, one cake of each.” He took out more money and handed it to her.

“I can do the three cakes, but the money you gave me last time is more than enough.”

He just stared at her, not trying to be intimidating, but trying to crack her into accepting the money.

“Thanks, Steve. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you by accepting this amount of money.”

She really struggled with him giving her money, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. She needed to start learning that with him, she would never struggle, in that matter or any other.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, this doesn’t scratch my bank account,” he reassured her, trying to ease her guilt. “I’m going to put in a good word for you with everyone at the party. Who knows? Maybe you’ll become the next big baker in this city.” That was his plan, that every powerful person would seek her out for her cakes. “Just stick to the right people, sweetheart,” he said lowly, conspiratorial, trying to tell her to stick to him.

“Thanks, that would help a lot.”

After that, they started talking about more trivial things. He got to know more about her, where she came from and how she had moved to New York to pursue her dreams in the big city.

He felt like sharing a little about himself too, trying to connect with her more. He told her he had grown up in Brooklyn and lived in New York all his life, about all the companies he and Bucky had, and how they were more like brothers than friends. He left out the complete story of them being the bosses of one of the biggest mafias in the city and all the shady business they had. She didn’t need to know that information… yet.

When they finished their coffees, Steve paid for them. The shy smile and the low “thank you” leaving her lips were enough payment for him.

“I’ll take this with me.” He lifted the box with the leftover cake, and she nodded. “I’ll send a car to pick you up on Saturday for the cake delivery.”

He wanted her to officially give him her address, even though he already knew where she lived.

“I’ll send you my address.” Her voice shook a little, like this was a big deal for her.

Maybe he had pushed too much? No, it wasn’t that. She seemed more scared than nervous, but he decided to let it slide.

“Perfect. I’ll see you on Saturday.” Steve smiled cheekily. “Take care of yourself, sweetheart.”

Steve had planned to go home and have a quiet afternoon, enjoying the leftover cake, but of course, that wasn’t possible, not with who he was.

A text from Bucky changed his plans. He made his way to one of their safe houses outside the city.

“Really, punk?” he asked as soon as he stepped through the door. “I was having a great day. What is it?”

“Sorry for cutting your cake date short,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes. “We found one of the HYDRA guys that’s been picking up women and kids.”

That made Steve freeze.

They were mob bosses. They weren’t good people. They dealt in weapons, drugs, and other illegal business. They killed when they needed to. But they had a code, no innocent women, no kids. And they worked hard to enforce it.

Steve’s expression darkened. “Where?”

“In the basement.”

Bucky knew how important that rule was to Steve. He was the one who had suggested it when they first started in this business. His sister had been a victim of it, disappearing when they were just kids, never to be found.

Steve walked fast toward the basement, Bucky trailing behind him. When he opened the door, he saw the man tied to a chair, blindfolded.

“He doesn’t want to talk,” Clint said. Steve hadn’t even noticed their other friend was there, too blinded by his anger.

“We’ll see if he still won’t talk when I’m done with him.” Steve rolled up his sleeves as he stepped closer to the man in the chair. “Make sure Thor is ready for cleanup,” he told Clint.

The door closed behind him, and a somber smile crept onto his face. Bucky leaned against the wall, watching silently, giving Steve space.

They had been chasing leads about the missing women and children for months. Now that they had one, they would do whatever it took to get information.

Steve ripped the blindfold off the man’s face. He wanted to kill him on the spot, but they needed answers first.

“I was in a really good mood,” Steve said, his tone low and menacing. “Spent my morning having coffee with my girl. She gave me three slices of cake that are waiting for me. So let’s make this quick.”

Before the man could say a word, Steve’s fist connected with his nose.

It took only fifteen minutes to get the information.

Fifteen minutes.

A broken leg in three places.

Three bullets.

Several missing fingers.

A lot of screaming and crying.

When Steve and Bucky emerged from the basement, Thor was already waiting for them.

“Make sure he doesn’t come back,” Steve told him.

Thor nodded and passed by them, heading into the basement to finish the job.

The two men walked toward the small office in the safe house. Steve glanced at his reflection in a mirror. His perfectly clean clothes were now stained with blood. His face, too.

“We should let Sam know about the shipment,” Bucky said, pulling out his phone. “They’re planning to move the girls and kids tomorrow.”

Sam had grown up with them. The three had been friends since they were kids. The only difference was that Sam had taken the right path, becoming a cop.

Balancing their friendship wasn’t easy, considering Steve and Bucky operated in the underbelly of the city while Sam worked for the law. But they had managed to make it work. The only rule was that Sam didn’t want to know anything about their shady business.

And sometimes, they helped when they could, like now.

It was easier for them to get information. They didn’t operate within the law. They were brutal and efficient. Things a good cop like Sam couldn’t be.

Bucky sent the message, and Steve sat down, rubbing his temples. His good mood from earlier was gone.

But then, he thought about her.

Her smile.

Her nervous little fidgeting.

The way her eyes lit up when he praised her baking.

Maybe his day wasn’t completely ruined after all.