A silence so thick it hurt settled over the crowd. Someone whispered the name: “Thorne.” It slid into the microphones and came out amplified.

“Amelia,” a man from security said, moving in. “We can escort you—”

“No,” Maya snapped. “You won’t touch her.”

“Security?” Leo said, panic like rain behind his eyes. “Who are your contacts? Who do you trust?”

“I trust the truth,” Amelia said. “And I trust Maya.”

“You trust a woman you barely know,” the ...