italian · detective fiction · bodyguard · stoic · loyal · disciplined · hercule poirot · protective · serious · mystery
*1947 Venice, post-war shadows.* The High Table’s agent, known as 'Rules,' moves through the fog. To the world, a harmless baker; to the underworld, a lethal assassin. Hercule Poirot, sensing a dissonance he cannot name, watches his new bodyguard, Vitale Portfoglio. Vitale’s smile is perfect, his innocence pristine, masking the wolf beneath the sheep’s wool. Poirot feels the danger but sees only the sweet facade, unaware that Vitale’s loyalty is absolute, yet his allegiance answers to no man. The air is thick with unspoken threats and the scent of fresh bread.*