I finish getting ready when Paola arrives at the house. Disguised with a wig and a padded suit to hide my belly and alter my silhouette, I meet Paola.

"Hey May, your disguise really works. You wouldn't be recognized with all that padding." affirms Paola, impressed.

"Did you put on your bulletproof vest ?" Ezio asks, trying to hide his concern.

"Yes, boss !"

"It's time to go over everything before we leave, we don't have much time."  announces Paola as she heads to the living room.

We follow her and then sit down.

"During my last visit to Mario's, I was able to do a more detailed reconnaissance of the place, as you had requested, Ezio. There's always a guard at the entrance to the property, but I don't think he'll come during the alert triggered by the cardiograph. When we passed by him, he received an alert at the same time, they communicate by walkie-talkie. And all he responded was that he was not moving from his post as planned. So, he won't move from there, and the three of you won't be able to infiltrate the property. There are also cameras on the gate piers linked to a control room within the house. I caught a glimpse of it once without really realizing what I was looking at. It's on the ground floor. There are cameras everywhere, even in Mario's bedroom, so the moment you shoot, May, everyone will rush to kill you. And there are plenty of them, especially today as Mario's sons are coming to meet him for their monthly review as we discussed. Although they are visiting their father, they never move without their right-hand men, so that adds three more people. Between the servants, bodyguards, and right-hand men, that's about fifteen people. Speaking of bodyguards, there's always one stationed outside Mario's bedroom. He has a weapon but never holds it in his hand. The servants are generally peaceful, but I'd be wary of Agnès, the head maid. Despite her blasé appearance, she can be formidable. She's been working for Mario forever and has seen a lot, I don't think she'll let us do as we please without saying anything. May, you'll need to be quick and precise in your movements. You will need to quickly find emergency exits or backup plans because, unfortunately, I wasn't able to investigate that further without arousing suspicion. If it helps, there are a lot of windows that lead to balconies. I know there's a back entrance in the kitchen. I've heard about it but don't know more."

"Thank you, Paola, for all this information, it will be of great help. We now see a bit more clearly what we're getting into. Regarding the gate guard, we should pretend there's a car problem. Paola, your driver should move forward and stop in such a way that he blocks the gate from closing but also so that when he opens the hood, we can't see what's happening behind him. At that moment, your driver will need to incapacitate the guard. With Salva and Andrea, we can then infiltrate the fortress. Do you think that would be feasible for him ?"  suggests Ezio.

Paola smiles.

"Wait, you think my driver is new to this ? Of course, he'll be up to the task."

"Perfect, once we are on the property, we'll handle the right-hand men and the servants. I think the sons will first want to avenge their father themselves. The most urgent for us will then be the right-hand men. They are more formidable than the others and will do everything to protect their boss. May and Paola, you will need to take care of the guard in front of Mario's room."

"I won't be able to carry weapons on me. Anyone entering Mario's room must be searched. I can't risk ruining everything with a simple search. May, your weapon will be hidden well enough in your padding not to be felt, and since Leo isn't a pervert, he won't frisk you more than necessary. Then I'll take the gun from Mario's nightstand."

" Wait, we're not allowed to bring weapons, but you can take his revolver from his nightstand ?" I ask.

"The drawer has an alarm button that only Mario can deactivate if he's the one opening it. If someone else opens it, everyone rushes to the room and we can say goodbye. But by then we won't care because everyone will already be in the room."

"May, you need to know a few things about the Condore sons. There will be three. The fourth, Lucas, was already killed by me 6 years ago. Whether it's Fabio, Enrico, or Ettore, they always fight with firearms, they don't like bladed weapons. You must never trust them. If you have the upper hand and they promise you the moon, don't believe them. The moment you let your guard down, they will kill you. They always carry more than one weapon, so even if you disarm them, always stay on your guard and act quickly. They like their opponents to be tough and give them a hard time, so don't expect them to kill you right away. They will enjoy taking their time with you. Lastly, they are quick, sneaky, and play dirty, so stay alert. Oh, and the finishing touch to your disguise."

Ezio sprays me with lilac perfume, as I look at him, surprised.

"I can't remember which one of them is thrown off by the smell of lilac because it reminds him of his mother and makes him less attentive to his actions. Plus, it makes you even more irresistible." He whispers in my ear.

I lightly hit him on the chest, smiling, knowing he is teasing me.

"Alright, last thing, you need to keep three survival principles in mind. First, follow your instincts. If it tells you to run, you run. If it says to charge, you charge. Next, stay alert for any opening, any flaw in your opponent's defense that could give you an advantage. It's invaluable. Finally, never stay in one place; shoot, move, and cover yourself, don't stay within your enemy's reach."

" I think we have everything we need, we can go now. "Paola says, standing up.

We do the same, and Ezio comes closer to me, lifting my chin with his hand. Paola discreetly leaves to give us some privacy.

"May, please take care of yourself, don't take unnecessary risks. Hide whenever you can, and shoot at any opportunity. You don't know if you'll get another chance. We'll be behind you with Andrea and Salva, covering you as soon as possible. You're not alone, I'm with you. I believe in you, you can do this, but don't do anything foolish out of pride or ego. Promise me you'll be careful."

I embrace Ezio, tears stinging my eyes, and hug him as if it were the last time, then I whisper my promise into his ear. We kiss so intensely that it becomes impossible to pull away.

"May, Ezio, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have to leave."

I hug Ezio one last time before joining Paola. We rush into Paola's car driven by her chauffeur. She briefs him on the changes to the plan that Ezio proposed, then turns to me.

"Just follow me and don't say a word. It's only once we're in Mario's room that you can act."

I nod my head and remain silent for the rest of the journey, too anxious and focused on what's to come.