Ruthless by Chris Ryan

Author:Chris Ryan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781471407871
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction
Published: 2020-01-29T00:00:00+00:00

11

Leapfrog

There were techniques to following a target in an urban environment. The cadets understood them well. The Watchers had drilled the rules of surveillance into them until they were almost second nature.

Rule one: stay clear of the target’s field of vision. This didn’t just mean walking behind your target. It meant anticipating their movements. Were they likely to look left and right when they came to a busy road? What would happen to their field of vision if they turned ninety degrees? Might there be obstacles in your path that could offer you a moment of cover if you needed it?

The streets that the three gang members hurried along, however, were straight and narrow. The cadets had no option but to remain almost directly behind them. Apart from the occasional parked car, there were few obstacles, and most of the houses and shops along the way were closed and locked. Worst of all, the targets were jumpy. They kept stopping and looking back. It made it ten times more difficult to follow them.

Rule two: blend in, and change clothes as often as you can. Surveillance targets were more likely to remember clothes and distinguishing features rather than faces. Change a red T-shirt to a green one, or put on a baseball cap or some sunglasses, and you’ve effectively given yourself a new identity.

But there was no time to change clothes, even if the cadets had had them. The trio were moving quickly and with purpose. It was everything the cadets could do to keep up with them, let alone take steps to alter their appearance.

Rule three: use windows and mirrors wherever possible. If you can survey someone from behind a shop window, they’re unlikely to notice you. Even better, get ahead of them and use the side mirrors of parked cars to watch them. It might breach rule one, but nobody expects to be followed from the front.

Rule three was no good to the cadets. It was dark, there were few shops here and none of them were open. Parked cars were few and far between.

Rule four: carry items that give you an excuse for stopping if the target stops moving. A book, a newspaper, a bag of sweets. If you’re standing still but occupied, you don’t stand out.

But there was no chance of this. The targets were moving quickly and constantly.

Bottom line: the rules of surveillance were no good to them tonight.

Max had no idea what Lili had said to the three gang members who had hurried from the square and were now leading them deeper into the heart of the favela. All he knew was that they wanted to get somewhere fast. And as the cadets could not employ the usual rules of surveillance, they had to rely on their wits.

It was crucial that the trio didn’t look back and see Lili. They would surely recognise her in an instant. And as the cadets couldn’t change their appearance, they had to change which of them was the lead surveillance person.

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