Chapter 2
I said, "It's your watch, your job. If anything happens, it's on you. You risked everyone's lives on this plane just because you wanted some fresh air.
"How dare you blame me? Even if I wanted to take revenge, I wouldn't have the guts to smash the emergency glass."
Kylie held her forehead, red and sore, her face ghostly pale.
She snapped, "Does that matter? We're in a life-or-death situation. Whenever someone else needs help, you're always there for them. However, when it's me, you just ignore me.
"You're just mad that Mike likes me, so you're taking it out on me."
The way she acted, all weak and helpless, made a few passengers around us start to resent me.
"You're just doing this on purpose, throwing your weight around because you're a senior here."
"How can you be so cruel, refusing to help when people are in danger? You don't deserve that job."
However, one of my coworkers immediately jumped in to defend me. "Kylie, you're twisting things. Zoe has been covering shifts nonstop for three months. Can't she just get a break for once?
"Whenever we tell you to pick up some emergency skills, you always find a way to slack off. What gives you the right to blame Zoe now?"
Another colleague backed her up, "Yeah. Zoe is off the clock right now. She doesn't owe you anything."
The passengers started throwing shade at Kylie again, and some even wondered if she was really qualified for this job.
Her face went pale, and she shrank back against the wall, shaking all over.
Just then, Mike Jones's voice snapped over the intercom. "Shut up, all of you."
Then his voice softened, gentle and caring. "Kylie, don't be scared. I'm here for you."
He immediately snapped at us, "Kylie is just a young girl. She got nervous and made a mistake. You guys are her seniors. Just be patient with her.
"Zoe, get this sorted out now."
I picked up the phone and sneered. "I'm a passenger now. You have no right to order me around."
I cast a glance at the shattered window, and my heart skipped a beat.
The food cart wedged against the opening was nearly crushed flat, cracks spiderwebbing around the edges of the glass.
Even though the plane was dropping fast, we were still a long way from the ground.
If things kept going like this, the air currents could tear the plane apart in ten minutes or so.
I wanted nothing more than to watch Mike and Kylie get what they deserved, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let myself or a whole plane full of innocent people be killed.
I put the call on speaker so everyone could hear.
I said, "I can fix this mess, but I've got two conditions."
The cabin went dead silent, every eye glued to me.
My voice was icy as I spelled it out. "First, you're going to tell the control tower exactly what Kylie did. You'll admit you covered for her because of your personal feelings, and that you're not fit to be a captain anymore.
"You'll ground yourself indefinitely, and it goes on your permanent record.
"Second, Kylie is going to apologize to everyone on this plane."
As soon as I finished, Mike's furious voice exploded over the speaker.
He said, "Zoe, stop talking nonsense. Kylie and I are just colleagues. And you're just a flight attendant. Who do you think you are, telling the captain what to do?"
Hearing that, the passengers started shouting all at once.
"Just colleagues? You keep calling her name sweetly like you're her boyfriend."
"The captain is protecting her. Is he gonna let us all die just for that woman?"
"Get your sweetheart here and apologize to all of us."
Kylie's face twisted, pale, then flushed.
Suddenly, she dashed to the cockpit and started pounding on the door with both fists. "Mike. Help me. They're trying to kill me."
A few coworkers scrambled to hold her back.
No one was ever allowed to rush into the cockpit mid-flight, and that was an absolute rule, especially not when things were going south.
Hailey snapped, "You're a lunatic. Messing with the cockpit will get us all killed."
However, Mike's voice came over the intercom. "Let her in. Don't stop her. I'm the captain. I call the shots here."