Night carries Francesco Fontaine from the barber shop into Little Italy, where wet cobblestones shine under the streetlamps. He follows Ignazio and the Dockman down a narrow service alley to a rear stair marked by a single red bulb.
The stair opens into a back room above a bakery, warm with yeast, paper dust, and old tobacco. A bare table waits beneath a hanging lamp, and the handbill lies spread open beside a chipped ashtray.
The Dockman hovers near the door, cap in both hands, while Lorenzo watches the hall with a nervous half-turn of his shoulders. Ignazio sets two fingers on the handbill, steady as a ledger man.
Francesco Fontaine studies the names and routes in the lamp light. The paper makes the docks feel smaller, like a snare with too many knots.
Ignazio "The Elegant" Bagnini
You go as Tony tonight. Keep your mouth light, your eyes heavy, and listen more than you breathe.
The Dockman
If Benny asks questions, I never saw your face before. That is all I can give you.
Outside, a truck grinds past on the street, and the lamp trembles over the map of the docks. The room holds its breath as the plan settles into place.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn the dock's security weak point