EastEnders‘ Lauren Branning is left terrified next week when a thug assaults her during an afternoon out with Mark Fowler. After Mark’s recent involvement with dangerous gangsters, is this a random incident or a targeted attack?

When Lauren tries to take charge at the car lot, she sets out to prove herself by selling a classic vehicle that’s sitting on the forecourt. She picks out Mark as the ideal customer and takes him off for a spin, but the trip ends in disaster when it turns out they’re being watched…

“As soon as Mark leaves Lauren by herself for a moment, the assailant strikes,” our EastEnders source explains. “Lauren is shaken as the mystery guy attacks her and speeds off with the expensive motor. By the time Mark reappears, the cruel criminal is already long gone.”

The frightening situation unfolds shortly after Mark has confessed to his family about the danger they’re all in, now that he’s embroiled with a ruthless gang. As Priya Nandra-Hart frets about Ravi Gulati’s safety, with Mark out for his blood, she warns Vicki Fowler that her brother is mixed up with crooks.

Unsurprisingly, Vicki’s gobsmacked and panics over the possibility of being caught in the crossfire. Ross Marshall tries to reassure Vicki that they’ll be fine, but Mark is far from comforting.

“Mark is livid that Vicki and Ross are now involved,” our insider continues. “In a private chat with Ross, he spells out how high the stakes are – Vicki’s life could be at serious risk if he doesn’t hand over the police informant to the gang.”

Meanwhile, it’s the start of a new era at the car lot when the business is put up for sale. Lauren wants to take over the reins on a full-time basis, but after being rejected by the bank for a loan, she resorts to Plan B by convincing her dad Max to invest some of his savings.

Lauren is keen to start with a bang on her first day as the boss, so she sets herself a mission to sell a classic car within 24 hours. Mark shows an interest in the vehicle and Lauren happily takes him out for a test drive – unaware that he’s playing games.

“In the end, Mark admits that he doesn’t have the money to buy the car,” our spy warns. “He’s clearly wasted Lauren’s time, so offers to buy her lunch to make up for it.

“But it’s when he pops off that the mystery figure swoops in, attacking an unsuspecting Lauren and speeding away with the car.”

Mark rushes to help Lauren and takes her back home to the Square, where horrified Max and Peter step in to comfort her.

But did Mark’s gangster associates target Lauren as a warning to him, or is there another explanation?