Chapter 2 - THE MAN IN ROW TWENTY-EIGHT
Everything happened at once.
The aircraft jolted violently.
Oxygen masks dropped.
Passengers screamed.
The man in the navy jacket grabbed the edge of a seat to steady himself.
His jacket opened.
I saw the gun.
Cassandra saw it too.
Her face went white.
She immediately pulled Luke and Violet against her.
“Get down.”
I stood.
The man looked directly at me.
“Damon.”
He knew my name.
That was the moment I stopped thinking like a businessman.
I stepped into the aisle.
“Who are you?”
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at Cassandra.
“You shouldn't have contacted him.”
Cassandra shook her head.
“I didn't.”
He looked confused.
Then his eyes moved toward me.
“Then who did?”
I realized something.
Someone else had arranged this meeting.
Someone had wanted me to discover Cassandra.
The man took one step toward us.
A flight attendant shouted from the front.
“Sir, sit down!”
He ignored her.
I moved between him and Cassandra.
“You're going to put the weapon away.”
He laughed quietly.
“You have no idea what's happening.”
“I know you're carrying a gun on a commercial flight.”
“I know.”
“Then you also know you're about to make the worst decision of your life.”
His expression changed.
For a second, he looked almost sympathetic.
“You're not the target.”
“Who is?”
He looked at Cassandra.
“She is.”
Cassandra's eyes widened.
Then the plane shook again.
The man lost his balance.
I lunged.
The gun hit the floor.
A passenger screamed.
I kicked it beneath a seat.
The man grabbed my jacket.
We struggled.
He was stronger than he looked.
Then another passenger tackled him from behind.
Within seconds, several men had pinned him down.
Flight attendants rushed toward us.
The cabin descended into chaos.
I grabbed Cassandra's hand.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
Luke was crying.
Violet had buried her face against her mother's shoulder.
I knelt.
“Hey.”
Luke looked at me.
“Are we going to die?”
“No.”
I glanced at Cassandra.
“Not tonight.”
The plane eventually landed under heavy police escort.
The passengers were kept onboard while federal officers searched the aircraft.
The man was taken away.
Before leaving, he looked directly at me.
“You need to understand something.”
I stepped closer.
“What?”
“Your father didn't die because of a heart attack.”
My entire body went still.
“What did you say?”
He smiled bitterly.
“Ask your lawyer about the Halcyon account.”
Then officers dragged him away.
Cassandra grabbed my arm.
“Don't.”
“Don't what?”
“Start digging.”
“Cassandra, my father may have been murdered.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because I was there.”
I stared at her.
She began crying.
“Three years ago, the night I disappeared, your father came to see me.”
“What happened?”
“He told me to leave you.”
“Why?”
“Because he knew he was going to die.”
I couldn't speak.
Cassandra wiped her tears.
“He said someone inside your family was selling company information.”
“Who?”
“He didn't say.”
“Why not?”
“He said if I knew the name, they would kill me too.”
A federal agent approached.
“Mr. Hayes?”
“Yes?”
“You need to come with us.”
“Why?”
He looked toward Cassandra.
“We found something in the suspect's luggage.”
“What?”
“A photograph of your children.”
Cassandra's face collapsed.
The agent continued.
“And another photograph.”
He handed it to me.
It showed me.
Standing outside my office.
Taken yesterday.
Someone had been watching me before I ever saw Cassandra.
The agent lowered his voice.
“This isn't an isolated incident.”
He looked at the children.
“Your family has been under surveillance for years.”
I looked at Cassandra.
May you like
She whispered:
“Now you understand why I ran.”
