Surprise flickered in Carlos's eyes. He was hoping Steve would be on their side, but he wasn't expecting that. It was both heartening and a little worrying. He leaned in, resting his elbows on the table, and looked Steve in the eye.

"First, don't say anything like that anywhere but here," Carlos instructed, speaking quickly. His voice was low, too, but not as low as Steve's. "The cameras are everywhere. I mean everywhere. The surveillance is very thorough. The Speakeasy is the only safe building in the entire city." Maybe it was a little bit dramatic, but Carlos wasn't doing it on purpose. It was just the way he talked.

"If you can't get here but you need to talk privately, the best place to do it is on a roof. Wind interferes with their microphones, and they can't get good video footage. Being in a crowd also works, but you do run the risk of being overheard."