While waiting for the tell-tale beep of a correctly entered override code, Vico looked around them, inspecting their surroundings with a closer, more inquisitive eye. He was keeping an eye out for the blinking light of a camera that the shortage had missed, or even a shadow on the wall by a guard coming to investigate, but his attention caught on details like the plushness of the carpet, the expensive-looking guilded frames of the flower paintings hanging on the wall. The hotel was understated but pricey in its decor. He recognized the look from some of the fake sets that Emilio Tucci would frequent in their show.

"You always get high-end assignments like this?" asked Vico, because many of his missions entailed spending hours in the streets, in more run-down apartments on the shadier side of town, in bars where alcohol flowed easily and people didn't even bother with the 'under the table' part of an under-the-table exchange.