"Still haven't figured it out, Mercer? You don't belong here anymore. Whatever you think you're doing, whatever little crusade you've got going with your new friend, it's over. Go home."
Caleb looked at him for a long moment.
Then he nodded once and turned toward the parking lot. There was nothing more to say here.
He had taken three steps when the sound began.
At first, it was a low whisper on the edge of hearing. And then it was a rising roar that rolled across the flat prairie and rattled the glass in the doors.
People turned. Workers on the flight line pulled off their ear protection and shaded their eyes.
A silver private jet dropped out of the pale sky, swept low over the fence line, and touched down on the private runway beside the complex with a sharp chirp of tires.
The jet taxied to a stop 100 yards from where Caleb stood.
By now, nearly 200 people had poured onto the frozen apron.
Dorian had stopped smiling.
The cabin door lowered.
Two attorneys in dark overcoats stepped down first, briefcases in hand. Then Nolan Pierce, carrying a leather folder. Then four people in plain clothes, with lanyards that read Independent Compliance Review.
And finally, Vivien Ashford.
In a tailored black suit, her hair pulled back, walking down the airstairs as though she owned the ground beneath them. Which, in every meaningful sense, she did.
She walked past the executives hurrying out of the main building and stopped in front of Caleb.
She spoke loud enough for everyone on that apron to hear.
"You were fired," she said, "for saving me."
A murmur ran through the crowd, like wind through wheat.
Somebody near the back said, "Wait. That's her."
Troy Hadley's jaw dropped. Brody, the guard, took an involuntary step backward.
Vivien turned slightly, so she was facing the crowd, but she kept her hand lightly on Caleb's arm.
"I came here today," she said, "to collect the only person at this company who saved my life."
Dorian found his voice. He came down the steps quickly, his coffee forgotten.
"Miss Ashford, with all due respect, this is a personnel matter at my facility. This man was terminated for documented violations. You can't just..."
"I'm the chief executive officer of this company, Mr. Voss," Vivien said, without raising her voice at all. "And the largest shareholder. There is nothing at this facility that I can't just..."
She held out her hand, and Nolan placed something in it. A plastic badge on a black lanyard.
Vivien turned and hung it around Caleb's neck herself.
He looked down.