Victoria gave a small, firm smile. "Neither was saving my life tonight." Elias thought about Lena waiting at home, about the clock on the kitchen wall, about promises. Then he looked at the convoy again. "You might need someone who knows how these traps work," Victoria said.
Elias sighed quietly. He already knew she was right. And somewhere out there on a dark road, someone who had set a deadly trap now knew it had failed. The white cargo van was gone, but the tension it left behind clung to the highway like the last mist of rain. Marcus Trent stood still for a moment, staring down the access road where the van had vanished.
The taillights had disappeared quickly, swallowed by darkness and wet pavement. "They didn't even hesitate," one of the guards muttered. Marcus shook his head slowly. "No. They came to confirm the outcome."
Victoria Hale looked back at the disabled SUV. "And they confirmed it failed." Elias stood beside the vehicle tightening the last adjustment on the temporary clamp he'd installed on the brake line. The metal gave one final quiet click under his wrench. "There," he said calmly.
Marcus looked down. "That's it?" "For now." Marcus crouched to inspect the line again. The clamp held firm, gripping the damaged section tightly enough to prevent the slow leak of hydraulic fluid.
"You sure this will hold?" Elias nodded. "It'll hold long enough to move the vehicle slowly." Victoria studied the repair with quiet interest. "You did that in the rain with a bag of basic tools."
Elias wiped his hands on the rag again. "Tools matter less than knowing where the problem is." Marcus straightened and looked down the road again. "Which means whoever set the trap knows we're still alive." "Yeah," Elias replied.
"And if they were watching," Marcus added, "they saw you fix it." Elias didn't seem concerned. "That's fine." Marcus frowned. "You're not worried about that?"
Elias shook his head. "People who plan something like this don't care who fixes the first problem." Victoria tilted her head slightly. "Because they already planned a second one." Elias nodded.
Marcus let out a quiet breath. "That's exactly what I didn't want to hear." The security chief walked toward the convoy vehicles and spoke quietly with two of his agents. Radios crackled softly as instructions spread through the team. Victoria remained beside Elias.
"You're very calm for someone who just discovered a murder attempt," she said. Elias glanced toward the road. "Calm helps you see what everyone else misses." Victoria gave a faint smile. That sounds like training.
It is. Thunder rolled faintly in the distance as the clouds began to thin. Marcus returned a moment later. "We're changing the route," he said. Victoria nodded immediately.
"Good. The convoy will head south instead of taking the interstate." Elias listened carefully. Marcus continued, "Less predictable. Fewer high-speed curves."
Victoria crossed her arms. "That still leaves the question of who planned this." Marcus nodded. "And why tonight?" Elias spoke quietly.
"You said you were taking a call at the gas station." Victoria nodded. "Yes. Work call?" She hesitated slightly. "Confidential meeting arrangements."
Marcus looked at her. "The board meeting tomorrow?" Victoria didn't respond, but Elias noticed the subtle tension that crossed her face. "That meeting important?" he asked.
Victoria answered simply, "Very." Marcus looked toward the repaired SUV again. "If someone wanted to stop that meeting from happening, they might start by removing the person running it." Elias finished. Victoria exhaled slowly.
That narrows the list of suspects considerably. Marcus nodded grimly. "Corporate rivals, political enemies, anyone affected by tomorrow's vote." Elias didn't ask what the vote involved. He didn't need to.
Power always created enemies. The convoy engines idled patiently around them. Marcus turned to the security driver nearest the repaired SUV. "Bring the flatbed truck." The driver nodded and moved toward the rear of the convoy.
Elias raised a hand slightly. "Wait." Marcus looked back at him. What? "Flatbed might trigger the pressure shift, too."
Marcus frowned. "You said it would hold for slow driving." Victoria glanced between them. "So, we drive it?" Elias nodded.
"Carefully." Marcus rubbed his temples. "That's a million-dollar armored vehicle." "Then treat it gently." Elias said.
Victoria almost laughed. Marcus looked at him again. "You're coming with us." Elias sighed quietly. "I figured."
Marcus gestured toward the front passenger seat of the damaged SUV. "You ride there." Elias blinked. "You trust me that much already?" Marcus shook his head.
"I trust you more than a mechanical failure I don't understand." Victoria smiled faintly. "That's practically a compliment." Elias looked toward his pickup truck parked a few yards away. His old truck sat alone in the rain, headlights off, tools scattered in the bed from the tire job.
Inside the cab was his phone. And on that phone were two missed calls from home. He imagined Lena staring at the clock again. Marcus followed his gaze. "You got somewhere to be?"
Elias hesitated. "My daughter." Victoria's voice softened slightly. "How old?" "Nine."
Marcus glanced at the convoy. "This won't take long." Elias wasn't convinced. But he also knew something else. Someone had just tried to kill this woman.
And whoever had done it was still out there. If the trap had worked, he would have driven away never knowing. Instead, he had seen it. And once you saw something like that, you couldn't pretend you hadn't. He grabbed his tool bag and tossed it into the back seat of the SUV.
Marcus opened the driver's door. "All right," he said. "Let's get this moving." Elias slid into the passenger seat. Victoria stepped into the rear seat behind them.
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.