The convoy engines roared to life around them. Marcus started the vehicle carefully. The repaired brake line held. Slowly, cautiously, the convoy pulled back onto the wet highway. And as they began moving again into the night, none of them realized the person who had set the trap was already planning the next one.
The repaired SUV rolled forward slowly, easing onto the wet highway with the rest of the convoy forming a protective wall around it. Marcus Trent kept both hands steady on the wheel, his eyes flicking between the road ahead and the dashboard indicators. The brake pressure gauge held steady for now. Elias sat in the passenger seat watching the road the way he had earlier on the shoulder. Not the vehicles around them.
Not the convoy. The road. Victoria Hale leaned forward slightly from the backseat. Her voice calm, but firm. Speed?
35, Marcus answered. That's slow. Slow is safe, Marcus replied. Elias nodded. For the next few miles, yeah.
The rain had softened into a mist now, leaving the pavement slick and reflective beneath the headlights. The rest of the security vehicles spread out around them in a tight protective formation. Marcus spoke quietly into the radio clipped near his collar. Convoy maintaining low speed. Route change confirmed.
Southbound. A voice crackled back with acknowledgement. Victoria rested her hand against the back of the front seat. How far to the alternate road? Marcus glanced at the navigation screen.
About eight miles. Elias leaned slightly toward the windshield, watching the faint curve of the road ahead. That's where you'll want to slow again, he said. Marcus frowned. You memorizing the road?
Elias shrugged faintly. Habit. Victoria studied the back of his head. You really did spend a long time doing this. Elias didn't answer directly.
Instead, he said, "Road conditions tell you a lot if you pay attention." Marcus drove in silence for another minute before speaking again. You said earlier that whoever set the trap probably planned a backup. Yeah. You still think that?
Elias's eyes remained on the highway. I know they did. Marcus tightened his grip on the wheel slightly. You're very certain. Because they came back.
Victoria nodded behind them. The van, Elias, continued watching the dark road stretching ahead. "That wasn't someone panicking," he said. "That was someone checking the result." Marcus nodded slowly.
"Which means they were close." "Exactly." The convoy lights reflected across a line of wet guardrails as the road dipped into a shallow valley. Victoria broke the silence. "You still haven't explained something."
Elias glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "What?" "How a mechanic spots a professional sabotage job faster than a trained security team." Marcus smirked slightly. "I was wondering the same thing."
Elias exhaled quietly. "You ever watch something break apart in slow motion?" he asked. Marcus frowned. "What?" "Convoys hit by mechanical traps," Elias said.
"Vehicles designed to fail exactly when the attackers need them to." Victoria's eyes narrowed. "You're describing military sabotage." Elias didn't confirm it. But he didn't deny it, either.