“Don’t listen to him,” Bebe said quickly, to no one and everyone. “He’s out of his mind. My brother would never hurt Jasper.”

“Hurt him? I ruined him,” said Flynn. “Jasper, Nana, even you.”

It wasn’t a confession of murder, but Flynn was admitting to something. Looking at the shirtless brute reclining in his buttery navy moccasins made me furious. “Spill it,” I said. “If you were involved in what happened to Jasper, or Abella, or anything else linked to this investigation, tell us. Right now.”

“Flynn,” Bebe said. Her tone was dangerous, but it made Flynn smile. He liked watching her suffer. Enjoyed the suspense. This was his big moment, and he relished it.

“My darling sister. What I’m guilty of is tax evasion on a scale you couldn’t possibly imagine.” Flynn watched as Bebe went pale. Tipped back his dark head, and laughed some more. “We’ve got dear old Dad to thank for laying the groundwork for us. He was hiding money in the Caribbean. That’s why he was always in Antigua. He kept a bank account down there, fattened it up real nice. It’s not enough to bail us out, unfortunately. Not even close.”

Bebe’s skin had turned the color of raw river fish. “No. No, I would have known. It isn’t true.”

“Don’t feel bad you didn’t spot it, you were a little distracted,” said Flynn. Ned, when Flynn looked at him, pressed his lips together and said nothing. “I couldn’t pay the taxes, you see, not without tipping off the IRS, so I kept doing what Dad did, thinking I could fix it in time. Well, guess what? Time’s up. I got a call the other day. There’s going to be an audit. It’s all coming out. Not paying our employees? All those bills you’ve been ignoring? That was nothing. This is so much worse.”

Bebe shook her head. “But I didn’t know.”

“You’re the fucking CEO. I didn’t report it. But neither did you. We’re in this together—as far as the IRS is concerned, you’re just as guilty as me. I’m going to jail. And I’m taking you with me.”

Dumbfounded, Bebe stammered, “But I’m your sister.”

“Yes. Yes, you are. But what does that mean, really? Family’s just a collection of people who happen to be bound by blood. I don’t owe you anything. Not you, and not anyone else.”

“Jasper,” I said. “Did he know?”

“He knew enough not to hand over his inheritance when we asked for it. If he had, it would be long gone by now.” Flynn nodded in his grandmother’s direction. “Nana’s money, too. That bastard always was smarter than me. I hope he burns in hell.”

Flynn’s hair had fallen into his eyes. He threw back his head the way Bram used to and jutted out his chin, one last-ditch attempt at pride. The similarity between them in that moment sickened me, but it also made my limbs rigid and ready. “Sinclair Fabrics would have been seventy-five years old next year, did you know that?” Flynn said. “We were going to have a party. It was Nana’s idea—wasn’t it, Nana? Picked a date and everything. I hope to God you die soon,” he said under his breath, his gaze on his grandmother and his mouth on the rim of his glass. “I’d really hate to disappoint you.”