Sidney gave a nod.
“Any visible leaks?”
“None,” said Sidney. “Foam’s down on the runway.”
“They’ll cycle the gear again?”
“They will.”
Cole stepped closer to Amber, wishing he could reach out and take her hand. A belly landing in a plane that size was incredibly risky.
“Gear’s down,” said Sidney, grasping the back of the sofa even as he uttered the words. “They cycled the gear one last time. They’ve got hydraulic pressure back.”
Relief rushed through Cole.
Amber dropped into an armchair, a slight tremor in her hands. “Thank goodness.”
“They’re on short final,” said Sidney, putting his phone to his ear. “Tower’s patched me in.”
They all waited, watching Sidney closely until he gave the thumbs-up. “Wheels down. It’s all good.”
“Yes,” hissed Max.
“Relief valve, do you think?” Cole posed the question to Sidney.
“They’ll have to go through the whole system.”
Roth spoke up. “Amber, get the communications director on the phone.”
Cole bristled at Roth’s abrupt tone, but Amber moved to the landline.
Roth continued talking. “We’ll call it a minor delay in the deployment of the landing gear. All safety procedures were followed, and it was an isolated incident.”
Amber stopped, looking back over her shoulder. “An isolated incident?”
“Yes.”
“We know this how?”
“Because we’ve been flying the Boonsomes for nearly ten years, and it’s never happened before.”
“I don’t like the word isolated,” said Amber.
Roth’s eyes narrowed.
“I’d suggest replacing that clause with everyone on board is safe, and there were no injuries. Once we’ve confirmed that’s the case.”
Roth squared his shoulders. “The whole point of a press release is to reassure the public—”
“I agree with Amber,” said Max.
“Of course you agree with Amber,” said Roth. “You’re her appointee.”
“I agree with Amber, too,” said Sidney.
Roth set his jaw.
“I have to side with Roth on this,” said Julius. “The more reassurance we can give our passengers, the better.”
“It’s early days,” said Cole. “Better to mitigate your words until the investigation is complete.”
“Who let this guy in here?” asked Julius.