The photograph felt heavier than paper should be.
Amelia couldn’t stop staring at it.
Daniel Hart—alive.
Smiling.
Standing beside a man whose face had been deliberately torn away.
Marcus Reed.
The name Damien had only mentioned once.
The man who was supposed to have died six years ago.
Amelia’s fingers tightened around the edge of the photo until it bent slightly.
“No…”
The word came out broken.
Damien stood beside her, completely still.
Not reacting the way she expected.
Not shocked.
Not confused.
Focused.
Like his mind had already begun rebuilding the entire case from the ground up.
Amelia looked up sharply.
“You knew him.”
It wasn’t a question.
Damien didn’t deny it.
“I knew of him.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
A pause.
Then Damien said quietly,
“It is when peo
