The truth hit Julian like a physical blow. The quiet man in the worn gray hoodie, the traveler he had tried to bribe with a hundred-dollar bill, the passenger he had smugly evicted from Suite 1A—was a senior Boeing 777 airline captain who held absolute authority over every system on the plane.
Leo turned toward the door, slinging his duffel bag higher on his shoulder. He passed Julian without slowing down, catching his eye for just a split second. Leo offered Julian a single, calm, unhurried wink—a subtle mic drop to end the night—and walked off the aircraft into the bright morning air of London Heathrow. Julian stood motionless in the aisle, Beatrice silently glaring beside him, holding his crushed boarding stubs with absolutely nothing left to say.