Caleb's face changed. The moment he saw it, not with panic, but with the kind of controlled fear that terrified Victoria more than shouting ever could. "Don't move the light," he said. Victoria froze the flashlight, trembling once before she locked both hands around it. "What is that? " Mara whispered from behind them.
Caleb reached slowly into the open panel, following a thin wire that had been tucked behind the factory harness with professional care. It's a delayed interrupt. If the first device kept the aircraft grounded, this one was the insurance policy. Victoria's throat tightened. Insurance for what?
Caleb looked up at her from the concrete for making sure that if you somehow got airborne, you didn't stay there. The hangar went silent except for the storm. Even the jet seemed to be holding its breath. Captain Reed swore under his breath and stepped back as if the aircraft itself had become poisonous. Victoria forced herself not to look away.
She had stood in rooms with billionaires who wanted to destroy her senators who smiled while lying to her face competitors who tried to bleed her company dry. But never had she stood beside something built to kill her quietly and realized the person behind it had been close enough to know her schedule, her habits, her blind spots. Derek Lawson had sat three seats from her at board dinners. He had toasted her father's memory. He had once placed a hand over his heart and promised he would protect Hayes meridian like family.
"Can you remove it? " she asked. Caleb's jaw flexed. "Yes, but if I cut the wrong line, the system locks itself. Then this plane won't move for 48 hours. " Mara checked the time. It's 2:46.
The board meeting starts in 14 minutes. Victoria's phone lit up again, not with Derek this time, but with a flood of messages from directors, investors, and reporters. She had not called. Someone had leaked that her aircraft was grounded. Someone wanted the market to wake up before she did.
Her empire was being taken apart one notification at a time. "He's already moving," Mara said. "Derek is telling them you're hiding a safety crisis. " Victoria stared at the green blink inside the open belly of the jet. Then we stop hiding. Caleb paused.
You want to tell them someone sabotaged your plane before we prove it? No, Victoria said. I want them to watch us prove it. She turned to Mara. Open the emergency board link now.
Mara hesitated only once before setting her tablet on a rolling maintenance cart. Within seconds, 12 small squares appeared on the screen, each filled with sleepy, irritated, powerful faces. Derek Lawson appeared in the center, perfectly dressed, as if he had been waiting for the curtain to rise. "Victoria," he said with mournful satisfaction. "This is deeply unfortunate. " Victoria stepped into frame with oil on her sleeve, her hair loosened from its perfect knot, and a flashlight in her hand.
Several board members visibly reacted. What is unfortunate, Derek, she said, is that someone installed unauthorized hardware inside my aircraft hours before a vote that benefits you if I fail to reach Seattle. Derek's expression barely shifted, but Caleb saw at the tiny tightening near his right eye, the flash of recognition that guilty men tried to bury under polish. "That is an outrageous accusation," Derek said. "I agree," Victoria replied.
"So, let's make it evidence instead. She turned the tablet toward the exposed panel. Caleb did not look at the board. He worked as if their judgment meant nothing beside the aircraft's truth. "This device is connected to the secondary flight control backup," he said, his voice steady.