Terrence Powell answered.
“Aaron?”
“I’m at Summit Air.”
“How’s the plane?”
“I haven’t seen it.”
Pause.
“What happened?”
“I need you here.”
Terrence’s tone changed.
“What do you need?”
“Bring the financial package. Everything.”
“Are you safe?”
Aaron glanced at Craig.
“Yes.”
“How fast?”
“Now.”
“I’m forty minutes away.”
“Make it less.”
Terrence ended the call.
Craig rolled his eyes.
“Calling your banker?”
Aaron placed the phone away.
“Something like that.”
“Good.”
Craig pointed toward the doors.
“You can meet him outside.”
Aaron sat back down.
“No.”
Craig stared.
“What?”
“I’ll wait here.”
“This isn’t a bus station.”
“I have an appointment.”
“I’m telling you to leave.”
“And I’m telling you I intend to wait for your manager.”
Craig stood there.
Aaron crossed one leg over the other.
No raised voice.
No threat.
No disturbance.
That calm irritated Craig more than anger would have.
Ten minutes passed.
The showroom returned to fake normality.
Nobody was normal.
The receptionist typed without producing much actual work.
Garrett drank coffee that had gone cold.
The couple in the consultation room kept glancing through the glass.
Craig paced.
Eventually he disappeared into a rear office.
Two minutes later, he returned carrying a laminated page.
“All right.”
Aaron looked up.
“I tried to be reasonable.”
Aaron almost laughed.
Craig held the page toward him.
“Company policy. Any prospective client requesting access to aircraft valued above ten million dollars must provide verified financial documentation before a viewing.”
Aaron held out his hand.
“May I?”
Craig hesitated.
Then passed it over.
Aaron examined the page.
No corporate header.
No revision date.
No policy number.
No signature.
No branding.
Cheap lamination.
“Where is the policy identifier?”
“What?”
“Internal policies normally have a document number.”
Craig said nothing.
“Effective date?”
“It’s internal.”
“Approval?”
Craig snatched it back.
“You’re not an auditor.”
“No.”
Aaron looked toward the private consultation room.
“Did they provide financial documentation?”
Craig’s neck reddened.
“That is different.”
“How?”
“They’re qualified.”
“How did you qualify them?”
Craig leaned toward him.
“I’m done with this.”
“So am I.”
“Then leave.”
“No.”
Craig’s breathing became visibly faster.
“If you don’t leave within sixty seconds, security will remove you.”
Aaron looked at him.