“I'm sorry, Mr. Bennett. The captain specifically requested Miss Coleman.”
Richard looked offended.
“I'm responsible for this cabin.”
“No, sir. You're a passenger.”
Silence.
Zara stood.
She followed the attendant toward the cockpit.
As she passed Richard, she noticed something on his phone screen.
A photograph.
It showed Richard standing beside several men in suits.
One of them was her father.
Zara stopped.
Richard quickly turned the screen away.
She said nothing.
But she remembered the photograph.
And she suddenly understood something.
Richard Bennett wasn't just a man who had taken the wrong seat.
He knew her father.
And whatever had just happened on the ground had something to do with both of them.
— The Captain's Question
Captain Hayes looked at Zara with unusual seriousness.
“Miss Coleman, I want to apologize for the confusion.”
“About the seat?”
“Yes.”
“You didn't cause it.”
He smiled faintly.
“No. I didn't.”
He hesitated.
“Do you know why you're flying to Seattle?”
“My father has a meeting.”
“With whom?”
“I'm not sure.”
“Did he tell you anything unusual before you left?”
Zara thought.
“He told me to keep my phone charged.”
The captain's eyebrows lifted.
“Anything else?”
“He said if anyone asked me questions about his work, I should tell them I don't know anything.”
Hayes became very still.
“Did he say why?”
“No.”
The captain exchanged a glance with the flight attendant.
“Miss Coleman, has anyone contacted you this morning?”
“Only my father.”
“What did he say?”
“That he would meet me at the airport.”
“Anything else?”
“He told me not to leave with anyone except him.”
Captain Hayes leaned back.
Now he understood.
David Coleman wasn't simply sending his daughter to Seattle.
He was protecting her.
But from whom?
Before Hayes could ask another question, the cockpit door opened.
A security officer appeared.
“Captain.”
Hayes stood.
“What happened?”
“We received a report concerning a passenger.”
“Who?”
The officer looked at Zara.
“Her father requested that we keep her protected until landing.”
Zara's eyes widened.
“My father did?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
The officer hesitated.
“Because there may be someone on board who is connected to a security investigation.”
Zara felt her stomach tighten.
“Who?”
The officer looked toward the cabin.
“Richard Bennett.”
— The Man in 2C
Richard Bennett had spent thirty years building an empire.
He had learned how to control rooms.
How to intimidate executives.
How to make people reconsider decisions without raising his voice.
But now he sat in 2C with sweat gathering beneath his collar.
He had just received confirmation that federal investigators had obtained the documents.
Documents he believed were gone.
Documents that could destroy him.
He looked at Zara.
She was reading a paperback novel.
Calm.
Unaware.
Or pretending to be.
Richard remembered the photograph.
David Coleman.
Four years ago.
A private meeting.
A contract.
A transfer.
And one signature.
His signature.
The problem was that David Coleman had discovered what Richard had done.
Richard had manipulated a procurement agreement involving aircraft components.
He had concealed safety reports.
He had made millions.
David had found out.
But instead of exposing him immediately, David had given him a choice.
Return the money.
Cooperate.
Walk away.
Richard had refused.
Since then, he had spent four years protecting the secret.
Now the secret was coming back.
And David's daughter was sitting twelve inches away.
Richard stood.
He approached her.
“Zara.”
She looked up.
“Yes?”
“I owe you an apology.”
She closed her book.
“For what?”
“For what I said earlier.”
Zara studied him.
“Which part?”
Richard hesitated.
“The part where I said you didn't belong in First Class.”
She nodded.
“Okay.”
“I was wrong.”
“I know.”
Richard blinked.
“You know?”
“You were wrong about the seat.”
“That isn't what I meant.”
Zara smiled slightly.
“My father says people often apologize because they want something.”
Richard's face tightened.
“What does your father say about trusting strangers?”
“He says trust should be earned.”
Richard looked toward the cockpit.
“You're a smart girl.”
“So my father says.”
Richard leaned closer.
“Your father and I have business history.”
“I know.”
“You do?”