The Airline Fired a Single Dad—Hours Later, a Jet Lost Both Engines
Chapter 12
Marcus’s blood froze.
He called Ava’s school.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
His protection team had already moved her.
But the investigators couldn’t confirm the new location because communication systems had been compromised.
Marcus felt helpless.
Then his phone rang.
Ava.
“Dad?”
Marcus almost collapsed with relief.
“Baby, where are you?”
“I’m with Aunt Lisa.”
He closed his eyes.
“Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
“Stay with her.”
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
Marcus swallowed.
“I will be.”
Ava was quiet.
Then she whispered,
“Come home.”
“I will.”
He ended the call.
Rebecca watched him.
“You should go.”
Marcus shook his head.
“Not until this is over.”
They returned to the federal command center.
Kevin was found two hours later.
He surrendered.
He was broken.
“I can take you to Knox.”
“Where?”
Kevin pointed to an old maintenance facility outside the city.
“He has a server there.”
“What kind?”
“Flight-control network access.”
Marcus stared at him.
“Why?”
“To create failures remotely.”
“Why aircraft?”
Kevin looked down.
“Money.”
The scheme was bigger than the airline.
Insurance companies had been involved.
Shell corporations.
Contractors.
Investors.
Aircraft could be deliberately compromised, grounded, written off, and replaced.
But the sabotage of passenger flights had been added when investigators got too close.
Knox had turned a financial scheme into murder.
Marcus asked,
“Why me?”
Kevin looked at him.
“Because you wouldn’t stop reporting.”
Marcus nodded.
“I know.”
Kevin whispered,
“He hated you.”
Marcus almost smiled.
“Good.”
The federal team raided the maintenance facility that night.
They found Gerald Knox inside.
He was trying to destroy the servers.
Agents arrested him before he could.
But Knox refused to speak.
Until Marcus walked into the room.
Knox looked at him.
“You.”
Marcus said nothing.
Knox laughed.
“You could have had a better life.”
“I had one.”
“A promotion.”
“I had one.”
“Money.”
“I had enough.”
“You threw everything away for airplanes.”
Marcus stepped closer.
“No.”
Knox’s smile disappeared.
“I did it for people.”
Knox looked away.
“You think you’re different?”
“Yes.”
“You’re just a mechanic.”
Marcus’s expression hardened.
“Exactly.”
Knox frowned.
“I know what happens when everyone else stops paying attention.”
Marcus pointed toward the aircraft schematics.
“I notice.”
Knox laughed.
“People don’t care about the details.”
Marcus looked directly at him.
“They will when the details save their lives.”
Knox was taken away.
The servers were secured.
The network was shut down.
Amelia Grant and Daniel Price were charged.
The supplier contracts were frozen.
The investigation became one of the largest aviation corruption cases in the country.
But Marcus didn’t care about headlines.
He cared about one thing.
Going home.
When he arrived, Ava was asleep on the couch.
Marcus sat beside her.
She opened her eyes.
“Dad?”
“I’m here.”
She smiled.
“I knew you would come back.”
Marcus hugged her.
And for the first time in days, he allowed himself to cry.
