FRACTURE E-Book

Mary E. Thompson

• Herausgeber: BluEyed Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Enjoy the 8th book in the steamy BBW romantic suspense series from USA TODAY Bestselling Author Mary E Thompson. 

She found the truth once. But it was locked inside her mind. She had to find it again. If the one who broke her doesn’t get to her first. 

Lorelei spent months on the trail of a monster. Months that were wasted after an attack left her with amnesia. She can’t remember who she was, what she learned, or how she managed to end up hundreds of miles away in her old apartment. 

Vinnie wanted in on the case that captivated his city, but all he could do was wait for the call to say his team was needed. Until then, he admired the woman in charge and tried to get to know her. When she disappeared, he knew something was wrong, even if every single person told him to stand down. He trusted his instincts. Always. 

While Vinnie helps Lorelei put the pieces of her broken mind together, they find themselves going deeper and deeper into a truth they never expected to find. A truth that could destroy everything they hold dear. Including each other.

Leseprobe

FRACTURE

A CURVY GIRL ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

F-BOMB: CURVY VIGILANTES

BOOK 8

MARY E THOMPSON

FRACTURE

F-BOMB: Curvy Vigilantes, book eight

Copyright © 2024 Mary E Thompson

Cover Copyright © 2023 Mary E Thompson

Cover Photo from depositphotos, Copyright © kiuikson

Break (Mask) from depositphotos, Copyright © K3star

Published by BluEyed Press, All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-953879-47-9

Print ISBN: 978-1-953879-48-6

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-953879-49-3

Created with Vellum

F-BOMB: CURVY VIGILANTES

Say hello to the Curvy Vigilantes, a group of plus-size women who protect their city. They have no training, but they don’t need it. All they need is the desire to right wrongs and to protect the ones they love… and maybe some help from the men strong (and smart) enough to fall for these kick-ass curvy women.

F-BOMB: CURVY VIGILANTES

Forsaken (subscriber exclusive)

Fury

Framed

Feign

Fierce

Fatal

Fear

Flee

Fracture

Faith

SUBSCRIBE NOW AT MARYETHOMPSON.COM

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

FAITH

About the Author

Choose the pieces of yourself you want to keep and toss the rest.

1

Vinnie Morgan ignored the phone buzzing on his hip and continued down the deserted hallway. Something wasn’t right. His gut told him he needed to investigate, and he never ignored his gut. Not when it was so loud.

Three days. It had been three days since anyone had heard from Lorelei Sloane. The badass woman who was in charge of the biggest investigation his city had ever seen hadn’t been out of touch with her team since it was created.

Going missing at her partner’s wedding wasn’t more of a comfort. Especially when Vinnie heard she was meeting with a contact. Not that it surprised him she would take off during a social event for work. There was no doubt in his mind she would have at least checked in afterward.

In Vinnie’s line of work, people didn’t go dark. Not when they were on a case. Not without someone knowing where they were. Sure, the gorgeous woman in charge could have shacked up with someone after the wedding, but for three days? That didn’t feel right to Vinnie. He’d seen her in action. He knew her type. The type that would stop at nothing to get the job done and put the bad guys away.

He was the same type. It was why he was plucked from the force and invited to join SWAT. A decision he never once second guessed.

Vinnie’s heart pounded as he drew closer to the door. If he broke in, he could surprise a woman who was perfectly fine. If he ignored that fear, he could find anything.

No one was in the hallway. Not a sound came from behind any of the doors. Either they were expertly soundproofed or no one was home. A high-end place like Lorelei Sloane’s apartment complex could have been either. But it made Vinnie aware of every creak the floor made as he moved toward her unit.

The door was closed. It didn’t appear to have been forced open at any point. The trim was intact, and the door wasn’t damaged. But something still wasn’t right.

Vinnie tried the knob. Locked. He jiggled the door a little and could tell the deadbolt wasn’t engaged. A single woman living alone in a big city would never lock her doorknob only. Especially not a woman with her training.

He knocked softly, hoping he was wrong about everything and Agent Sloane would open the door and tell him he was being paranoid and a creep. He waited, holding his breath so he didn’t miss a sound from the other side of the door. None came, and Vinnie pulled out his lock-picking kit.

Less than ten seconds later, he had the door open and his suspicions and fears were confirmed. Lorelei Sloane laid on her couch in the living room. She’d been badly beaten. Her beautiful face was marked with cuts and bruises. Her clothing was all in place, but she was not okay. She was far from okay.

She was barely alive.

Vinnie snatched his phone just as the buzzing started up again. He swiped to answer, not caring who was calling him. “What?”

“Where the hell are you?” his boss barked.

Yeah, Vinnie might have skipped town. Against orders. He would be lucky if he wasn’t fired. Except he had good news. Sort of. “I found her.”

“Who?” Damien asked. Vinnie had his boss’s attention now.

“Lorelei Sloane. She’s in her apartment in Boston. We need an ambulance here now. Head trauma, bodily injury.” Vinnie swallowed roughly as he took in the bloody clothes and bruises appearing on Lorelei’s dark skin. He knew if he could see them, they were worse than they appeared. And so was she.

Noises in the background told Vinnie that Damien was notifying everyone that Lorelei Sloane was alive and where she was. Vinnie put his phone on speaker and set it down so he could hear if Damien asked more questions.

Vinnie probed her skull, checking for fractures.

She groaned and opened her eyes. Deep brown pools stared up at him.

“You’re safe now,” Vinnie whispered.

She appeared to nod, then drifted off again.

“Hey, wake up. Stay with me.”

Her eyes blinked open again, slowly, like it was taking all her effort to open them.

“There you go. Do you know where you are?”

The pinch between her brows said she either thought he was insane or she had no idea where she was. Either was possible. She opened her mouth, then winced and slammed her eyes shut again.

“Lorelei, look at me. I need you to stay with me. Help is on the way.”

She drew a breath, one that stopped in the middle with another wince.

Vinnie laid her head back on the couch and ran his hands over her sides. At least a few broken ribs. She wormed away from his touch, telling him where she hurt the worst. He held his breath and slid his hands over her hips to her legs. She didn’t fight him until he touched her right ankle, which he realized was bent at an awkward angle.

“Fuck,” Vinnie whispered.

“Paramedics and police should be there any minute,” Damien said.

Vinnie sucked in a breath and looked back up at the woman he’d been watching for months. The woman who led a multi-agency team without hesitation. She was strong and smart and capable.

And she was broken.

She opened her mouth again, a whisper of a word coming out.

Vinnie moved back to her head again and saw the marks around her throat. It could have been hands or it could have been something more. It didn’t matter what it was, she was going to have a hard time talking for a while.

“I’m not going to let anyone else hurt you, Lorelei. You’re safe now.”

She nodded, the move jerky like it hurt. Her eyes filled with tears.

All Vinnie wanted to do was scoop her up and hold her, but he didn’t know what other injuries she had. That and they’d never actually spoken, so him being in her apartment was more than a little fucked up.

Voices outside grew louder, then the squawk of a radio echoed in the hallway.

“In here,” Vinnie called, drawing the attention of the people heading toward them. “I haven’t cleared the apartment.”

Two officers walked in first, guns drawn. They nodded to Vinnie, then spread out to search the place. Both called out clear and came back into the living room as the paramedics entered.

“Can you tell us what happened here, Mr. Morgan?” one of the cops asked, clearly aware of the overall situation from Damien.

Vinnie shook his head and watched the paramedics work. “I wish I could. I showed up a few minutes ago and found her like this. She’s been missing for three days. People were here two days ago, but there was no sign of her. She’s an FBI Agent.”

“It’s pretty clear someone wanted her dead.”

“Yeah. The people she’s been investigating. We just don’t know who that is.”

“We’ll get a crime lab out here. Hopefully, we’ll find something. Are you local?”

Vinnie shook his head. “No, sir. I live in Niagara Falls, New York. Where she’s been for the last few months, running the investigation.”

“That’s a long way from here.”

“Yeah. These people are smart.”

“Too smart.”

Vinnie nodded. Unfortunately, that was accurate.

* * *

“Your name is Lorelei Sloane. You are an FBI Agent,” the woman said.

Lorelei nodded, the slight movement making her brain feel like it was full of eggs. Raw ones that had no shape and would make you sick.

Which was how she’d spent the last day.

“Okay,” Lorelei whispered. It was the best she could do with the damage to her throat.

“Do you remember anything about who attacked you?”

Lorelei groaned, sending a bolt of pain through her throat. She jerked at the feel and sent more pain through the rest of her body. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She was not going to show her pain.

“Do you need more meds?” the menacing man in the corner asked. He was up and out of his seat, hurrying to her side.

The nurses said his name was Vinnie and he came in with her, but Lorelei didn’t remember him. Not that it was a shock, since she didn’t remember any damn thing.

“I’m fine,” she hissed.

She was being a bitch to everyone. She fucking hated feeling like she was incapable of doing something, and at the moment, she was incapable of doing everything. She couldn’t go to the bathroom alone. She couldn’t sit up. She could speak or think or remember anything.

All she wanted to do was cry and scream and remember who she was and what happened to her.

“Maybe we should do this another time,” Vinnie suggested firmly.

The woman sighed heavily. She glared at Vinnie, but he didn’t blink. She looked back at Lorelei and flipped her tablet closed. “Fine. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Vinnie said in a tone that suggested he was less than grateful.

Lorelei watched the woman walk out of the room. She knew there was a reason she was there, but everything was so mixed up that she didn’t know what it was. “Who was that?”

Vinnie moved to the chair next to the bed. “That was Alexis Waterford. She’s an FBI Agent in your old office. She said you didn’t work together, so you only met a handful of times, but she is trying to find whoever attacked you.”

Lorelei nodded, trying to pretend she followed any of that. She’d been told over and over again that she was an FBI Agent, but she wasn’t even sure what that really meant. Since she woke up the day before with Vinnie hovering over her, she hadn’t recognized anyone or anything. It was all foreign to her, including the woman in the mirror.

The doctors said it was because of the assault. She’d been beaten so badly she didn’t recognize herself, but shouldn’t she recognize something? Her eyes, her hair? Something?

For all Lorelei knew, it was a stranger staring back at her.

The only thing she was sure of was that Vinnie was one of the good guys. She couldn’t explain how she knew that, but she did. He saved her. He protected her. He hadn’t left her side since she woke up.

A knock on the door made Vinnie tense. He moved around the bed to check whoever was at the door before opening it.

“Vinnie Morgan?” a man asked.

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry—Oof,” Vinnie said.

The machine Lorelei was connected to beeped quickly with her panic. Someone hit Vinnie or did something to knock the words out of him.

“Thank you,” the other man whispered.

What did that mean?

“Happy I made it in time, sir,” Vinnie said.

Who the hell⁠—?

The curtain separating Lorelei from the men slid to the side, and they both stepped back into view. Lorelei’s gaze slid down Vinnie, cataloging him to make sure he wasn’t harmed.

Satisfied her protector was okay, she looked at the other man. Blond hair, blue eyes. White. There was something… maybe… familiar about him, but Lorelei wasn’t sure what it was.

“Holy fuck. Are you okay?” He moved toward her quickly, crossing the space before Lorelei could say anything.

She recoiled when he reached out to touch her, and he pulled back.

“Sorry. I should have asked where your injuries are. I was just going to touch your hand,” the blond man said.

“Who…” She looked from him to Vinnie, then back to the blond man.

“This is Adam Johnson. He’s your partner. At the FBI,” Vinnie said.

Lorelei looked at the man.

He held her gaze for a moment, then turned to Vinnie. “Why are you telling her who I am?”

“She doesn’t remember anything from before yesterday. Who took her, from where, where she was held. And she doesn’t remember who she is. You’re the first one to show up that she should know, but clearly she doesn’t know you either.”

Adam looked at her, his face going soft.

“Nope,” Lorelei said. “No pity. Fuck that. Get out if you’re going to look at me like that.”

Adam snorted. “Well, they didn’t knock your personality out. We just have to help you remember everything else.”

“We?” Lorelei asked.

Adam nodded and gestured to the door. “Raina is here. My wife. You were at our wedding before you went missing. And Karli, your cousin, is here with her boyfriend, Cole.”

“Cousin?”

Adam nodded and looked at Vinnie. “Is it okay if the others come in?”

Vinnie nodded. “As long as everyone gives her space and time to process. Maybe start with her cousin?”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“I’m here, too, you know,” Lorelei snapped at them. She didn’t like people making decisions for her.

“You are, but if you don’t know me, chances are you’re not sure what the doctors have said about visitors and recovery. I’m asking the person in the room who has an intact memory.”

Lorelei scowled at both men. She wanted to be indignant, but they weren’t wrong.

Adam walked out, saying something to someone in the hallway before coming right back in. He held the shoulders of a Black woman with dark hair like Lorelei’s, same tight curls and dark brown eyes. She had full lips and red circles around her eyes.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered as she moved toward Lorelei. “I’m so happy you’re alive.”

“Me, too,” Lorelei said. She stared at the woman who must be her cousin and tried to remember her. Just like Adam, she was familiar, but her mind wasn’t letting her access any of her memories.

“Adam said you don’t remember anything.”

Lorelei looked at Adam, once more trying to place him. She kept scanning the room and found Vinnie. “I remember Vinnie.”

Karli looked at the man. She tilted her head and smiled. “I don’t remember Vinnie. Have we met?”

Vinnie shook his head. “No, ma’am. I’m on a SWAT Team in Niagara Falls. We’ve been called in for support a few times. I heard about your cousin’s disappearance and couldn’t let it go.”

“Wait, we didn’t know each other before?” Lorelei asked. The nurses said he came in with her. Didn’t that mean they had some kind of history?

Vinnie shook his head. “No. Not well. We’ve met, but we’d never spoken until yesterday.”

“Well, shit. I thought I knew you.” Her memories were shot, but Vinnie was someone she didn’t doubt was supposed to be there. He protected her. Made sure she wasn’t pushed too hard. Never left her alone unless he verified the ID of whoever walked into the room.

But he was a stranger.

Lorelei looked at the man who said he was her partner. “Wait. How do I know you’re all here to keep me safe and not to hurt me again?”

“Look at me, Lorelei,” Vinnie said. He sat down in the chair next to her bed. “You know I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You know I’m here to protect you and help you and keep you safe. You might not know me, but you know that.”

Lorelei looked at the man and nodded slowly. The beeping of her heart rate monitor slowed as she stared at him.

He was right. She wasn’t afraid of him. He wasn’t a threat. He was the one who saved her. And he was protecting her in ways she didn’t even realize. Making sure she was given time to rest and not pressured to reveal things she didn’t know.

He was her guardian angel.

“Wow,” Karli whispered from Lorelei’s other side. “I’ve never seen you calm down that quickly.”

“Same. You’re good for her, Vinnie,” Adam said.

Vinnie didn’t look away from Lorelei as he spoke. “She’s good for all of us. I’m just lucky that I get to be around her for a little while.”

Lorelei’s body tingled at his words. Desire? Maybe. Appreciation? Definitely. “Thank you.”

Vinnie nodded at her. “I’m not leaving unless you tell me you want me to. And if you do, I’ll be right outside making sure no one ever hurts you again. I promise you that.”

Lorelei sucked in a breath. She might not remember anything about her life before she woke up, but she knew, without a doubt, no man had ever made her a promise like that. And no man had ever made her feel like she didn’t have to do it all. Like she could lean on someone else and know she wouldn’t fall.

It was a damn good feeling. Because with Vinnie by her side, Lorelei knew she’d find answers. All the answers.

2

Vinnie watched Lorelei speak to her cousin. The confusion on her face when Karli said something Lorelei didn’t remember was enough to make Vinnie want to throw everyone out of the room so Lorelei wasn’t under anymore stress, but it wasn’t his place. He wasn’t her boyfriend or husband or even her partner.

Vinnie glanced at the man who’d been by Lorelei’s side for years and found Adam Johnson staring at him. When Adam jerked his head toward the hallway, Vinnie nodded.

“Where are you going?” Lorelei asked, the heart rate monitor beeping faster as soon as Vinnie stood.

“I’m going to speak to Adam and whoever else is waiting outside that door to see you and assure them all that you’re okay and tell them you might not be ready for a large group of people. If you’re okay with that.” Vinnie paused, holding eye contact with Lorelei until she nodded.

“Are you coming back?”

“Absolutely.”

Lorelei nodded again, then turned her focus back to Karli.

Vinnie felt like he was walking into the lion’s den, but he understood why there would be questions. Lots of them.

Adam stepped out ahead of him and looked up and down the hallway. He nodded to the two men standing guard, then jerked his head to an empty break room across the hall.

Vinnie followed the other man, hating that his heart pounded at the prospect of getting his ass handed to him by a man who, for all intents and purposes, outranked Vinnie.

Adam closed the door behind them, and Vinnie stood at attention, preparing for the lecture.

“Thank you,” Adam said, surprising the hell out of Vinnie.

“Sir?”

Adam waved his hand. “You don’t have to call me sir. I’m not in your command. And I am going to make sure you are not reprimanded for this.”

“Why would you do that?”

Adam let out a shaky breath. He ran his hand over his face and shook his head. Emotion filled his blue eyes, emotion that showed Vinnie just how much Adam cared for Lorelei. “She’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

“I was only doing what I thought was best.”

“And you were right. When Raina, my wife, and I heard Lorelei was gone, we panicked. We started making calls in the middle of our reception. We had everyone we knew looking into her disappearance. For days, we waited for news. We thought she was gone. Vanished like so many others who were never seen again.”

“They wanted someone to find her.”

Adam nodded, his face twisting with pain. “They did. But I imagine they wanted it to be after she was dead. Which was what would have happened if you hadn’t gone looking for her. So, thank you. And I will do everything to make sure you don’t lose your job or have even one mark on your record as a result of this. And if that doesn’t happen, if my word isn’t enough, I guarantee you I will find a new place for you. My cousin is one of the F-BOMB owners, and they’re always looking for good people.”

“Thank you, sir,” Vinnie said, appreciating the support. He didn’t care what happened when he left town in search of Lorelei. All he cared about was finding the woman who was working harder than the rest of them to find the people who were destroying their city.

“The team at her apartment said there was nothing left behind. Nothing that would say who brought her there. Did you see anything?”

Vinnie shook his head. “No, sir. I noticed her doorknob was only locked on the bottom, not the deadbolt, and picked the lock. As soon as I was inside, I saw her and did what I could to judge her injuries. That was when my boss called and sent the police.”

Adam sucked in a breath and nodded. “That’s what we were told. Your prints were on the doorknob but nowhere else in the apartment, so they immediately ruled out you as a suspect.”

“I was a suspect?” Vinnie asked. That surprised him.

Adam shrugged. “You were the one who found her. You know how these things go. Guilty until proven innocent.”

Vinnie snorted. If that wasn’t the truth. “So, this was about confirming my story?”

Adam shook his head. “No. This was about me thanking you for saving the life of one of the most important people in my world. After my wife, my sister, and my parents, sometimes before, it’s Lorelei. She’s saved my life more times than I can count, and I’ve done the same for her. I wouldn’t have Raina if it weren’t for Lorelei. I wouldn’t have any of the good things in my life. I love her like family, and to me, she is family. So this is about me saying thank you, and asking if you’ll stick around.”

“Stick around, sir?”

“She trusts you. She’s never responded the way she did when you were right there. She’s going to need help going forward. Not just because of her injuries but mentally, she’s not the same person she was before this.”

Vinnie started to interrupt, but Adam held up a hand.

“She will get back, but she doesn’t know me or Karli, and I’m sure she’s not going to know anyone else.”

“She doesn’t even know herself. I overheard her in the bathroom asking who she was. She was alone, so I know she was talking to herself.”

Adam closed his eyes and drew a breath. “For whatever reason, probably because you were the first person she saw, she feels like she knows you. I want to ask your boss if you can be temporarily assigned as her personal protection. If you are willing to do it. If you’re willing to be that person for her. Until she’s back to herself.”

“Yes, sir. Of course. I will do whatever it takes for her to feel like herself again.”

“Thank you. Can I call you Vinnie?”

“Of course, sir.”

Adam breathed a smile. “Again with the sir.”

“Sorry, sir. Habit.”

“I understand. But if you’re with Lorelei like you’re going to be, you’re going to have to see me as an equal. These people don’t see rank.” Adam nodded his head toward the hallway, where four people were talking. Adam lifted his hand when one of them noticed him, then the group moved toward the break room Adam and Vinnie were in.

“Is this him?” one woman asked.

Adam nodded and reached his arm toward the woman. “Vinnie, this is my wife, Raina. That’s Karli’s boyfriend, Cade, and more friends, Jessica and Braden. When we heard Lorelei was alive, we got here as fast as we could.”

“Thank you for finding her,” Raina said. “I don’t know how we can repay you.”

“Just doing my job, ma’am,” Vinnie said.

“Did he just call me ma’am?” Raina asked, glaring at her new husband.

“Duty requires it. He saved Lorelei.”

Raina growled and glared at Vinnie. “Please call me Raina. It’s so much better than ma’am.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Raina smiled at him. She drew a breath and let it out slowly. “Can we go see her?”

Before Adam could reply, Vinnie stepped forward. “Lorelei is very tired and confused. She’s been through a lot, and she needs a minimum level of stress right now.”

Raina looked at Adam, then back to Vinnie, then to Adam. “What am I missing? Do we know you? Do we know him? Why are you the one in charge right now?”

“I apologize, ma—Raina. Lorelei went through hell. She doesn’t know who she is. She is scared and overwhelmed and confused, and Adam’s asked me to stay and keep her safe.”

Raina’s brows shot up. Before she could argue, Adam spoke up.

“Lorelei is responding to Vinnie. He found her, so she trusts him. When he speaks to her, she calms down. He’s the only person she is relaxed around right now, so it’s important we all listen to him.”

“But he doesn’t know her. Does he? Do you? Do you know Lorelei?”

Vinnie shook his head. “No, ma—Raina. I don’t. We’ve never spoken before this. I was on the SWAT Team that helped bring in Trevor Davis, and I’ve been called in for some of the other things happening, but Lorelei doesn’t know me. Traumatic brain injuries are complicated, and most people who suffer from them take a while to figure things out. When one person imprints on them, it’s encouraged for that person to be their buffer. Their contact. I have no intention of keeping any of you from seeing Lorelei or from negatively affecting her at all. I only have her best interests at heart.”

“And you think the best thing for her is rest?” Braden asked.

Vinnie met his gaze and nodded. “I do. She will need lots of help. She will need every single one of you to be there for her. I know you’re all anxious to see her tonight.”

“We thought we lost her,” Jessica whispered.

“I understand. And I know it’s important to all of you to see for yourself she’s alive. I will ask her if she’s up for visitors, but I reserve the right to throw you all out as soon as I suspect she needs a break.”

“We can respect that,” Cade said. “We’re not going anywhere. We will be around to do whatever Lorelei needs.”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that. She’ll need a lot of help. But her recovery needs to be on the doctor’s timeline so she has the best chance at healing.”

Raina snorted. “You definitely don’t know her if you think she’s going to wait for anything.”

“I’ve seen her in action. She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. I have no doubt she will push the doctor’s orders and will be back at it before she’s supposed to be because Lorelei Sloane is not the kind of woman you can keep down. But that also means she’s at risk for setbacks. If she ignores what the doctors say, she’s at greater risk and could never fully recover.”

“He’s right,” Braden said. “We learned a lot about TBIs in our training. Lorelei is going to hate it, but she will need to take some things slow.” Braden turned to Adam. “We trust him?”

Adam nodded. “Without a doubt. I’ve read his whole record, and it’s impeccable. He’s on SWAT because he’s damn good at what he does. Never even one mark on his record. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s the only one Lorelei will listen to, too.”

“I find it hard to believe she’ll listen to anyone,” Jessica said.

“You’d be surprised.” Adam turned to Vinnie again. “Will you go back in and see how she’s doing and if she’s up to anyone else seeing her?”

Vinnie nodded, moving through the group with the awareness that it was an excuse for them to talk about him without him in the room. Not that they had any trouble talking about him while he was there, but he didn’t want to know what else they were going to say.

Besides, being away from Lorelei, even for fifteen minutes, made him anxious. He wanted to see for himself that she was okay.

* * *

Lorelei stared at the door when Vinnie walked out. She felt like a piece of her was missing without him by her side. She couldn’t explain it, but she figured that was part of her injury. Another thing she couldn’t explain.

“How are you really doing?” the woman in the chair asked. Karli. Her cousin.

Lorelei didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what she was supposed to feel like. “I’m okay,” she settled on, knowing it was a benign answer that would likely appease her cousin.

Karli pursed her lips. She was familiar, like the woman Lorelei saw in the mirror, but any memory of the woman was out of reach. “Want to tell me about the hottie who found you?”

“Back off,” Lorelei blurted.

Karli smirked. “So you do like him. I thought so. The way you looked at him told me. You always wore your expressions on your face. You learned to hide them over the years, and the training, but I could always read you.”

“You’re wrong. And Vinnie is just doing his job. He found me because I was missing.”

Karli’s brows went sky high. “You don’t know, do you?”

“I thought we established I don’t know a damn thing.”

Karli snorted. “Sorry. And true. But about Vinnie. He didn’t come here because he was ordered. His boss is pissed. He left. Didn’t tell anyone where he was going or what he was doing, just came here because some instinct told him to.”

“I thought he was sent to find me.”

Karli shook her head. “Nope. He came on his own.”

“But he saved me. He helped me. He’s… he’s police, right? Isn’t he?” The machine beeped faster and faster. Lorelei struggled to breathe properly. Everything hurt, like she was trapped.

Who was she supposed to trust? Who was really there to help her? To make sure everything was okay? Was she even who they said she was? What if everyone was lying to her?

“Lorelei,” Karli said. “You’re safe. Vinnie is safe. He’s police. He worked with you in Niagara Falls. I was just saying he didn’t come find you because he had to. He came because he wanted to.”

The beeping slowed down, but it was still fast. It was still hard to breathe. Panic seized her. Was she safe? Would she ever be safe? Who was telling the truth?

“Lorelei,” Vinnie said, his voice breaking through the haze of fear that settled over her like a blanket. “Look at me, Lorelei.”

She struggled to find him, but he let her search on her own, not forcing her gaze to his until she was ready to find him.

“There you go. Breathe with me. In. Out. Slow. In, two, three. Hold. Out, two, three. In. Out. Are you okay?”

Brown eyes with a golden ring around the center. Dark brows drawn low over those eyes. Wrinkles marred his skin at the edges, like he was a man who enjoyed life, even though he saw the worst it had to offer.

“She panicked when I told her you weren’t ordered to come find her. That you came on your own,” Karli explained.

Vinnie closed his eyes, stealing the comfort from Lorelei. He swore under his breath, then opened his eyes and caught her gaze once more.

He was a stranger. Everyone told her that. Even he told her that. But she knew him. She knew she could trust him. She couldn’t explain it, but looking into his eyes, Lorelei knew she’d never been safer in her life than she was with him in the room with her.

“You’re okay now,” Vinnie said. “I will tell you anything you want to know. You can have Adam or Karli investigate me. Whatever makes you feel safe.”

“You do,” she said without thinking about how it sounded.

His lips lifted on the edges like her answer made him happy. “Offer still stands. Anything you want to know, I’ll tell you.”

“Did you really come here without being ordered?”

Vinnie nodded. “I did. And I might lose my job for it, but it doesn’t matter to me because you’re alive. You’re safe. That was worth it.”

“They can’t do that. Why would they do that?”

“I defied orders. I left the state without telling my boss. They don’t like that. Even though I was not working, I was technically supposed to be on call and available.”

“Did someone else get hurt because of me?”

Vinnie shook his head. “No. I didn’t miss any calls. But I would have, and I knew I would, and I was willing to take the risk. Finding you was more important to me than anything else.”

Lorelei sucked in a breath, her throat stinging with the move. She winced, and Vinnie noticed, immediately backing up and grabbing her water.

Lorelei hadn’t realized how close he was until he wasn’t. He held her hand and hovered above her, blocking everything else from her view.

She sipped the water he offered, the cool liquid soothing her throat.

“Better?”

She nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He set the water down, then looked at her again. “I came in to see if you were up for more visitors, but it looks like maybe you’re not.”

Lorelei closed her eyes. If she said no, she would hurt the feelings of whoever was out there waiting to see her. Any of them could trigger something. A memory. Something that would help her figure out who the hell she was and what she was doing when she disappeared. “It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “For a few minutes.”

Vinnie nodded, then lifted his gaze to Karli. Lorelei hadn’t even realized Karli was still in the room. “Will you let them know they can come in, but only for a little while? Please?”

Karli nodded and moved to the door.

Lorelei took another moment to study the one and only person she trusted. “Thank you for saving me.”

Vinnie smiled, and something settled into place for Lorelei. Something she couldn’t define. “You’re welcome.” He squeezed her hand, giving her strength and courage to face the people who walked in the door.

More strangers who were supposed to be friends. One by one, they approached her. Having been told what was going on, they each moved to the edge of the bed and introduced themselves, then stepped away, not reaching for her or anything.

Lorelei didn’t realize she needed that until Karli was at her side again. Karli had her arm around a man Lorelei had zero memory of, even though she was sure she should know him. He was dating her cousin. Why wouldn’t she know him?

But he was a stranger.

“We’re just so happy you’re okay,” one woman said. Raina maybe? There were too many names.

“When the doctor says you can leave, Dawn said you can stay with her. Or at one of her houses. Unless you want to stay with one of us,” Jessica said. Lorelei was pretty sure that was Jessica.

“Okay,” Lorelei agreed. She had no idea who Dawn was or why she would stay with her, but maybe by the time she got out of the hospital, some of her memories would come back.

“We know this is a lot,” Adam said. “You will be able to decide everything when you’re ready.”

Lorelei nodded, looking for Vinnie. He’d moved out of the way while the others spoke. It was clear he wasn’t a part of the group. He didn’t speak when the others did. He didn’t add to the conversation. He didn’t even really seem to know them.

But he was the one Lorelei wanted to hear from. The one she wanted to know.

His presence made her feel safe. But he was the only one who hadn’t offered to let her stay. She’d have to change his mind about that.

3

Sweat dripped from Lorelei’s forehead. Fear swamped her. Anger, frustration, acceptance.

She was going to die.

Another punch landed on her ribs. Another crunch that told her a rib was broken.

Breathing was harder, like being held underwater. But different because there was plenty of air, it just hurt like a son-of-a-bitch to draw it into her lungs.

“What do you know about Trevor Davis?” the man barked.

Lorelei spit at him. She was not going to give up anything. She couldn’t. If she told them what she knew, they’d kill her source. Hell, they probably would anyway, but Lorelei couldn’t live with herself if she could have stopped any of it.

“Bitch!” He backhanded her, her cheek exploding with pain from the ring he wore on his pinky.

She was going to be sick. She shouldn’t have gone on her own to meet her informant, especially for the case she was on, but she’d done it before and didn’t want to pull anyone away from the reception.

“Lorelei!” a man shouted.

She looked up at the man who’d slapped her. His lips weren’t moving.

Who was calling her name?

Pain ricocheted through her body.

“Lorelei!” That voice. It was familiar. She knew who it was. Maybe? He was safe. He wouldn’t hurt her.

“Wake up, Lorelei. You’re safe. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you again. Come on. Open your eyes.”

She blinked her eyes, prying them apart. The vision in her head vanished the moment her eyes opened.

“What?” she tried to speak, but the word barely came out as a whisper.

“You’re safe, Lorelei. You’re okay. I got you.” He repeated the words over and over again.

His scent wrapped around her. His words calmed her.

It was a dream. It wasn’t real. She was okay. She was with Vinnie. She was safe.

Sleep claimed her once more, and Lorelei didn’t fight it. The soft beeping slowed with her breathing, and she held on to Vinnie and slept.

* * *

Vinnie was glad he wasn’t connected to one of the monitors. It would still be screeching, like it did when Lorelei had her nightmare.

Nightmare. Such a shitty word. She wasn’t having a bad dream. She was reliving the hell she went through.

It had been five nights since she was admitted to the hospital. Five nights of Vinnie sleeping when he could, mostly in tiny snippets. He barely left Lorelei’s side. She panicked when he wasn’t there, and every night, she woke up with a nightmare.

She never remembered them in the morning. He asked her the first morning, and she looked at him like he was insane. Since then, he did what he’d done that first night and climbed into bed with her and held her when the nightmare struck.

She never spoke during her nightmare. He wasn’t sure if that was because she was scared, hiding, or refused to answer any questions. Probably the last one knowing Lorelei.

Not that he gave himself that much credit. He still barely knew the woman. No matter how many nights he held her in his arms and breathed in her scent and calmed her with his body.

The doctor told him it was likely because he found her. Just like Vinnie assumed. The imprint of him on her memory was temporary. Once she got all her memories back, she would no longer need him in her life.

It was a painful blow, but one he understood. Lorelei didn’t need him. He was there to help with her recovery, not to be her partner, in work or life.

With her settled again, Vinnie finally relaxed. His heart rate slowly lowered, his body accepting that the threat was over. After five nights of very little sleep, he needed to get what he could. In the morning, Lorelei was leaving the hospital.

* * *