Aldrich shook his head slowly, his calm so controlled it was frightening. “You wouldn’t be circling like this if you weren’t trying to say something absurd. Out with it.”

Vincent laughed—a short, hollow sound that quickly turned sharp and sarcastic. His eyes gleamed with malice as he stared straight at his father. “Maybe you are the one who put that bullet in her. Maybe you wanted to play the hero. And she was dumb enough, as always, to fall for your game.”

Cold silence filled the room, thick and cutting, until I tore through it with laughter.

This time, I really laughed hard—a loud, cracked sound that burst from my...