Page 238 of When We Fall: Part Two
If nothing else, he had a promising career as a burglar.
We walked silently through the house all the way to Vander Veer’s bedroom. I’d figured it out on my last visit here. I said I needed to use the bathroom and had learned the layout of this place.
I cracked the door open, and we went inside. I stood over his bed, all dressed in black with my gloves in place.
He was clearly a light sleeper because he woke with a shout when I placed my hands on his ugly ass pajamas.
His eyes snapped open, and he opened his mouth to scream, so I pushed the barrel of my gun into it.
“Hey, good morning,” I said, smiling at him. “Got a minute to talk?”
He stared back at me with wide, fearful eyes.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to pull my gun out of your mouth, and you’re not going to scream. Then we’re going to talk like adults. Sound good? If you fuck up, I’m just going to shoot you.”
He gave me the tiniest nod.
I pulled the gun from his mouth and smiled.
“Come.” I nodded to the chair near his fireplace in the room. He shuffled quietly out of bed and sat where I gestured.
“Cole? What is going on?” Vander Veer demanded. “Is Celeste OK?”
“She’s fine,” Enzo said, stepping out of the shadows. “For now.”
“What?” He crinkled his brows in confusion at him. “I don’t understand.”
Enzo moved the second chair so it was directly in front of Vander Veer. He sat in it and faced him.
“So, I got some really concerning news recently. Can you imagine what I heard?” Enzo asked.
I stood at Enzo’s side, eager to get this show on the road. This fucker wasn’t going to know what hit him.
Vander Veer visibly swallowed. “I don’t know. What did you hear?”
“Oh, come now,” Enzo said easily. “Think really hard.”
Vander Veer visibly shook.
“I think the lightbulb just went on,” I said, laughing softly.
“Care to tell me?” Enzo pressed.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said gruffly.
“OK. Fine. You were conveniently missing from my engagement party to Rosalie,” Enzo said. “I kept thinking, thank god, because you’re such a fucking cunt and my girl hated your ass. But then everything happened, and it really started to eat at me about where you were.”
“I-I was feeling under the weather?—”
“Yeah. Convenient. I heard you were out drinking and fucking bitches at some club in town,” Enzo continued. “Snorting sugar off hookers. But maybe my guys are lying.”
Vander Veer shook again, not speaking.
“You know I’m connected,” Enzo lowered his voice. “Very fucking well-connected.”
“Lorenzo, I assure you, I had nothing to do with what happened at your party?—”
“No?” Enzo handed him an envelope. “Open it.”
