The rent.
His sister.
The groceries.
Everything he had been trying to help pay for.
He unclipped the badge.
But before he could hand it over, Harold spoke.
“Wait.”
Everyone turned.
The old man slowly reached inside his coat.
He pulled out a phone.
It was an ordinary black smartphone.
Nothing about it looked important.
But Harold's entire posture changed.
The weak old man who had collapsed minutes earlier suddenly looked completely different.
His shoulders straightened.
His eyes became focused.
He made a call.
The person on the other end answered almost immediately.
Harold spoke calmly.
“I need the chief executive here.”
Reeves frowned.
“Excuse me?”
Harold ignored him.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“No security team.”
Another pause.
“Just the CEO.”
Ethan stared.
Harold ended the call.
Reeves stepped closer.
“Who exactly did you just call?”
Harold looked at him.
“The person who owns this airport.”
Reeves laughed nervously.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Harold gave him a quiet smile.
“You don't have to believe me.”
He glanced at Ethan.