Page 26 of Fracture
“The others said they could stay with her. Her cousin and friends. I will be back to work, just not this shift.”
Damien exhaled again. His patience was running thin. “I want to tell you to get your ass back to work and let the FBI fucking deal with their shit, but I know that’s not the right call. And I’ve never gotten a call from the FBI saying you deserve a medal or some shit. We all know this is important.”
“It is,” Vinnie said, thankful Damien wasn’t arguing.
“Okay. I’ll figure it out, but I expect you to check in and keep me updated on how things are going and when you’ll be back.”
“I will. Thanks, Damien. It means a lot.”
“Yeah, well, hurry back. And if you could find a replacement for your shifts, it would mean a lot to me, too.”
“I’ll see what I can do. She’s got some powerful friends.”
“She sure does. Powerful enemies, too.”
“Unfortunately.”
“Get some sleep. We’ll talk soon.”
“Thanks.”
Vinnie hung up the phone and let out a breath. He wasn’t sure how that was going to go, but no one in law enforcement in Niagara Falls thought this was a small thing. They all understood the magnitude of Lorelei Sloane going missing and not remembering anything about who she was or what she was doing when she vanished.
Damien wanted the hell to end as much as the rest of them.
Vinnie turned the TV on in the living room and stretched out on the couch that was a little too small for his five-ten frame and accepted that he wouldn’t get much better sleep on the couch than he did for almost a week in the chair at the hospital.
But at least Lorelei was well enough to be released. It was progress.
Tomorrow, they would make more progress. Getting home. Hopefully.
She laughed. He was a fucking idiot. He told her everything. And he was too fucking stupid to realize she was getting information out of him.
“What the hell are you laughing at, bitch?”
“Is that the worst you can do? Call me a bitch? I’ve been called that since I was a teenager.”
He scowled. Dark hair, dark eyes. That ring. She knew the ring.
Her cheek. He hit her with the ring. It hurt.
She tried to pull her arms up to press her hand to her cheek, but they didn’t move.
“You’re not worth another word,” he said after a minute.
He wasn’t very smart. And it came through whenever she insulted him. Or when she turned his questions around and got the information she needed from him.
“That’s fine. I have all I need from you.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’ve given me so much information. I really appreciate the help.”
“The fuck I did. I didn’t tell you a damn thing. You said you already knew it all.”
She smiled. “I lied.”
Rage filled his gaze and filtered into his body. He grew bigger in seconds, like the rage actually inflated him. He punched her face and ribs, the breath pouring out of her and not enough filling the empty spaces he created inside her.