was my one chance to get close to Damien Vance. He was the event's guest of honor, a titan of industry playing the part of a philanthropist. I watched him from acros

the balcony. I walked up to him, my heart pounding.

Then he did a double-take, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. "Yo

hank you. For the lawyer. And

ragedy, what happened to her. A great loss for the scientific community." His words were smooth, practiced,

s gaze. "She said you were on the verge of something revolutionary. I wa

d my mentor. A flicker of interest crossed his face. Keeping me close where he c

en." He handed me a business card, his fingers briefly brushing mine. The touch was like an elect

the sky. It felt like walking into the belly of the beast. His office was on the top floor, wi

ning to face me. "But it was incomplete. There are.

e tight. "Let me work in your lab

u'll work directly with me. As my personal assistant. You'll have acce

ght next to his throne. I would be his prisoner, under his constant surveillance. But it was also an opportun

the words tasting

, my identity, everything I was, for a single purpose: to gather the evidence that would burn his kingdom to the gro