line of duty and desire

Love whispered in the dark is often drawn out by the sound of gunfire

"You've got to be f*ucking kidding me!" Brian exclaimed.

"DEA, you say? Mana, how many?" Toche asked, trying to assess the DEA situation.

"I'm going to fire at the other ship to create a distraction. I really hope this works because Imma need you all to run as fast as you can. I'm heading for the car right now," Gift said, her voice trembling with panic as she aimed and fired dozens at the ships nearby.

Quickly, she packed her guns into a duffel bag and began descending recklessly to meet up with the others.

Gunfire echoed through the comms.

"Gift, head for the car! We're almost there!" Brian shouted nervously. They clutched their bags tightly, knowing that any equipment left behind could lead the authorities right back to them. Nicolai had taught them the rule no4 is covering their tracks.

"I'm almost there! I'll need to burst through the gates, so keep a little distance, okay?"

When she finally reached the van, she took a deep breath and forcefully ignited the engine. She slammed on the gas, facing the gate and speeding toward it. The security personnel were alarmed, already aiming at her, but she already smashed through with the van.

As she spotted them she quickly swerved the car they quickly opened the door to the van and fell in. Blocking out the noise, she pressed the gas again, aiming at the gate with determination while Brian fired bullets through the window.

She drove fast, exiting the port with the DEA hot on their tail. The adrenaline coursed through her veins, drowning out everything else, including the fact that Toche had been hit in the abdomen.

"Oh my God, you got hit!" she exclaimed, panic rising as her hands shook. She cared deeply for Toche and couldn't bear to see him in pain.

"Gift, focus! We need to ditch the cops first," Toche urged.

"Oh my God, call Hugo! Tell him to meet us at the safe house with a doctor!"

"Alright, I will!" Brian said trying to contain his panic. Just then, the sound of the explosives on the ship went off.

Brian quickly removed his shirt and trousers, pressing them against Toche's abdomen to control the bleeding. Without wasting any time, he dialed Hugo's number.

"Hugo, we've been compromised. Get a doctor and let's meet at the safe house," he said urgently, not waiting for a response due to the chaos of explosions and the sounds of approaching federal vehicles. He ended the call abruptly.

Gift accelerated the car, making sharp turns to shake off the police. Eventually, she managed to evade them by driving into an underground tunnel. As soon as they were hidden, Brian jumped out and peeled off the camouflage sticker from the van before climbing back inside, still on rule no4.

Toche in pain, continued to groan.

"Mano, you'll be fine. I promise I'll treat you before Hugo arrives with the doctor," Gift reassured him.

She skillfully navigated to the safe house, which had a garage that concealed the vehicle. Once parked, Brian carried Toche inside to a room and laid him down flat on the bed. Gift hurried to gather some clothes, handed them to Brian to apply more pressure on Toche's wound.

She laid out and prepared the medical kit on the table for when the doctor arrived.

"Come on, Toche, we've got you, alright?" Brian said, trying to comfort him as Toche groaned in discomfort. Suddenly, they heard a car pull up outside, and Gift rushed to the window. She saw Hugo arriving with a woman in a blindfold and a gun pressed to her side.

She dashed to the door and flung it open.

"Hugo, hurry!" He scans Gifts body head to toe for any sign of hurt, looking momentarily confused.

"Brian told me you've been hit," she urged him Inside not wanting to waste precious time.

Once inside, Hugo finally understood the gravity of the situation and felt a wave of relief knowing Gift was okay.

He turned to the doctor, demanding, "Get to work, or I'll blow your brains out."

Shaking with anxiety, the doctor moved in.

" you'll have to take my blindfold off, i have to see what i'm working with please"

Hugo looked over at Gift, who nodded in agreement.

She then pulled out a medical face mask from the kit and handed it to Hugo. Brian took a mask and carefully placed it over Toche's face, who was still groaning in pain as they moved him. Brian, Hugo and Gift quickly put on their masks as well, and finally Gift removed the blindfold from the doctor.

After taking off the already drenched clothes that was pressed on Toche, she started assessing the area.

"I'll need medical supplies; this is deep," she said with a quivering voice.

"Oh, we have everything you need," Gift replied, pulling over a movable table stocked with supplies.

"Look, I gonn need you to calm the f*ck down and stop panicking— you were so confident a while ago at the emergency section of your workplace. This is not any different so don't test me" Hugo snapped, his accent lying heavy on his words, clearly irritated by her nervousness.

The doctor took large breaths controlling her tears and began.

The tension in the room palpable as ever.

"You can go; I've got this, okay?" Gift said as she turned to Hugo knowing fully well he also has a task at hand.

"You sure? I've tapped a chip on her already; i was just lying around the hotel in case someone visited her or something" Hugo replied reluctantly, not pleased with his own assignment of tailing Madame Juliet.

"Yes, I'm sure. Brian, keep an eye on her. If she tries anything funny, blow her head off" Gift warned Brian, though the warning was really aimed at the doctor.

She guided Hugo out of the room, and as soon as the door closed, his broad body enveloped her in a hug, kissing the top of her forehead.

"I was so worried something had happened," Hugo confessed, his voice thick with our local dialect.

Gift felt her defenses crumble as she melted into his embrace, pressing herself further and closer to him inhaling his comforting scent.

"I'm okay, I promise," she reassured him softly. After a moment, he gently released her, pulling their face masks down just enough to stroke her cheeks with tenderness, leaning in to place a kiss mere inches from her lips.

He leaned his head against hers. "You've got this. cuídate por mí ¿vale?"

take care of yourself for me okay?

he cautioned, his voice filled with concern, clearly not wanting to entertain the thought of anything happening to her.

"Copy that... tú también"

You too she replied, feeling the tension begin to dissipate from her body.

Even though she wouldn't openly admit it, she was grateful to have Hugo by her side and cherished the feelings he held for her.

"I'm gonna go keep doing my babysitting" he said, and with a soft "Aiit, bye," Gift watched as he closed the door behind him. Leaning against the door, she took a moment to gather herself; today's mission had been overwhelming. She steadied her breath and pulled her mask back up, ready to face what lay ahead.

As she re-entered the room, she found Brian carelessly commenting "Someone who survived a gunshot can surely survive surgery without anesthesia."

"What's going on here?" she asked, glancing between the three of them. "Numbing cream is typically used for minor procedures or surface-level but this is way deep into the tissue," the doctor explained, wanting to be clear of responsibility to anything that could happen to him.

" you'll have to make it work, doc! Stop wasting so much time!" Gift snapped, frustration bubbling over as she realized they couldn't afford to lose any more moments in their effort to save Toche.

The doctor began making an incision near the bullet's entry point, Toche groaning in agony as she worked. With precision, she located the bullet and extracted it with forceps, placing it on the surgical tray before cleaning the wound.

Once finished, the doctor spoke gently, "This is going to hurt, but be strong." Her words were filled with care, even though she was still in a precarious situation.

As she carefully began to close the incision with sutures, Toche's moans filled the room, "Mano, calm down; it'll be over soon, I promise," Gift reassured him, her voice a soothing balm amidst the chaos. Toche held a special place in her heart, and she felt an unwavering duty to protect him, no matter the cost.

Sounds of wheels screeching to a halt echoed within the safe house, making the amount of tension already there to double.