Amara stepped forward.
“I said move.”
The mechanic stopped working entirely.
Nina descended another stair.
Collins moved directly in front of Amara.
They were less than two feet apart now.
He was taller.
He wanted that to matter.
Amara looked up without stepping backward.
Collins said quietly:
“You think because you're dressed expensive I’m supposed to assume you belong here?”
Amara's expression changed.
There.
Something more honest had finally appeared.
“What do you assume?”
He looked over her outfit.
“You really want me to answer?”
“Yes.”
Collins smiled.
“You look like somebody trying very hard to look like money.”
The mechanic's eyebrows rose.
Nina whispered:
“Derek.”
He ignored her.
Amara tilted her head.
“And what does real money look like?”
Collins hesitated.
Only briefly.
“Not this.”
His gaze moved over her clothes again.
Amara's voice became softer.
“That answer is going to become very expensive.”
He scoffed.
“Threatening security now?”
“No.”
“I’m warning you.”
“That’s not better.”
“It wasn’t intended to be.”
He reached for his radio.
“Security, north ramp. I have an unauthorized individual attempting access to the Sterling Aerospace aircraft.”
Amara stared at him.
The radio crackled.
Someone acknowledged.
Collins looked satisfied.
“Now we wait.”
Amara checked her watch.
“No.”
She stepped past him.
That was when he grabbed her.
His hand closed around her upper arm.
Firm.
Not a guiding touch.
A restraint.
Amara stopped.
Everything around them seemed to stop with her.
The mechanic lowered his wrench.
Nina froze.
Another flight attendant appeared in the aircraft doorway.
Two suited men near the terminal looked over.
A driver beside the black SUV took one step forward.
Amara looked down at Collins’s hand.
Her face changed very little.
That made it worse.
Collins mistook stillness for hesitation.
“Don't make me tell you again.”
Amara looked up.
“Let go.”
The words were quiet.
He smirked.
“Or what?”
Nina came off the stairs.
“Derek, release her.”
He turned his head slightly.
“Stay out of it.”
“She hasn’t done anything.”
“She’s trying to enter a secured aircraft.”
Amara's eyes never left Collins.
“Let go.”
He tightened his grip slightly.
The movement was small.
Everyone saw it.
Amara stepped closer instead of trying to pull away.
Collins’s confidence flickered.
Not because she threatened him physically.
Because she had removed the response he expected.
Fear.
Apology.
Explanation.
Amara said:
“Take one more second to think about what your hand is doing.”
Collins leaned toward her.
“You take one more step and I’ll put you face-down on this tarmac.”
A mechanic muttered:
“Jesus.”
Amara looked at Collins.
“Try it.”
He blinked.
Her voice hardened.
“I want everyone here to watch you destroy your career with both hands.”
His face reddened.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The attitude.”
Amara almost laughed.
“Which attitude?”
“You think you're somebody.”
“I know exactly who I am.”
“And I’m telling you that means nothing here.”
Amara looked at his radio.
“Answer it when it starts talking.”
Collins stared.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
He laughed.
“You think somebody's coming to save you?”
Amara slowly reached into her handbag with her free hand.
Collins immediately shifted his body.
“Keep your hand where I can see it
Amara stopped.
Then smiled.
Not pleasantly.
“Derek.”
“What?”
“You have your hand on the owner of the aircraft.”
He laughed hard enough that several people visibly winced.
“Sure.”
Amara continued.
“The owner of Sterling Aerospace.”
His smile remained.
“And the person whose procurement office signed Sentinel’s renewal contract last quarter.”
The smile weakened.
Not enough.
Collins looked toward the waiting jet.
Then back at her.
“Nice story.”
Amara withdrew her phone.
He did not stop her this time.
She unlocked it.
Collins watched.
“You going to call your lawyer?”
“No.”
“Your boyfriend?”
Amara's eyes narrowed.
Nina said sharply:
“Derek, that’s enough.”
Collins rounded on her.
“I told you to stay out of it.”
Nina stopped.
Amara noticed.
That mattered too.
She looked at Collins again.
“You just made your second serious mistake.”
He scoffed.
“The first was touching me.”
“And the second?”
“Thinking the employee who told you to stop is beneath you too.”
Collins shifted his grip.
Amara's voice went ice-cold.
“Remove your hand.”
He leaned closer.
“No.”
One of the suited men near the terminal pulled out a phone.
Collins saw.
“Put that away.”
The man did not.
Collins raised his free hand.
“I said—”
Static exploded from his shoulder radio.
Everyone stopped.
A voice followed.
“Collins.”
He looked down.
The radio crackled again.
“Collins, stand down immediately.”
His hand loosened slightly.
Amara did not move.
Collins pressed the radio button.
“Repeat?”
The voice returned.
“Stand down now. Release Ms. Sterling and step away from the aircraft.”
Nina's eyes widened.
The mechanic slowly straightened.
Collins stared at the radio.
“Ms. who?”
The reply came sharper.
“Amara Sterling.”
Silence.
Collins looked at Amara.
For the first time, he actually looked.
Not at the clothes.