Chapter 6 Section five

There were five of them—the tall pretty girl Decker had seen with McKittrick and four Italian men.The four men, ranging in age from their early 20s to their early 30s, were all skinny, with their hair slicked back.The gang looked like a small gang in terms of their attire—cowboy boots, jeans, western cowboy belt buckles, and denim jackets, and even the cigarettes they smoked were the same brand—Marlboros.There was, however, a stronger bond that united them.Their apparent resemblance in facial features suggests that they are four brothers and a sister. The group sat in a single room upstairs in a café.It is very close to Piazza Monumento, one of the busiest business districts in Rome.This kind of meeting place really worried Decker.Not only was this place crowded, but it was impossible for McKittrick to book a single room in such a short period of time in such a crowded place at night.There were many empty wine and beer bottles on the table, and it looked like the group had been in the cell for a long time before Decker arrived.

McKittrick watched the movement outside from a corner of the booth, and Decker briefly greeted the group before turning to the topic. "The people we're following are extremely dangerous," he said in Italian. "I don't want you to do anything that would endanger your own safety. If you have even the slightest suspicion that you've alerted them, stop now." Event, report to my friend," he pointed at McKittrick, "and disappear." "Will we then get the reward you promised us?" asked one of the brothers. "Of course." "It's only fair." The young man downed his glass of beer.

The cubicle was filled with smoke, and Decker's throat began to itch, and the jet-lag headache intensified. "What convinces you that you have found the man we are looking for?" One of the brothers snickered. "Are my words funny?" Decker asked. "It's not you, it's them. It's the gang you asked us to find. We knew right away who it was, and we went to college with them. They're always talking crazy." "Italians' Italy," said their sister. Decker looked at her.She hasn't spoken much until now.She had replaced the bright red T-shirt she wore in the afternoon, and now she was wearing a blue one.Although a denim jacket half-hides her breasts, it's still recognizable that she's not wearing a bra.

"They're always talking about this, the Italy of the Italians." Just now, their sister, Renata, was introduced.Her sunglasses still slanted over her boyish short black hair. "They complained incessantly about the European Community. They insisted that the relaxation of national security would only allow Italy to be poisoned by foreigners. They accused the United States of supporting the European Union campaign with the aim of creating new markets for American products. If the rest of Europe were Disintegration, that's okay, but Italy has to fight to stop America's domination, economically, culturally. So when American diplomats are dying in bombings, it's these guys that come to our minds first, especially when they call to the police department, calling themselves 'Mussolini's children.' Mussolini was one of their heroes."

"If you suspect them, why don't you report it to the police?" Decker asked. Renata exhaled a puff of smoke and shrugged. "Why? These guys used to be our friends, they didn't hurt us. But, because of insufficient evidence, they will be released from prison, and then they will hurt us." "Maybe the police will find enough evidence." Renata smiled contemptuously.Her slender and sexy body swayed a few times, and her breasts under the T-shirt trembled slightly. "I assure you, these people are not fools, and they will not leave anything behind."

"Then let me ask you again, there is no evidence, what makes you believe that you have found the person we are looking for?" "Because after Brian paid us," she pointed at McKittrick.To Decker's surprise, McKittrick told her his real name. "We've been keeping tabs on our friends. The night your ambassador was killed driving back to the embassy after the opera, we followed them and found them hiding in a car half a block from the bombed car. ry. They must have used a remote detonator." Decker was silent for a moment, trying his best to suppress the tension and excitement in his heart.The assassination of Ambassador Robbins infuriated some of the most powerful people in Washington, causing them to lose their usual caution and order action to stop these demons—in one way or another.The reason why Decker's boss was under secret pressure was precisely because McKittrick attracted great favor and attention from them.If McKittrick's sources could definitively confirm that the terrorists were responsible for the assassination, half the battle would be solved.The other half will be acting on their intelligence.

"Maybe they happened to be in that area," Decker said. "They laughed and drove away." Decker's throat tightened. "Do you know where they live?" "Renata told me," McKittrick interjected, "but obviously they're not going to live there forever." He gestured for emphasis. "They must be dealt with as soon as possible." Another misstep in the trade, Decker thought apprehensively.Informants should never be allowed to know what their manipulators are thinking.Besides, what did McKittrick mean by "disposition"? "Renata told me there was a club they used to go to," McKittrick said, "and if we could get them all there..."