His lips tighten in irritation. He’s not answering me, but I already know that everything I’m saying is true. As much as it contradicts everything I thought I knew about my relationship with my uncle, it’s the only explanation that makes sense. This man who was my friend and mentor, this man that I thought loved me like a daughter . . . he’s the one who tried to kill me. To save his own skin.

“You still needed those files gone, so you had the Djinn incinerate my apartment. You hoped that would get rid of me, too. Unfortunately for you, I had digital copies on my computer. Lucy sent them to me. I’m guessing you figured that out later, because they’re gone now. All deleted.

“You knew there was another layer of protection, though—you had Josh sign all the documents. That’s why you were always passing all that work to him. Because you knew he wouldn’t notice the discrepancies. He’s a decent lawyer, but he’s a much better ass-kisser. He wouldn’t question anything you told him to do.

“He was the perfect patsy. Everybody saw that he and I were enemies. We were rivals for the job, and we hated each other’s guts. It seemed believable that he would hire someone to kill me.

“But you knew if Dante and Cal got their hands on him, Josh would sing like a bird. Did he know about the embezzlement? Was he in on it?”

Uncle Oran’s impassive face gives away nothing. Only the glitter of his dark eyes shows that he’s still listening intently.

“It doesn’t matter,” I say. “You had to get rid of him. So you sent him home early, before Dante and Cal could show up here. Told them he’d been off sick all day. Then you drove out to the airport with him and forced the gun up under his chin. Or did you hire someone for that messy little job? I can’t imagine you getting blood and brain matter all over one of your suits.”

Oran’s lips twitch with distaste, which makes me certain he did it himself. He’s older than Josh, but he’s taller, and he had surprise on his side. Josh didn’t expect to be betrayed by Oran any more than I did.

“No,” I say. “You did it. You couldn’t risk some so-called hitman fucking up the job again. Once Josh was out of the way . . . I assume you wired some of the money into his accounts to make him look guilty. Not enough to put a serious dent in what you stole, but enough that we’d know Josh hadn’t saved it from his salary.

“And I suppose you thought the Djinn would get rid of your last loose end in Tennessee. It would look like Josh never got a chance to call off the hit. All the evidence would be gone. I’d be gone. Josh would take the fall. And you’d . . . what exactly? What in the fuck did you even want that money for?”