Guided by the memory of Raphael's funeral day, my choice naturally falls on this family. Though not the most formidable, they remain a threat. Since that day, my suspicion of him and Abiani has only grown, blossoming into doubts about their involvement in my personal tragedy. Andrea's voice dissipates the cloud of memories that had veiled my attention.

— "I know that Tony resides in the family manor; he's never left it. His mother, wife, and children live there with him."

— "Okay, and do you know where this manor is ?"

— "That's where it gets tricky. It's right in the heart of Palermo, making it really difficult to scout or enter without getting caught."

— "Ugh, that's not going to help us, but we're not there yet. Do we know anything else about him ?"

— "He loves playing poker. I used to join his table and play regularly with him until Ezio's death. After that, I didn't really have the time, as you can imagine. I can go back and see him, and with a bit of luck, gather some information."

— "Good idea, he might let slip some juicy details. This time, I want you to take one of our men with you. It's always better to have an ally in the arena."

Andrea smiles, nodding.

— "What's up ?"

— "Nothing, I'm just impressed by how quickly you're learning."

— "That's because I had the best trainer, or maybe I'm just a very good student," I reply with a wink.

— "I'm more convinced it's the trainer," he smiles back. "I'll contact Amadeo to propose the plan and reach out to Tony. I'll keep you updated," he announces, rising with his phone in hand.

A few minutes later, Andrea returns, a satisfied smile on his lips.

— "It's settled. We're meeting Tony tomorrow night."

I sigh, glancing at the sea over my shoulder, realizing this swim was my last for a long while.

Bag in hand, I let it drop before collapsing onto this unfamiliar bed that will host my sleep for the next few days. The silence of the waves has given way to the cacophony of honking horns roaring through the night streets of Palermo.

— "Andrea and Amadeo have gone to meet Tony," she announces, letting the door to my room slam behind her. "Watch out, here I come !"

She hasn't even finished her sentence before she flops down beside me, her tired arm knocking into mine. Too exhausted, I don't even react and fall asleep without realizing it, lulled by Andy's manicure woes.

The next day, we learn that patience will be required; it will take several sessions before we can gather any useful information. Naturally suspicious and not one to easily reveal himself, Tony is giving us a hard time.

In the meantime, it's also impossible to conduct reconnaissance since, without any information on our entry point, we can't begin any investigation.

I use this pause to contact Callegrio. With the Isabella option still not yielding results, I play my wild card, hoping he can secure our success.

— "And what do you expect from me ?" he asks after I explain Nume's dilemma.

— "I'd like you to search your archives for investigations that might be related to the mafia, especially to Ezio. Apparently, this wouldn't be the only body he's hidden there, but the only one belonging to a mafia family. This means that ordinary families must have reported their missing loved ones without ever finding them. There are likely several disappearances that could be linked to my husband. Gather what you have that's suspicious, and we'll cross-reference the information. Oh, and I need you to do this as quickly as possible."

— "Okay, but it'll still take a few days, maybe even weeks—it's not that simple because I have to..."

— "I don't care; just do it as fast as you can, that's all," I command before hanging up. "Time, time, as if I had the luxury to wait," I mutter, tossing my phone onto the bed.

When I lift my eyes to see Andy laughing with Andrea, my heart tightens. Clenching my fists, my breath quickens, and my vision blurs until I realize Andy is beside me only when I feel her hand on my arm.

— "Hey, May, what's wrong ?" she asks softly.

— "I don't want to lose you," I sob, sitting on the bed.

— "Why would you lose me ?"

— "Nothing's going right! I've lost control of everything! Your future depends on Isabella, who remains silent, and on Callegrio, who has to dig up skeletons from years ago! The deadline is so short, yet all our solutions require time! I can't do anything; I'm stuck in this hellish limbo! Even with Feniosso, we're stuck for now !"

— "I agree, feeling powerless is the worst, but you've done everything in your power to act! For now, yes, we're stagnating, but I know that once we have new leads, you'll go above and beyond to succeed. Take this time to rest or do something else because afterward, you don't know when you'll have this opportunity again. You can't do anything at the moment, so you might as well make the most of this period."

I nod, holding her tightly in my arms.

Taking Andy's advice, I channel my impatience into working on new songs. The past years have broadened my inspiration to the point where writing has become easy and fluid.

Days stretch into weeks. I alternate between writing and physical training with Andy while Andrea and Amadeo do everything they can to find a breach to slip through.

This time spent alongside Amadeo has revealed a more loyal and manageable side to him than I had expected. Although I remain cautious, our interactions are less confrontational than our initial meeting. Far from a friend, he proves to be a good right-hand man.

Sitting in the living room of my hotel room, Andy relaxes her mind by scrolling through social media, while I push mine to its limits, filling pages with the lyrics that come to mind.

Suddenly, a knock at the door shatters the calm.

— "Are you expecting someone ?" I ask Andy.

She pouts and shrugs as I go to open the door.

I tense up upon discovering Gioele's deranged smile, his eyes gleaming with madness.

— "Mayina, there you are !"

— "Gioele ? What are you doing here ?" I ask, my voice loud enough to alert Andy.

— "I had to see you. My friend at the reception recognized you and told me you were here."

My pulse quickens, and my eyes widen. He must notice, as he adds:

— "Don't worry, I made her promise not to tell anyone. I want you all to myself. We need to talk, just the two of us," he says, pushing the door open to look behind me.

— "Sorry, but this is neither the time nor the place. Please, leave," I firmly command.

He grabs my arm, desperation in his eyes.

— "I can't live without you, Mayina. Don't you understand?"

— "Let her go, you psycho! Didn't you hear ? Get lost !"

Andy steps in, yanking my arm from his grip.

— "I won't hesitate to shove this into your eye !" she threatens, holding her heel in her hand.

— "Got a problem, kid ?" Andrea asks, positioning himself behind him.

I let out a small sigh, relieved of a weight, as I squeeze Andy's hand, which closes around mine.

Impassive, his eyes locked on mine, he lets out a "See you soon" before disappearing.

I collapse into Andy's arms. Once I regain my composure, I thank Andrea, who embraces me with comfort.

— "That guy's nuts, but you're not alone—we're here," he reassures me, rubbing my back.

I pull away from him and take a deep breath to shake off the unsettling moment.

— "Let's move on; he doesn't deserve my anxiety. Tell me you've made some progress."

— "Indeed. Since the war in Ukraine, Tony has been an active supporter of their cause. It wouldn't surprise me if he's involved in illegal arms trafficking to import them there," Andrea informs, taking off his jacket.

— "Hallelujah ! After fifteen days, it took him long enough to say something interesting !" Andy chimes in.

— "Perfect, that gives us a lead to explore and dig into. With a bit of luck, this will be our way in," I say, feeling a surge of enthusiasm.

— "It's already in motion. During the conversation, he hinted at needing reinforcements to, quote, 'stock the granary.' I'll volunteer, claiming I need the money, that times are tough since Ezio's death. He'll likely understand, and despite the Feniosso-Madini rivalry, he's always acknowledged the quality of our work. I think he'll see me as an asset rather than a threat," Amadeo explains, settling into the chair opposite me.

— "The granary ?" I ask, skeptical.

— "It's a nickname for Ukraine; it's the breadbasket of Europe, more specifically."

— "Great job! Depending on the details you get, we can then act and plan accordingly."

The rest of the details aren't long in coming. The very next day, Amadeo returns from meeting with Tony, wearing a triumphant smile.

— "He accepted me as part of his team to transport the weapons."

— "Great! Do you know more about the logistics? How many? Where? Who?" I eagerly question him.

— "Whoa, whoa, slow down. I don't have all that yet. All I know is that he'll send me the geographical coordinates of the meeting point with the sellers only 30 minutes before the delivery, just enough time for the trip."

— "That already gives us an idea of the perimeter we'll need to cover. We'll have to be ready at any moment," I conclude.

— "I'll ask Luis to do the necessary research to give us a list of locations likely to match the transaction site," Andrea says.

Luis is one of the five men loyal to me, by far the best at locating a place. Ezio always called on him when he needed geographical data, and as good as he was, it was for his efficiency and precision that Ezio trusted him with missions. No matter how difficult the task, he always accomplished it brilliantly. So I fully trust Andrea to assign him this mission.

After a few hours of hard work, we receive a message from Luis with the information we requested. An exhaustive list of places suitable for such trafficking, with a personal note:

"I'd lean toward the container port, as these places are highly favored for the discretion they offer."

Despite his preference, we review the list and conclude that the port is indeed the most likely location without ruling out the others.

— "We have no time to lose. With no clue as to the day of the transaction, we must act now and scout as many locations as possible, including the Feniosso manor. In any case, we'll have to go there to eliminate the rest of the family," I warn in a severe tone.

I barely have time to finish my sentence before Amadeo and Andrea spring into action. Andrea grabs the gray case that has been neatly stored in the closet until now.

— "Here's one of our best assets, the thermal drone. With it, we can take images of the locations and also assess what awaits us. It detects the presence of humans by our body temperature, which means we'll know the exact number of enemies on the territory," he explains.

— "A great asset for the manor," I note, eyeing the drone.

— "Exactly," he beams with a smile.

Without wasting more time, I follow Amadeo and Andrea, who stops me.

— "Sorry, but not you, May."

— "What do you mean ?" I ask, surprised.

— "You can't come with us; your notoriety is dangerous."

— "Are you serious ?! I didn't reduce Raphael to ashes to hear those words again !"

— "It's not the same thing. This could jeopardize our plan. Even if you're taking a break, your face is still known, too well-known to go unnoticed. Whether you like it or not, you're staying here, and we'll handle this. That's what a right-hand man is for—you can't do everything," Andrea orders.

Before I can say anything else, they disappear behind the door.

It's only late in the evening when the duo returns to the hotel. As they step through the door, they wear defeated, disheartened expressions.

— "What happened ?" I ask, concerned.

— "They destroyed the drone," Andrea replies in the tone of a child whose favorite toy has been broken.

I suppress a smile at his childish tone, not wanting to worsen the situation.

— "Don't worry; we have enough information to act. We knew the risk we were taking by flying over the Feniosso manor. Unfortunately, what we feared happened," Amadeo explains, leaving Andrea to mourn his thoughts.

— "What do you mean ?"

— "They noticed our drone and immediately neutralized it, but we managed to record images and now know how many of them there are."

— "Perfect, so you got everything done after all ?"

— "We focused on the essentials, meaning the port, an abandoned building, a quarry, a park, and finally, the manor. We were able to identify fourteen people, including four guards, of whom we're certain since they had strategic positions at the four cardinal points. They walked the same way you do during a patrol, and when one of them shot down the drone, we were sure," Amadeo explains.

I barely have time to respond when the sound of a text message chimes. He looks at his phone. From the severe expression on his face, I understand that it's from Tony.

— "It's happening tonight. Luis was right; the coordinates are for the Port of Palermo."