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The smell of Butter Vanilla and Cinnamon hit me like a wave of a home once lost as I wheeled Mrs. Ardelean inside the doors of the Caffé del Trono. The little old woman was frail and small, but she still insisted on coming with me every day. I shoved the silver wheelchair through the double doors and parked it by a table. I went back to the doors and locked them behind me. I calculated how long I had before opening and set the alarm on my phone. 

Mrs. Ardelean motioned for me to push her to her station. I had set up a room for her to nap in, a table to count money, and a station shorter than the rest so she could make pastries with me. Her smile got wider as I set out the ingredients for her to make her first pastry of the day. Papanași was always her favorite to make early in the morning. Her skilled hands began as soon as I set everything out for her. 

My phone buzzed in my pocket, but when I read who was calling, I hung up. He had constantly been calling for the last twelve hours. He hadn’t contacted me for the past two years. He could wait a few more days. My mind wondered as I prepared the mixture for Gogoși. Hot oil splattered onto my skin, adding to the scars of past burns and cuts. 

“Sunt gata. Adu-mi următorul lot de ingrediente, Capri.”

I rushed my way across the kitchen and took the pan from Mrs. Ardelean, and pushed it into the counter next to the hot oil. I would fry them after I finished the Gogosi. I put all of the ingredients for Savarină in Mrs. Ardelean’s basket and ran it back over to her. She started right away, her aged hands working her through the recipe. Muscle memory was all she relied on now. 

We worked for hours, stopping only to clean bowls and drink water. Mrs. Ardelean always said “Dacă nu sunteți hidratat, s-ar putea să leșinați. Te iubesc mult prea mult ca să te las să faci asta.” It always made me laugh when she said that because she always paired with a pinch on the cheek and a slap on the butt. Her actions always translated to love and get back to work. It always puts a smile on my face. 

“Capri, este timpul să deschizi ușile. Grăbește-te, nu putem lăsa oamenii înfometați,” she said in a stern voice. She always seemed to know when it was time to open the doors. It was scary how good she was at telling me what time it was and what I should be doing. 

I moved to the front and set out the rest of the pastries and coffee pots. The door unlocked easily and the comfort of the weight of the Open sign made me feel safe. Hot tea soothes my throat and warmed my soul as I leaned against the counter, preparing for the breakfast rush. 

The day went by quickly after the rush hours and I let Mrs. Ardelean run the front while I filled containers of flour and sugar. I set out the ingredients for tomorrow and got lost in the trance of simple work. The minutes passed and I continued working until Mrs. Ardelean called me to the front. I walked from the back and my heart dropped when I saw who was waiting for me. 

In the front room of the Cafe were my seven brothers. They all stood tall, radiating anger and dominance. Mrs. Ardelean asked me if I knew them and I nodded. My feet seemed glued to the floor as I thought over my options. I could run, but that risked Mrs. Ardelean. I could stand my ground but I didn’t know what they wanted. It could be anything. 

After weighing my options, I decided to stay. I wheeled Mrs.Ardelean to her nap room and set her up. She told me to yell if I needed her, and I promised her I would. She settled into her bed and held her baseball bat on her lap, muttering about teaching those punks a lesson if they laid a hand on me. I chuckled at her protectiveness and put on my game face as I made my way back to my brothers.

The room had dimmed due to them closing the blinds. They had gathered around a table in the middle of the room and were talking in hushed voices. I cleared my throat and they all looked at me. Roman approached me first and wrapped his arms around me. The rest followed until I was being smothered by seven bodies. They all hugged me like they hadn’t gotten enough human touch. I figured that was true and that they needed this so I held them all until they made the first move. 

When they stepped back Roman moved me to the table. He opened a folder and handed me the contents. It was the same as all the other folders I’d been handed, back when I still worked for my dad. My target would be inside with a description of what I had to get from them, be it information, money, or their life. My heart dropped when the photos and words registered.

“Dad’s been taken?” I muttered in confusion. I looked at Roman who nodded. I looked to him for an explanation. 

“Dad went for a walk and Mazzaratti took him in plain sight. It’s been fifteen hours and we haven’t heard a word. No ransom request, no note, no nothin’. It’s just been dead silent. Which is why we came to you for help. Dad made us promise not to come to you until you were ready, but it’s an emergency and you’re the smartest of all of us.”, he explained.

“How did you know where I was?,” I questioned.

“Dad’s been keeping tabs on you since you left. He always has a few guys outside of the bakery and your apartment. We’ll always know where you are,” Gio laughed out. I smiled. It made sense that my dad would be watching me, making sure I was okay. 

For him nothing was impossible. The gears in my mind started clicking into place as a plan formed in my head. This would be hard, but we had to get dad back. I smiled at the boys.

“Do you have the van?”

We dropped Mrs. Ardelean off at her house, and I promised that I would be back later to check on her. I locked her in and made sure she had food to eat. My brothers each said goodbye to her and thanked her for her hospitality. Then they asked me what the plan was as we walked to the van. 

“ I don’t really have a plan besides to get dad out of there. We have weapons and we have each other, so we should be fine. We do have weapons, right?”

Luca nodded, and Kai pulled out a big case. In it was an assortment of guns, along with ammo and bullet-proof vests. We headed to the Mazzaratti Estate and pulled into the back of the house. I turned to my brothers and gave my bid safety speech.

“Gio, Rocco, and Luca will trail behind us. Your guys’ job is to find Dad and get him out of there. Don’t be afraid to shoot anyone. Your safety is top priority. Royal and Marco will take the right. Roman and Kai will take the left. I’ll take the middle. This is gonna be quick, and no one is gonna get hurt. Good luck.” I said in my practiced hard-ass voice. They all nodded and gave me a round of good lucks. 

The back door creaked as we walked in. I motioned for everyone to be quiet and follow me. We walked through the hallways for a few minutes before gunshots rang out. We all ducked and started shooting at our attackers. This lasted for a few minutes before it was silent, then we moved forward.

Roman gave the signal to split up and we followed his order. We each went our separate ways, making our way through the giant house. The rooms seemed to get bigger now that I was on my own. My footsteps seemed to echo on forever, and my heart was beating out of my chest.

In a sick way, I was excited. The thrill of the chase was getting to me. I didn’t think I’d miss it this much, but I had a familiar sense of comfort fluttering through my chest. I wasn’t nervous. I was ready for whatever.

Knocked out of my trance, I hear Luca screaming that he had found dad. I sprinted to where I had heard him yell and sighed with relief. Everyone was okay. I felt myself tear up and pushed my feelings back down. We had time for feelings and hugging after we got out of this place. 

Gio led the way through the maze of halls and fallen bodies. The trip out was faster than the trip in and we all made it out. The trip back to the Cafe was silent with relief and awkward tension. I knew everyone wanted to ask me why I didn’t come back home, why I didn’t call, and why I left. I knew they wanted to ask me to come back. No one said those words though.

When we arrived, I hopped out of the van and smiled at everyone. My dad carefully stepped out of the car and wrapped his arms around me. With that action, I finally allowed the tears to fall. He held me as I sobbed and muttered apologies into his shoulder.

When he finally pulled away, his hands landed on my shoulders and he smiled. That big, goofy dad smile that says “ I love you and I’m proud of you”. That specific one he saved for special occasions. 

“Thank you for getting me out of there. They never would have been able to do it without you.” He chuckled. The boys all yelled their disagreements from the van and we laughed. 

“You are always welcome back home. Dinner is always on the table at seven sharp. Roman the housewife makes sure of that. I’ll come to see you tomorrow for coffee, okay?”

I nodded and smiled. I told them they were always welcome in and I’d see them for dinner. Dad hopped back into the car, and they waved as he drove them back home.  I chuckled to myself as I walked back into the Cafe, preparing myself to clean up and get everything for tomorrow.