The words settled over Amelia like ice.
“My father wasn’t murdered because he discovered Project Phoenix.”
The man in the gray suit held her gaze without blinking.
“He was murdered because he refused to kill Damian Kingston.”
For several heartbeats, Amelia could neither speak nor breathe.
She searched Damian’s face.
He had gone completely still.
Lucas was the first to recover.
“You’re asking us to believe Edward Hart was hired as an assassin.”
The man shook his head.
“No.”
“He was asked to become one.”
“There is a difference.”
Amelia stepped forward.
“My father would never accept something like that.”
“He didn’t.”
The answer came gently.
“That is precisely why he died.”
The underground city continued moving around them as though nothing extraordinary had been said. Employ
