“No you aren’t, not yet at least, we want you two to live.” Yekaterina replied to Hayden’s inquiry, briefly wondering how much that was true for Bethan before banishing the thought. “Hands off the limo. Big, cumbersome, no doubt fitted with an immobilizer, probably costs an arm and a leg to fuel up and Victor would want it back, if not because he needs it, then to send a message he’s not to be fucked with. Look for older cars. Less electronics to break down or prevent you from starting it without a key in the first place, though if you could get one with keys, all the better. If you get a choice, get petrol over diesel engine. Shit petrol is a lot less likely to screw up the engine than shit diesel, and diesels generally have a shorter service life.” The Russian recommended, “I guess Beth and I are going shoplifting then. No one tell my mother.” she added with a grin.

Setting out to the North-West, Yekaterina ushered her British compatriot down a side street running perpendicular to the direction indicated by their unhinged employer after just a few dozen meters. “Through here, let’s circle around the block. I want to see how many of these butchers we have tailing us.” she said quietly, reasoning that anyone completing the normally pointless circle along with them was following them. She stopped at the next intersection to look at a signpost, sparing a glance behind them to see one of the men Hayden had indicated to them earlier rounding the corner, stopping to speak briefly with another, both continuing down the street afterward. She guessed the other half of the original pair was probably tailing the guys. Continuing the ring around the block, she looked back once again near the end of it, masking the movement by taking out her phone and turning around to look for an angle when the display was shaded from the sun. Both were still there. “Seems like just those two, at least for now. Best let them think we’re blissfully unaware, lest they might care enough to switch with someone else.” She noted to Bethan, unsure whether the two were concerned with being unnoticed. “From what I’m getting from the psychopath-in-chief, they’ll probably stop short of entering Malkia’s territory. Found something we can hide our faces with yet?”