Steven pushed through the store's entrance and stepped inside.
The store was larger than it had looked from the road. The layout was clean and well-organised, with helmets along the entire left wall, jackets and suits occupying the central floor space on standing racks, and boots and gloves arranged along the right side.
Everything was arranged by brand rather than by price. The brands on the wall were the ones that appeared in professional paddocks, not in general sporting goods catalogues.
A salesperson looked up from behind the counter and walked over without rushing.
He was somewhere in his early forties.
"Morning. What are you riding?" he asked.
Steven nodded subtly, seeing that the man already guessed why he's here.
"Ducati Superleggera V4," Steven said.
The salesperson looked at him for a moment. Not with disbelief, but with the particular attention of someone recalibrating the conversation.
