Chapter 25
The hotel the Bureau reserved for us wasn’t on Ocean Drive, but on a parallel road. True to its surroundings, the exterior was Art Deco, bathed in aqua colors. Next to it stood other similarly designed buildings painted in coral, cerulean, white, and black. I felt like an extra in an episode of Miami Vice.
Vibrant, loud, smelly, enticing. All words to describe little patches of the street life on South Beach. Pasty tourists mixed with the exotic Brazilian and European models, college students from the University of Miami rubbed elbows with interior designers, drug dealers, and local entrepreneurs
After he pulled up front, Xavier obtained a wad of cash from the glove compartment along with his gun. I stayed in the car because he didn’t want the bellhop to handle his suitcase.
