Captain Hayes stared at the instrument panel.
“Did she say anything about her father?”
“No.”
The captain closed his eyes briefly.
He knew the name.
Everyone in the aviation industry knew it.
David Coleman.
Founder and chief executive of Coleman Aerospace Systems.
A man who had designed aircraft safety technology used by airlines across the world.
More importantly, David Coleman had once saved Captain Hayes's career.
Four years earlier, Hayes had been involved in an investigation after an emergency landing.
The aircraft had survived.
But the investigation had revealed a manufacturing defect that could have killed hundreds.
David Coleman had provided the technical evidence that exposed the defect.
Hayes never forgot it.
“Does Mr. Coleman know she's traveling alone?” he asked.
“I assume so.”
“Don't assume.”
The attendant nodded.
“Should I ask her?”
“No.”
Hayes looked toward the cabin.
“Let her sit.”
There was a pause.
“And Captain?”
“Yes?”
“Richard Bennett is sitting beside her.”
Hayes's expression changed.
“Richard Bennett?”
“Yes.”
The captain slowly exhaled.
Of all the passengers on Flight 212, Richard Bennett was perhaps the last person he wanted sitting beside David Coleman's daughter.
Bennett was a major investor in several aviation companies.
He was also currently involved in a regulatory dispute with Coleman Aerospace.
The two men had been publicly hostile for months.
Hayes looked at the clock.
Boarding would close in two minutes.
“Keep an eye on the cabin.”
The attendant nodded.
When she returned, she found Richard Bennett standing beside 2A.
“You need to move,” she said.
Richard frowned.
“Excuse me?”
“Your assigned seat is 2C.”
“I've always sat here.”
“Not today.”
Richard glanced at Zara.
“This is absurd.”
Zara said nothing.
The flight attendant remained polite.
“Sir, please take your assigned seat.”
Richard gathered his newspaper.
Before moving, he leaned close to Zara.
“You seem remarkably comfortable for someone who doesn't understand how the world works.”
Zara looked at him.
“I understand that seat numbers matter.”
A passenger across the aisle nearly smiled.
Richard noticed.
His face darkened.
He moved to 2C.
The boarding door began closing.
And then Richard's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
Unknown number.
He answered.
“Hello?”
A voice said only six words.
Richard's expression changed.
“Is that confirmed?”
He stood completely still.
Then he looked toward Zara.
For the first time that morning, he seemed afraid.
— Her Father's Rule
Zara had been taught not to panic.
Her father had never taught her that the world was fair.
He had taught her something more useful.
Be prepared when it isn't.
David Coleman had raised Zara differently after her mother died.
Her mother, Elena, had been an aerospace engineer.
She had died when Zara was eight.
Since then, father and daughter had become unusually close.
David worked too much.
Zara knew that.
But whenever he came home, he made time for her.
Homework.
Dinner.
Walks.
Sometimes just sitting silently together.
He had three rules.
Always tell the truth.
Never use your family name to frighten people.
And never confuse wealth with worth.
Zara remembered the third rule whenever she saw people behaving like Richard Bennett.
She had heard the phone conversation earlier.
She hadn't heard everything.
But she had heard one sentence.
“Is that confirmed?”
Now Richard sat stiffly across the aisle.
He kept looking at his phone.
The flight attendant made the final cabin announcement.
“Please ensure all electronic devices are in airplane mode…”
Zara looked outside.
The boarding door was nearly closed.
Then a ground employee appeared beyond the glass.
He was speaking urgently into a radio.
Captain Hayes saw him.
The captain's face became tense.
The aircraft door stopped halfway through closing.
Something was wrong.
A moment later, the senior flight attendant approached Zara.
“Miss Coleman?”
“Yes?”
“Could you please come with me?”
Richard looked up.
Zara frowned.
“Why?”
The attendant lowered her voice.
“The captain would like to speak with you.”
Zara glanced toward the cockpit.
“Is something wrong?”
“I don't know.”
Richard stood.
“I'll come.”
The attendant immediately shook her head.