Fired up more than ever and driven by a newfound desire for vengeance, I grab my phone and call Andy.

"Andy, it's me. Jump in your car and come get me. We need to act fast."

Without giving her a chance to respond, I hang up. I enter Paola's apartment address into my phone and then put on a comfortable, dark outfit for what's to come.

Half an hour later, the headlights from Andy's car illuminate the living room, signaling that it's time for me to leave. I join her and find her completely excited and curious. I turn on the GPS on my phone and tell her to follow the route. During the drive, I explain Paola's letter and our mission.

" Oooh, this is so exciting !! But I still say you're absolutely mad. If Ezio finds out where you are tonight and that you're not bedridden, you might as well dig your own grave, babe."

"And yours too because believe me, he won't spare you knowing you drove me here."

"Ah shit, I hadn't thought of that. Oh well, doomed either way, I'm not much worse off. I hope you like the heat because we're going to be in hot water in hell, darling !"

I laugh, and Andy presses harder on the accelerator. We arrive on a quiet, dimly lit street.

"Brrr, this street gives me the creeps. What was she thinking buying an apartment here ?" Andy wonders, dismayed.

"Stay in the car, I won't be long."

"Are you serious ? You'll take forever alone, let me come with you."

"No, I'm not giving you a choice, you're on lookout. If you see anything, text me."

She sighs, slumps into her seat, and crosses her arms like a frustrated child. I smile and exit. I run to the front door and open it.

I am confronted by stairs leading to the apartments. The letter mentioned she was on the first floor. I go up and open the door to her apartment. I head straight to the windows to see if it faces the courtyard or the street. Unfortunately, it faces the street. I decide to turn on my phone's flashlight to avoid arousing suspicion. 

I begin to search everywhere, obviously she couldn't tell me where they were, that would have been too easy. I even look in unusual places, in the kitchen, the cupboards, for false bottoms, in the living room, her bookcase, under her armchairs, behind the cushions. I search everywhere. The toilet, the bathroom, nothing to report. There's only one place left to search, her bedroom. It's the only room with wooden flooring. I try to find a floorboard that might be movable but find nothing. I search in her closet, and the scent emanating from it tightens my heart. 

Overwhelmed by her perfume, I close my eyes and instantly see her face, her smile, and hear her laughter in the distance. Moved to tears, I decide to refocus and finish the search quickly for fear of being unable to contain my emotions any longer. 

The closet is devoid of electronic devices. I close the doors and turn to face the bed. I search the bedside tables, but find nothing. Then I notice the headboard is a large wooden rectangle. I knock on it, and bingo, it sounds hollow. I find a hidden handle on the top, pull it, and smile when I see a briefcase. I open it and take out a laptop and a mobile phone. I close everything, grab them, and head towards the bedroom door to leave when I hear noise. I press against the wall and make out male voices and a female voice.

"Search thoroughly, you idiots, that bitch wouldn't have made it easy for us."

I immediately recognize Isabella's voice. My heart races and I unwittingly hold my breath. I curse internally knowing I'm in a very bad situation since I have to pass through the living room to get out and there are very few places to hide.

I take a deep breath and try to find a solution. I think I have something, so I execute as silently as possible. I lock myself in the adjoining bathroom and open the window. I send a text to Andy asking her to come under the window.

Through the car window, I see her looking at the building's façade, so I wave to make sure she sees me. As soon as she spots me, she comes under the window as I had asked.

"What are you doing, we don't have time to play Romeo and Juliet !"  she whispers sharply.

I respond to her by text:

Isabella is on our tail. Grab the briefcase and lay low while waiting for me in the car.

After reading it, she nods and stretches out her arms. I toss the briefcase to her. She catches it and then heads back to the car silently. I close the window and take a deep breath. I turn on the light, flush the toilet, and feign tiredness by yawning as I walk out of the bathroom as innocently as possible. I then find myself face to face with two burly men pointing guns at me, and behind them, a surprised Isabella.

"May ? What are you doing here ?!"

I feign surprise.

"Isabella ? I might ask you the same question."

She suddenly becomes foolish, not knowing what to reply or how to get out of this situation.

"I, uh... we... Paola had taken something of mine, and I came to get it back."

"And you needed these two men for that ?"

She doesn't bother to answer and becomes suspicious of me.

"You, what are you doing here ? And how did you get in ? And come here ? Your driver was reported dead, last I heard."

I decide to be partially honest, knowing full well that she eavesdropped a few hours earlier.

"Sergio brought me a letter earlier. It was Paola's last words asking me to do one last thing for her, and she included her keys."

" And what favor did she ask of you ?" she asks, becoming more threatening.

"To gather her belongings and take them to her father's place. Ezio was away on business, and I felt lonely. I needed to feel useful, so here I am, starting to put everything together."

I sense she remains skeptical of my flimsy excuse but, fearing she might be wrong and raise more suspicion against herself, she leaves me alone and doesn't press further.

"I can help you find what you're looking for if you want, or just tell me what it is, and maybe I'll come across it while I organize her things. " I slyly suggest with a hypocritical smile

She sighs, annoyed.

"No, it's okay, just forget it. Come on guys, we're done here."

I feel relieved as I watch them disappear from the apartment. I wait a few minutes and look out the window to make sure the coast is clear before leaving the apartment, knowing full well she'll be back as soon as possible. I rush down the stairs and return to the car, and Andy starts driving. Further down the street, I spot Isabella's parked car, so I hide as best I can, hoping they haven't noticed us.

"Damn, they're still there."

"Sorry, I didn't realize they had gone in. But how did you manage to get out ?"

"By telling a big lie, but I'm not sure she believed it."

I glance in the rearview mirror, my stomach in knots, afraid that they've caught on and are following us, but they aren't, which calms me down. The feeling of insecurity continues to gnaw at me nonetheless, knowing that sooner or later, Isabella will realize my lie and that her suspicions will turn into certainties.

"Andy, we need to go to your place to make a copy of the contents of the computer and the phone, just in case."

"I have a better idea. They probably realized it was my car, so if they find out about your lie, they'll definitely come to my place. I'll keep the briefcase with me and go to Andrea's and give it to him. He can do the transfer in no time, and his place is more secure than mine. Let us handle this, and you get some rest. You've done more than enough."

"I don't know if..."

"Trust me, May. We've got this for you, don't carry it all on your shoulders. We're a team."

I soften at his words and decide to trust him. As if my body reacts to his speech, I suddenly feel it relax and am overwhelmed by an intense fatigue that I had ignored until now. Andy drives me home. I tense up seeing Ezio's car parked in the courtyard, realizing that my time to rest has not yet come.

"Well, it was nice knowing you, save me a spot on the little horned one's barbecue." jokes Andy, making the sign of the cross "Do you want me to come in with you ?"

"No, it's okay, head home and we'll talk tomorrow. Thanks again for tonight, even though keeping watch isn't exactly your best role." I tease her with a wink.

"I'm a creature of light."  she laughs. "Don't worry, you can count on me, we're a duo after all." she adds, embracing me  "See you tomorrow, chick, stay strong in front of your caveman."

I laugh and step out of the car. Charged with the electricity of an impending storm, the atmosphere weighs heavily with each of my steps. It's in slow motion and backward that I push open the door of the house. With a knot in my stomach, I enter, fearing the impending storm about to descend upon me. With tense steps, I walk towards the light of the living room where I find Ezio sitting in the armchair, his head in his hands.