The next morning came earlier than Gabriel would have liked. He couldn't sleep that night, the encounter with Enzo was pounding in his mind, like a drum echoing inside his chest. Enzo's words still reverberated, and the intensity of that gaze seemed to have burned his soul.
He was standing in the operations room, his eyes fixed on the screen in front of him, watching the images from the security cameras in a building in the city center. The plan to capture one of the key members of the Moretti mafia was underway, and Gabriel had an important role to play.
But, instead of focusing on the details of the mission, his mind kept wandering back to that moment in the restaurant. The way Enzo approached, the defiant smile, the tension that hung in the air. Gabriel felt the weight of the mission, but he also felt the weight of something he couldn't ignore: desire. A forbidden desire, but one that he knew had never disappeared.
"You're distracted today, Gabriel." The voice of Sofia Almeida, his best friend and forensic analyst, sounded beside him, pulling him back to reality. "Is everything alright?"
Gabriel gave a forced smile, trying to hide his concern. Sofia had known him for years, since university, and knew when something was wrong. But he couldn't tell her about Enzo. He couldn't tell anyone. It would mean putting everything at risk.
"Everything's fine, Sofia. Just... a little tired." He looked away, focusing again on the security screens.
Sofia watched for a moment, with an expression that indicated she didn't believe what he was saying. But, as always, she preferred not to insist.
"If you need anything, let me know." She murmured before moving away to the operations table.
Gabriel nodded without saying anything more. His eyes fixed on the images on the screen again, but he couldn't escape the thought that tormented him: Enzo. What would he do now? Would he be so close to Gabriel again because of the mission or because of something else?
The answer was clear: Enzo wanted something more. And Gabriel wanted it too. But that "something more" was a path too dangerous to follow, a road of no return.
He was still lost in his own thoughts when the sound of the phone broke the silence. It was an encrypted message, an alert about the operation that was about to happen. He needed to go to the indicated location immediately, with or without his concentration.
Gabriel got up from the chair and grabbed his jacket, putting it on quickly while adjusting his weapon. It was time to act. There was no more room for doubts.
The operation began as expected. Gabriel and his team were positioned at strategic points around the building where the Moretti mafia's drug transaction was about to take place. He was ready, every movement calculated, every breath controlled. But as he approached the main entrance of the building, his heart raced.
Enzo was there. Not in Gabriel's field of vision, but he knew Enzo was behind the scenes, controlling everything. Gabriel's instinct told him that he wouldn't be able to escape so easily.
"Position 4, repeat, position 4." The voice of Ricardo Mendes sounded on Gabriel's communicator, bringing him back to the reality of the mission. "The transaction is in progress. Watch out for emergency exits."
Gabriel nodded, ignoring the growing nervousness inside him. His mission was clear. Dismantle the operation and capture those responsible. But, as he moved through the shadows, he felt that there was something more, something beyond what his eyes could see.
He silently entered the building, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet of the corridor. The dim lights of the security room illuminated the faces of armed men and important people from the mafia. He was almost there, close to reaching the leaders of the operation, when something happened.
A shadow moved in the darkness to his left. Gabriel turned quickly, positioning the weapon, but before he could act, the figure appeared in front of him.
"Haven't you learned, Gabriel?" Enzo's voice was like a whisper, but it had the weight of an accusation. "What are you doing here? Haven't you realized yet that the battle between us is not over?"
Gabriel felt his body tense, cold sweat running down his spine. It wasn't possible. How was he here? How did Enzo always manage to be in the right place, at the right time?
"You..." Gabriel stammered, unable to process what was happening. "You shouldn't be here. This is no longer your world."
Enzo laughed softly, the arrogance in his smile clear, as he took a step towards Gabriel.
"And who decides that, Gabriel? You?" Enzo took another step, now so close that Gabriel could feel the pressure of his presence. "You are fighting for something you will never achieve. In the end, you will have to choose between loyalty to the law or loyalty to me."
Gabriel felt the pressure increase. He was on the verge of falling into the trap Enzo had set for him. But he couldn't give in. Not now. Not when there was so much at stake.
"I'm not that boy you knew anymore, Enzo. I'm no longer your friend. I am a policeman. And I will do what is right, even if it means destroying everything you have built." The words came out with a force that surprised Gabriel, but there was no turning back.
Enzo's smile disappeared for a moment, and his eyes became dark, dangerous.
"Then prepare yourself, Gabriel. Because the war you are starting will change everything."
Gabriel felt the weight of the words, as if the ground were opening beneath his feet. He knew he was entering a game where the stakes were higher than he ever imagined.
The silence between them became unbearable. Gabriel felt his heart pounding against his chest, but his expression remained firm. He couldn't falter.
Enzo tilted his head slightly, observing every reaction of Gabriel like a predator studying its prey. Then, with an agile and unexpected movement, he approached even closer.
"Do you think you can defeat me, Gabriel?" he whispered, his voice charged with irony and something darker. "That you can erase me from your life as if I never existed?"
Gabriel wanted to back away, but he couldn't show weakness. His gaze met Enzo's, and for an instant, he saw something there. A flame. Something that shouldn't be present in that veiled war between them.
"No matter what happens, Enzo. I will fulfill my mission."
A crooked smile appeared on the mobster's lips. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small folded piece of paper.
"Then tell me, policeman... why was this in my pocket after that night at the restaurant?"
He threw the paper at Gabriel's chest, who instinctively caught it. His hands hesitated before opening the note. When he did, he felt his blood run cold.
It was a napkin from the restaurant. His own scribble was there, a phone number written in a hurry.
"I never wrote this..." Gabriel murmured, confusion taking over his expression.
Enzo chuckled.
"No? Then maybe it was your subconscious, betraying you."
Before Gabriel could respond, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway. The communicator in his ear crackled.
"Gabriel! Get out of there now! The operation has been compromised! I repeat, withdraw immediately!"
He looked away for a second, but when he looked back at Enzo... he was no longer there.
The mobster had vanished like a shadow in the darkness, leaving only the note in his hands and a whirlwind of doubts in his mind.
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