Yuri walked along the tarmac lane that ran the length of the Donnington paddock. He was intrigued by all the old vehicles parked there, surrounded by their enthusiastic crews as they prepped the sleek bikes for racing. The noise of the engines was primal, bringing fond smiles to the older faces among the crowds who ambled along, admiring the mechanical history on show.

He gazed at each of the big vans and trucks carefully, making sure his screen glasses got a clear view. Boris ran pattern recognition, throwing up the model and manufacturer of each one.

The white Mercedes Sprinter van stood out anyway. A small canvas marquee had been erected at the rear end, its side panels zipped up. There was a Ducati bike standing beside it, but no crew or riders, as if the whole area had been abandoned. No genuine race team would leave their precious machine untended.

Sloppy, he thought. It’s always the little things.

He went into the marquee and banged hard on the rear doors of the van. There was no response.

“Oh, come on,” he said in a voice tired with the chase. “It’s not as if I brought a tactical team. I’m by myself.”

There was a clunk as the van’s handle turned. Then the rear door swung open.

“Yuri,” Dokal Torres said nervously. “What can I do for you?”

“You can stop being a lawyer for today.”

“Really? Have you stopped being a security chief?”

“Let’s just say I’m on my lunch break. Can I come in?”

She let out a heavy sigh. “Sure. It’s a bit cramped.”

“I’ll live.” He clambered into the Sprinter; Dokal checked the marquee was zipped up tight and shut the door behind him.

The threader mechanism almost filled the inside of the van.

“I genuinely wasn’t expecting you,” he admitted.

Her lips squeezed into a small moue. “I think that was the point.”

“Callum’s good. I should have him on my staff.”

“So what now?”

He regarded the intricate mechanics of the threader with interest. “I’ve never been this close to one of these before, and I’ve been with the company a long time. I think I’d like to see one in operation. So we’ll just wait, if that’s okay with you?”

“Why?” she asked.

“Professional pride. Savi is one of my agents. I never leave one of mine behind.”

“What does Poi Li think about that?”

“I expect we’ll find out soon enough. When will they use it?”

“I don’t know. Callum was going to wait until the crew arrived at wherever it is they’re renditioned to.”

“Ah. Well, they were scheduled to go through ten minutes ago. Apparently, it has to be night at the other end.”