Page 1 of When We Fall: Part One

PART ONE

THE PLUMMET

ONE

ENZO

Istared out the window at the hospital, watching the cars move along the highway. The gray skies seemed fitting, considering all the shit happening around us.

“What do you think?” Cole murmured, coming to stand next to me.

I didn’t look at him. Instead, I watched a robin peck at a bug on the ground. Dominic De Santis tried to kill himself. We’d been here at the hospital to watch the kings’ backs during the turbulent time. I didn’t want to have a shootout in a fucking hospital, but I would certainly draw my weapons if it came down to it. Not only were we horsemen inside, but I had men sitting around on the outside watching. I expected that if the horsemen needed the kings, they’d do the same for us. I knew Dom’s old man was a breath away from killing his ass, so I was here to prevent it. Plus, the kings had become our friends, and friends were there for one another.

“I think it’s gone too far,” I answered back, my voice low. “We need to figure out what’s really going on here.”

“You think Bianca is still alive?”

I considered his question. “I suspect it’s more than meets the eye.”

Cole was quiet for a moment. “What makes you think that?”

I looked over my shoulder to see Vincent and Levin sleeping in their chairs, both looking like absolute hell. The girl they’d brought with them, Stella, was curled into a ball on one of the bench seats, my jacket draped over her.

“Her hair,” I said, meeting Cole’s eye.

He crinkled his brows. “Her hair?”

“You never pay attention, Scott. Always pay attention.” I pulled my phone out and showed him a recent photo of Bianca I had.

“Where the hell did you get that?” Cole peered at the picture.

“I have eyes everywhere. You know that. But look at her hair.”

Cole grunted and stared at the picture for several minutes before looking at me. “It’s long and blonde. That’s how it’s always been.”

“You’re right. I had someone take this photo of her on one of their rare outings. And guess when that outing was?”

Cole shrugged. “I suck at guessing games, man. Just tell me.”

“Vincent took her off campus. It was for only a few minutes. They got ice cream. Dom clearly doesn’t know it happened, or he’d have kicked Vincent’s ass. Her hair was, in fact, blonde.”

“You’ve lost me,” Cole muttered. “And why the fuck are you sending people to follow the kings?”

“I’m always cautious. Always watching.”

Cole sighed. “Fine. You’re cautious, but if they found out you were tracking them?—”

“I wasn’t tracking. I was watching. Big difference.” I glanced to make sure the kings were still sleeping. “Anyway, the girl in the fire. I don’t think it was her.”

Cole raised his brows at me, waiting for me to drop the bomb on him.

“Why not? Everything matches up, man.”

I shook my head. “To the hysterical eye, it does. To the one who is paying attention, it doesn’t. Her hair, the girl in the fire. She had a dark streak in it. It was easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention. It was on the underside. I’m positive it was there. Bianca didn’t have that half-assed sort of dye job.”

“Could have been from being burned?—”

“I know what I saw,” I said firmly. “I didn’t want to say anything because the situation was already fucked. I’m going to push this now. Dom doesn’t deserve to go out this way. She’s out there. She’s alive. I can almost be certain of it.”