"You're welcome. Keep an eye out, okay? I need you in one piece."

He lets go of the man's wrist, lifts his hand instead to squeeze Ianto's shoulder reassuringly while he scans the area.

"These guys were ready for us," he murmurs, because they were. The whole thing reads carefully planned, rehearsed. Dropping the hand he takes a step more in front of Ianto again, watches the bandits move in patterns of advancement and retreat. "They don't even care what happens to us. They're just here to keep us busy."