Page 8 of Licence To Howl
Her expression didn’t alter. ‘In twenty minutes’ time, you’ll be back out there doing duty free shopping to your heart’s content. Anyone who witnessed your removal will soon know that you were briefly held and questioned and then released to continue on your journey because you have been deemed to not be a threat. It’s doing the very opposite of what you allege.’
Devereau folded his arms. ‘Bullshit.’
She regarded him calmly. ‘Do you want to debate supe politics and perceptions or do you want to get down to business?’
He leaned back. Antagonising her wouldn’t help either of them. ‘Go on then,’ he drawled. ‘What do I need to know and who do I need to kill?’
Sarah Greensmith sighed. ‘There will be no killing of any kind.’
Just as well. Devereau wouldn’t hurt anyone on the British government’s say-so. He’d decide for himself what was necessary before he attempted any violence. He was peculiar that way. ‘Aw,’ he said aloud. ‘That’s a shame.’
‘You’re not fooling either of us, Mr Webb. I wish you would stop playing the role of tough guy. At this point, when it’s only the two of us, it’s entirely unnecessary.’
Devereau shrugged. ‘What can I say? I’m a method actor. You’re sending me to Rome to do goodness knows what and I’m merely getting into character.’
‘I didn’t recruit you because MI5 needs a thug. Those sorts of people are two a penny.’ She pulled out a file and slid it across the small table towards him. ‘You already know you are heading to Rome to infiltrate a potential terrorist cell and that this is a joint operation between us and MI6. It will not be like what you did with the Wasps. Compared to this, the Wasps were a walk in the park. This operation is far more delicate and will take far more time. It’s also far more dangerous.’
Good. That meant he wasn’t being given another test then. This was the real thing. He murmured non-committedly and waited for her to continue.
‘We’ve been tracking this particular cell for several years,’ Greensmith told him. ‘We haven’t been able to officially tie them to any illegal activity but we know they have links with various well established terrorist organisations.’
‘As misplaced as they may be, don’t terrorists usually have specific and very particular ideologies?’ Devereau asked.
‘Indeed. As far as we can tell, this group’s sole ideology has been that greed is good.’
‘They’re only interested in financial gain, you mean.’
‘Up until now. They’ve dabbled in some arms dealing when it’s been necessary, helped smuggle goods for other organisations from country to country and mopped up the messes that others have left behind.’
Devereau rubbed his chin. ‘So they’re like the handyman of the terrorist world.’
‘That’s one way of putting it.’ Greensmith smiled slightly at his analogy. ‘Unfortunately, however, it appears that they’re now looking to make some bigger moves. We’ve picked up some chatter via the Dark web that they’re seeking to come out from the shadows and are planning something big. We don’t know if that’s true or not and, in my experience, groups of this nature do tend to over-exaggerate both their accomplishments and their ambitions. Wedoknow for a fact that several of them have made trips to the United Kingdom in recent months. Until now all their efforts have been focused on mainland Europe but if they’re seeking to set up operations of any sort in the UK, we need to know about it. We’ve attempted to use agents to infiltrate them before and gotten nowhere. We haven’t managed to successfully plant any listening devices at any of their known locations. The group appears to know enough about such things that any time we’ve tried to bug them, our tech has been discovered. Anything we’ve tried against them so far has failed.’ She pointed at him. ‘But I think you might have better luck.’
‘You want me to get to know them, gain their trust, and find out what they’re really up to.’
She nodded. ‘Essentially. As far as we can tell, they are led by a man called Christopher Solentino. He’s wanted by authorities in several countries and by all accounts is a nasty piece of work. We can’t simply kill him, however. Life is not as easy sanctioning murder whenever we want it. We have to find out what he’s up to and what plans are in place. It could well be that someone worse will take his place if he dies. Whatever his cell is planning won’t necessarily be halted by his death either. In fact, it might have the opposite effect and spur them on to commit worse atrocities. You are not to harm him. Your job is to find out what he and his colleagues are up to. That is all.’
‘Sounds simple enough.’
Greensmith frowned. ‘It won’t be simple at all. I shouldn’t have to tell you that, with the advent of Brexit, relations between us and our European counterparts have become somewhat strained. The Italian government would not be impressed if they learned that we were conducting any sort of operation on their own soil, even one as low key as this one. For the purposes of both your cover and our political expediency, your presence and your work is not officially sanctioned. If you get yourself into any kind of trouble, we will not be in a position to bail you out.’ She raised her eyebrows at him and Devereau had the distinct sensation that she was expecting him to argue about being left on his own. Frankly, he couldn’t imagine anything better. He didn’t need MI5 or MI6 breathing down his neck at every turn. The more independence he had, the better.
‘Okay.’
Greensmith appeared momentarily relieved. ‘This requires a delicate touch, Mr Webb. I want finesse, not a bull in a china shop. All we need is information. The burden of evidence for that information is low. If there is anything to suggest that they really are attempting to broach our own country, then you tell us everything you can and we will take it from there. If they are not, we will pass on whatever you discover to the European authorities and let them handle matters.’
That seemed straightforward enough. ‘How do I get in touch with you if I need to?’
‘We have to keep contact to a minimum.’ She nodded towards the file. ‘Inside there, along with details about Solentino and his terrorist cell, you’ll find details of an email account.Every day, whether you believe you have anything to report or not, you need to use that account to write a draft email and update me with your progress.Everyday. If you don’t write anything, I will assume the worst, order in the cavalry and blow your cover.’ Her expression was stern and, all of a sudden, Devereau felt like he was seven years old and being told off for playing football in a car park. ‘And this is important. Do not actually send anything, electronically or otherwise. We have no real idea as to the capabilities of Solentino and his gang so it’s vital to be cautious and avoid making any digital footprints that he could trace. Leave the email in the draft folder and I will retrieve it. In the event of an emergency, call the British embassy and ask for Maximillian Jones. But that isonlyin an emergency. Otherwise, I will wait until I deem it is safe and I will contact you directly myself. Is that understood?’
Devereau gave her a disarming grin. ‘Sure.’
Greensmith got to her feet. ‘Good. I will leave you here to read the file and memorise the contents. You will have to leave the file here when you’ve finished but you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve included details of a bank account with a small amount of funds which are at your disposal. Please do not be profligate with taxpayers’ money, however, Mr Webb. I’ve also booked you a hotel room in the centre of Rome. It’s already paid for.’
She checked her watch. ‘Christopher Solentino has tickets for a private auction in that very hotel this evening. We’ve procured a ticket for you as well. It will provide you with the opportunity to make your initial approach. Perhaps you can make yourself known to him and then invite him for a drink at the hotel bar. Or maybe he’ll recognise you and make the approach himself. That would be ideal.’ She shrugged. ‘In any case, I’ll leave it up to you. It’s best to play these things by ear.’ Greensmith reached for the door handle. ‘When you’re ready to go, knock on the door and you will be released. Your bag will be returned to you. Your flight departs in forty-five minutes so I suggest you start reading.’ She flashed him a bright, brilliant smile which was completely out of character and worried him far more than anything else she’d said or done. ‘Good luck, Mr Webb.’
Chapter Four
Rome was entirely too charming.Devereau paid the taxi driver as they drew up outside of the Hotel Condotti, stepped out of the vehicle and gazed around. He was a London boy through and through and this was his first visit to anywhere in Italy. Until now, the closest he’d gotten to anything genuinely Italian had probably been Domino’s pizza. Shameful, but true. In any case, he had to admit to himself that he was impressed. The city felt grandiose and exciting, albeit vaguely familiar at the same time, and the arched architecture surrounding him, along with the blend of both ancient and modern with everything else in between, was fascinating. It also smelled markedly different although Devereau couldn’t have put the myriad of scents into appropriate words no matter how hard he tried. He moved out of the path of an oncoming moped and grinned to himself. This was the first time in several days that he’d not questioned his decision to work for MI5. He could certainly see himself getting used to this sort of jet-set lifestyle very quickly.
