line of duty and desire

Choices can be the difference between the living and the dead.

Hugo and Gift finally pulled up to Brian's place and parked outside.

Gift turned to Hugo and playfully said,

"Take care, alright? And try to keep your hormones in check," her tone dripping with sarcasm, showing how much she was starting to resemble Nicolai.

Hugo chuckled softly as he reached for her hand, gently stroking it with his tattooed fingers. "Take care of yourself, okay? And call me if things go sideways," he said, concern evident in his voice.

"Will do," she replied, her demeanor shifting to one of readiness, poised for anything. This was no longer the timid Azzaria; this is Gift a force to be reckoned with.

He cupped her cheeks and placed a light kiss on her cheeks. A surge of emotion coursed through her, almost breaking down her defenses, but she quickly kissed his forehead in return, trying to keep it feeling more like a sibling bond.

After that, she stepped out of the car, made her way through the reception area of Brian's apartment, and headed for the stairs, finally knocking on the door.

Brian was taken aback when he opened the door and saw Azzaria instead of Hugo, as Nicolai had mentioned that Gift would be tailing on Madame Juliet.

"Oh, you've got to be f*cking kidding me," Brian exclaimed, clearly frustrated by the sudden change in plans.

"Awww, nice to see you too, m*th*rf*ck*r," she replied, rolling her eyes as she pushed past him and stepped further into the apartment. Her gaze met Toche's, who smiled and waved at her While eating a bowl of noodles.

"Mano, feeding time is over; let's get to work, come on," she called to Toche. She referred to him as "mano," which means brother, as he was like a little brother to her—21 years old, two years younger than her, and always eager to help. She often wondered how he might have turned out if Nicolai hadn't bought him from the trafficking ring.

"I thought Hugo was in charge; guess you'll have to be Hugo from now on," he said, tossing her a uniform, tag, and ID card featuring Hugo's face.

"How in the hell is Hugo's size going to fit me?" she shot back angrily. Brian had a knack for getting under her skin, especially since he often felt threatened by her leadership due to his toxic masculinity. Standing barely 5'6", she knew she could easily put him in his place without much effort.

"Well, considering Nicolai has other plans for Hugo and I wasn't informed beforehand, you'll just have to make it work," he replied casually.

"Yo, chill out, I'll just wear Hugo's clothes, alright?" Toche jumped in to ease the tension.

"Alright, look, I don't have time for this, so let me run you'll through the plan," Brian said.

He explained the routine to her, even though they had to make some adjustments due to the last-minute change. She would go with them but stop at a tower within the port that had a great view Of the entire port. From there, she would climb up and keep an eye on them while they searched for the target ship. Toche would help by hacking into the port's server to find the ship's ID number, while Brian would conduct the search and plant the explosives.

They all agreed, Gift would also be their driver, After Brian placed the explosives on the ship, he would notify her, and she would rush down to the car to pick them up, so they could head to the safe house.

"Do we all understand the plan?" Brian asked, wanting to ensure everything would go smoothly.

"Yeah, I'm good," Toche replied excitedly, his playful nature shining through.

They both turned to Gift, waiting for her response.

"Look we don't got anytime for this, it's 9:15 already and we have to be there by 11 before they start offloading anything" brian said almost worriedly.

She hesitated but finally said, "Yeah, I get it," not wanting to give in to Brian's attitude.

"Alright, let's do this," Brian said with determination.

After changing into their uniforms, they immediately got into the van camouflaged in VBL LOGISTICS sticker and set off for the port.

***************

As they arrived at the ports, Toche cleverly jammed the CCTV cameras with a device, creating a blind spot for the port security, who wouldn't notice that they were watching a recorded loop.

They used their fake IDs to get through the security check, this allowed them to enter without raising suspicion. However, Gift had to hang back because she didn't have an ID. She decided to find another way to the control tower, which was challenging, especially with a duffel bag slung over her back.

Once she reached the top tower, she set up her equipment, carefully assembling her gun and pulling out her binoculars to keep an eye on the others. She lost sight of Toche when he went to scout the server area, leaving her with only Brian, who was nearby pretending to inspect the ships and surrounding areas.

"Toche, you good? I can't see you," Gift called out to Toche Worriedly through the coms.

"Yeah I'm good infact wonderful, according to this map, I'm almost there. Brian you sure those 'candies' can get through inspection?" Toche replied, his voice tinged with concern. The term "candies" referred to explosives.

"Well, Peter said they're undetectable when not activated. We'll find out soon enough," Brian confirmed.

"Alright, guys, I'm trying to access the VMS now. I'll be in shortly," Toche said confidently, knowing he's good with his web.

"Alright, guys, I'm trying to access the VMS; I'll be in any moment," He adds so excited.

"Okay, Brian, keep an eye out for a container ship—Panamax, to be precise. I repeat, Panamax, IMO 6534178, I'll come again, Panamax IMO 6534178" Toche instructed firmly, wanting to avoid any mistakes.

"Copy that," Brian confirmed, starting his search.

"Oh my God, there are way too many ships! Toche, you're going to have to help me out here," Brian said, feeling overwhelmed, knowing he couldn't cover the entire port to find the right vessel.

" Brian be alert I'm gon have eyes on Mano since hes not strapped up" Gifts chimes in clearly wanting to protect Toche.

"Alright, I'll cover the right side; you go left, okay?" Toche confirmed as he packed his laptop into his backpack and moved deeper into the port.

"Aiit bet" Brian confirmed as he proceeded with his search.

Ten minutes passed, and they were still searching without any luck.

"Guys, we're running out of time. Mano, are you sure the ship has landed?" Gift asked Touche, anxiety creeping into her voice.

"Well, according to the port's list, it's here. We just need to spread out more before they get clearance to offload," Toche replied.

"Say less! This baby is right here; Brian, get over here fast!" Toche adds excitedly.

Brian sprinted towards the location, ignoring the curious glances from other port officers.

"Okay, Brian, I've got eyes on you. Running like a pregnant lady, you're almost four minutes away from Mano," Gift teased, seizing the chance to annoy him.

"Easy for you to say while you're tucked away over there," he shot back. Finally, Brian reached the ship and got to work. He fixed and activated three explosives, each set to go off in six minutes. Just as he was about to work on the last one, Gift's warning came through his comms.

"Guys, we have company! How the hell is the DEA here?" Gift said, panic evident in her voice.