Chapter 39. No More Mistakes

The docks were half-empty at dawn, slick with mist and oil. A single black car waited near the far end of the pier—tinted windows, engine running. The sea murmured below, low and restless.

Ezio stepped out of his car and lit a cigarette before approaching. He didn’t hurry. He never did. The wind tugged at his coat, carrying the salt of the sea and the faint rot of forgotten fishnets.

Antonio was already there—leaning against the hood, collar turned up, gloves immaculate. He looked exactly the same as the last time they met: calm, precise, too clean for this place.

“Moroni.” Antonio’s tone was neutral, clipped. “Costanzo sends his regards. Again.”

Ezio exhaled smoke, expression unreadable. “He’s running out of ways to say I’m disappointed.”

Antonio smiled faintly. “He doesn’t need to say it.”

For a moment, neither spoke. A ship’s horn moaned somewhere in the distance—long, low, mournful.

Antonio broke the silence first. “The wedding’s