If that van followed the convoy, then the driver knows the plan failed, Elias said. Marcus nodded grimly. "Which means they'll adjust." Another guard jogged toward them. Sir.
"Remaining vehicles are clear," Marcus said, exhaling with relief. At least the convoy itself is safe. Elias glanced back at the disabled SUV. "Except that one." Marcus nodded.
"We'll tow it." Elias shook his head. Marcus frowned. "What?" "If the brake line's cut the way I think it is, towing could trigger the failure, too."
Marcus stared at him. "You're telling me the car is basically a rolling trap." "Pretty much." Victoria sighed softly. "Wonderful."
The rain slowed further, leaving only a light drizzle now. Marcus stepped closer to Elias. All right, he said. You've clearly seen things like this before. Elias didn't deny it.
So, I'm asking directly, Marcus continued, "What's the safest way to move that vehicle?" Elias looked at the damaged wheel again, then he looked down the highway, then back at Marcus. "You don't move it yet." Marcus frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You stabilize the brake pressure first." Marcus crossed his arms. "And how do we do that?" Elias tilted his head slightly. "With the right tools."
Marcus gestured toward the convoy. "We have tools." Elias shook his head. "Not the kind this needs." Victoria's eyes narrowed.
"You're saying you know how to fix it?" Elias nodded. Marcus looked skeptical. "In the rain? On the side of the highway?"
Elias shrugged. "I've worked in worse places." Marcus studied him carefully. "You really were around military vehicles, weren't you?" Elias didn't answer.
Victoria looked between them. "Marcus?" "Yes, ma'am?" "Let him try." Marcus hesitated.
Every instinct told him to rely on his own team, but the evidence sitting behind that wheel was impossible to ignore. Finally, he nodded. "All right," he said slowly. He turned back to Elias. "Show us how it's done."
The mechanic stepped toward the damaged wheel again. And as he knelt down in the fading rain, every guard in that convoy watched carefully. Because the quiet man fixing a tire was about to become the most important person on that entire highway. Elias knelt beside the wheel again, rainwater dripping from the edge of the SUV onto the back of his jacket. The convoy's headlights cast long white beams across the pavement, turning the small patch of road into a makeshift operating table.
Marcus Trent stood close behind him, arms folded, watching every movement. "You said stabilize the brake pressure." Marcus said. "Yeah." Elias replied calmly.
"And you can do that here?" Elias opened the worn tool bag he'd pulled from the bed of his pickup parked a few yards behind them. Inside were ordinary tools, wrenches, clamps, a pressure gauge taped together with old electrical tape. Nothing about it looked impressive. But Elias handled each piece with quiet precision.