Chapter:29 Ceasefire

Anastasia nodded slowly, writing down the information on the paper. This incident had just nailed the fact that Amina was an ideal asset to her.

"Alright. What about the guards? How many are there? What are they armed with? What else they have stored there?"

Anastasia's tone was serious now, almost businesslike. She wasn't interested in playing around and wanted Amina to be just as diligent as before if they wanted to gain new intel.

Amina shrugged slightly,

"There were about thirty guys on watch, with another twenty or so roaming around the dock. They were armed with your standard-issue shotguns, pistols, and rifles. No snipers or machine guns or other heavy weaponry."

Amina hesitated slightly, thinking back to what she saw,

"I don't really know what other cargo they have onboard, although I did see them moving a few crates around…"

Anastasia studied the information intently, her mind already forming plans based on the details Amina provided. 

"Alright, standard arsenal. But those crates... we need to know what's in them. We can't afford any surprises during the operation. Get back there, stay low, and find out what they're moving. Anything that might be of value to us or a threat."

Amina nodded in acknowledgment,

"Consider it done, Boss. I'll get you the details on those crates."

As Amina prepared to leave for her second mission, Anastasia caught her eye, a momentary softness in her expression.

"Be careful out there. We need you in one piece. No need to go in too heavy."

Amina smirked a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Boss. I'll be back before you know it. And make sure not to say that in front of Natalya, you might make the poor girl jealous."

Anastasia smirked at Amina's remark, causing the tension of the situation momentarily lightened by the banter,

"Just get the job done, and we won't have to worry about jealousy or anything else. Now go, before the Italians decide to throw a party or something."

Amina saluted mockingly before slipping out of the door. Anastasia turned her attention back to the planning board, her mind already working out the plans after the raid on the ship.

***

Day One of the supposed ceasefire with the Italians dawned with an air of anticipation and tension. The news spread that the Vorovich were pulling back their men from the Italians' territory.

Nearly a dozen cars and vans pulled back from the turf's intersection signaling the pulling back of the Volchitsa's men. 

The streets were chaotic, the owner was returning and the pest and cretins that had snuck in were rushing to pull back but Frank was... competent to say the least. Within half a day, nearly forty bodies had been piled in the cleaner's shop.

The small groups of thugs and wanna-be gangsters that had popped up over the course of the war had been completely uprooted. The Vorovich knew the streets by heart and the residents knew better than to deceive them.

The Italians took the news of the ceasefire with more caution. Their forces weren't withdrawing from the intersection, but they did pull back slightly to avoid any confrontation with the Vorovich as they withdrew. For the moment, it seemed that the ceasefire was holding and both sides were willing to negotiate.

The day wore on, and more and more Vorovich groups were reporting back on their success in restoring order to their territories. However, the Italian mafia had been rather slow in reporting back. By midday, the Italians had withdrawn clean off the intersection and their own massacre to restore order had begun.

By the time Amina made it back to her "office", the woman was tired. She had been watching the ship for the entire day and had even managed to sneak her way inside to find out what those mysterious crates were.

"Explosives and drugs."

Amina groaned as she crashed down on the sofa.

"That's what they are stashing in the ship along with the main goods."

"How much explosives and drugs are we talking about?"

Anastasia asked while her employee was taking a moment to catch her breath.

She wasn't surprised by the information that Amina had been successful in her operation, although it did catch her by surprise that they had been moving explosives alongside the main goods. However, that piece of information raised some questions that needed to be answered as soon as possible before the operation got out of control.

One of them was why the hell the Italians could be moving crates full of explosives on such a vulnerable ship. What were they planning to use it for? Were they simply looking for a means of transport or was there something else?

And if so, then why the hell were they moving it alongside the main goods?

It took her a while but soon she noticed that Amina was drenched from head to toe,

"What the hell happened to you? You look like a drenched cat."

Amina huffed before answering,

"Got busy copying docs and then had to bail out into the sea as the guards did their regular rounds."

Anastasia nodded,

"So, how much?"

The drenched woman grunted a bit before taking out a plastic bag from under her shirt, she held it in the air for a bit before slamming it on the table, splattering water all over the place.

However, Anastasia's eyes were not on the package but on Amina's chest

Anastasia raised an eyebrow at the plastic bag on the table, but she was more surprised by Amina's wet shirt. She looked down, her eyes locked on Amina's chest — the shirt was almost see-through thanks to the moisture, clinging tight to her skin. Her expression shifted slightly, her eyes staring at Amina's breasts without looking away. 

Amina, for her part, didn't seem to have noticed Anastasia's gaze on her chest at all, her hands reached for the plastic bag and opened it, taking out several sheets of paper and two paper and plastic blocks. As she waited for Anastasia to do or say something, her expression began to showcase a slight sense of confusion. After some time of standing there, with Anastasia's eyes stuck on her chest and the bag still in her hands, she finally looked up,

"Well, are you gonna look at it or something?"

'Wait, she's staring at my breasts?'

Amina was somewhat surprised by the way Anastasia was looking at her, but she wasn't upset. In fact, she smirked at Anastasia, her eyes twinkling with mischief. She reached up and took off her wet shirt, allowing her bra to be more visible.

"Do you like them?"

Amina's response was met with a stunned expression by Anastasia, her eyes widening in surprise as she took in the sight of Amina standing before her in nothing but a bra on her chest. For a few seconds, her eyes remained stuck to Amina's chest as her mind raced to process the surprising situation, her cheeks slightly blushing because of her reaction.

However, as Anastasia took notice of the contents of the bag, she decided to completely ignore Amina's question, her curiosity over the nature of the plastic blocks far outweighing her sudden embarrassment.

"What the hell are these?"

Amina smirked as she watched Anastasia focus solely on the contents of the bag rather than her physical appearance, her hand briefly reaching for her chest once more before letting it rest on her side once again. The bra she was wearing was quite see-through thanks to the water, allowing Anastasia a clear view of Amina's assets for a few more seconds before her attention was fully shifted to the plastic blocks.

"Well, here, in my left hand is an explosive. A C4 or rather a M112 demolition block to be precise. Pretty advanced stuff, hard to put your hands on if you're not in the business."

Amina leaned forward slightly, resting her left breast on the table. It was a rather provocative gesture, and her eyes remained locked on Anastasia's the entire time.

"And in my right hand,"

Amina held up the other plastic block as she turned her body slightly, allowing Anastasia a better view of her assets.

"We have 200g of cocaine. The good stuff and not the usual cheap shit that the Cambodians pass around in the Roanapur, oh no, this here is one of the Triad's top batches."

Anastasia shifted between her gaze from Amina's chest to the plastic blocks, her professional instincts taking over. The provocative display hadn't gone unnoticed, but the weight of the information held by those blocks demanded her attention.

"So, C4 and top-grade cocaine,"

Anastasia mused, her eyes narrowing as she studied the two packs.

"Interesting combination. The Italians are playing with fire, or perhaps they're planning to set one."

Amina straightened up, her smirk lingering.

"Seems like the Italians are cooking up something more than just their usual Human Trafficking business. Mixing explosives with drugs... either they've lost their minds or they've got a wild plan in the works."

Anastasia, despite the distraction, was quick to comprehend the implications.

"Are these meant to be delivered together with the original goods?"

Amina nodded, her playful demeanor turning more serious.

"Yep. The crates I saw being moved around contain a mix of these. They're not just moving humans, but they're moving drugs and explosives too."

The Italians' motives were unknown to her, but the combination of C4 and high-grade cocaine was quite a high-end trade. The question now was deciphering the purpose behind this shipment of goods.

Amina leaned back against the table, her demeanor shifting from playful to focused.

"What's the plan, Boss?"

Anastasia, her attention fully back on the impending operation, exhaled a slow breath.

"We will proceed as planned for now. Secure the ship, and eliminate any and all resistance, while ensuring the safety of the team. But keep a close eye on those crates. If there's something bigger at play, I want to know before it explodes in our faces."

Amina nodded before returning to her room, no doubt to change out of her wet clothes, leaving Anastasia behind to think about what to do next.