Vax was two bites into his bit of cupcake, not as tidy with the frosting as he would be any other day, when he stopped altogether to stare at Steph. ...Her father was a criminal. She was saying her father was a criminal, and everything she'd done, vigilanteism and so on, that had been because of him.

Was he understanding that right? Because this would be a fine time not to be pickled, thanks.

"...But he wasn't?"