That's the point. Marcus looked up at him.
What do you mean? Elias glanced toward the convoy of SUVs lined along the shoulder.
Whoever did it didn't want the car to fail here, he said. They wanted it to fail later.
Victoria's voice dropped. At speed.
Elias nodded. Marcus rose quickly, turning to his team.
No one moves that vehicle. The command snaps through the rain like a whip.
Two guards immediately block the road lane behind the disabled SUV, while another scanned the surrounding woods with a flashlight. Victoria crossed her arms, studying the quiet mechanic standing in front of her.
You noticed this while fixing the tire? She asked.
Part of it. And you didn't say anything earlier?
Elias shrugged faintly. You were in a hurry.
And I wasn't sure yet. Marcus faced him again.
You're telling me you spotted a professional sabotage job in 5 minutes, on the side of a highway? Elias glanced back at the wheel.
Closer to three. Marcus exhaled slowly.
Frustration warring with logic. The rain continued to fall harder now, drumming against the convoy roofs.
Victoria tilted her head slightly. What's your name?
She asked. Elias.
Just Elias? Elias Rowan.
Marcus studied him more carefully now. Grease-stained boots, old jacket, calloused hands.
Nothing about the man fit the calm certainty he had just shown. Marcus spoke again, slower this time.
If this is sabotage, then whoever did it expected her to drive away. Exactly.
Victoria looked at the damaged wheel. And if we had?
Elias met her gaze. You probably wouldn't make it to the next exit.
Silence followed. Even the traffic seemed quieter for a moment.
Marcus turned to one of his men. Full sweep of the vehicle.
The guard nodded and moved immediately. Victoria remained where she was, watching the mechanic in the rain.
You stopped because you wanted to help, she said. Yeah.
And now you're telling me someone tried to kill me. Elias didn't look away.
I'm telling you someone set a trap. Marcus stepped back toward them.
If that's true, he said slowly, then we have a bigger problem. Victoria nodded.
Yes, she said quietly. Then she looked again at the single dad standing beside the wheel.
Which means, she added, we might also have the right person standing in the rain. Marcus frowned.
Ma'am? Victoria gestured toward Elias.
He saw something my entire security team missed. Marcus looked at the mechanic again.
Rain ran down Elias's hairline, but he didn't move. Marcus crossed his arms.
"Mr. Rowan," he said carefully, "how exactly did you learn to spot something like this?" Elias hesitated.
Not long, just long enough for the old life he'd buried to brush briefly against the present. "Let's just say," he said quietly, "I used to work around vehicles that people really wanted destroyed."
Marcus stared at him.
The rain grew heavier. And for the first time since the convoy arrived, the most powerful people on that dark stretch of highway were listening to the quiet mechanic.
The next moments on that roadside would prove exactly why. Because Elias Rowan wasn't finished looking at that car yet.
Marcus Trent remained crouched beside the wheel long after Elias finished speaking. Rainwater slid down the edge of the SUV and dripped steadily onto the pavement, forming a thin stream that ran toward the gutter of the shoulder.
The security chief didn't like what he was seeing, and he liked even less that the man who'd spotted it first was standing there in worn boots with a socket wrench still lying beside him.
"Flashlight," Marcus said.
One of his men handed it over instantly. The beam cut through the rain and illuminated the brake assembly.
For several seconds, Marcus said nothing. The thin incision in the line was almost invisible unless you knew exactly where to look.
He did now.