Page 34 of Fracture
Parents? They were white, but they didn’t really look like him. Not that it was the sole determinant of family, though.
The woman glanced past Vinnie and found Lorelei watching them. Her eyes went soft as they slid down Lorelei’s body.
“Frannie,” Lorelei said.
The woman’s eyes went wide. She pulled back from Vinnie. “Did you tell her my name?”
Vinnie shook his head. “You know her?”
“I…” Lorelei didn’t know. The woman wasn’t familiar, but for some reason, she knew her name.
“It’s okay, Lorelei. We know it’s going to take a while for you to remember anything.” Frannie came closer as Vinnie hugged the man who’d come with her. “We brought breakfast. And creamer. Vinnie said he didn’t have any.”
Lorelei nodded and let the woman hug her.
“How are you feeling?” Frannie asked softly.
Lorelei shrugged.
Frannie laughed softly. “To be expected. Do you want to sit? I can get you a cup of coffee. I know how you like it.”
“You do? I don’t.”
Frannie chuckled. “That’s okay. You’ll remember everything eventually.”
“What if I don’t want to?” Lorelei breathed, the question making everyone in the room stop.
Frannie was the one who spoke first. “It would be nice if we could choose.”
Lorelei nodded and let Frannie guide her to the couch. Frannie sat next to her and nodded to the man. “That’s my husband, Marcus Patrick. Marcus is the local police captain. You’ve been working together. He and Vinnie have known each other for longer than I’ve known Marcus.”
“Oh, um, okay.” Lorelei didn’t know what to say.
Frannie chuckled. “I bet you’ve gotten a lot of information over the last week. Names and events and a lot that you don’t know.”
Lorelei nodded.
“It’s not easy.” Frannie looked at Marcus. “We should eat. I’m starving.”
“Of course.” Marcus replaced Frannie on the couch and offered his hand to Lorelei. “I know there are a lot of people offering you help, but I hope you’ll accept my offer of the same. If there’s anything you need or want to know, please reach out. Vinnie knows how to get in touch with me.”
Lorelei nodded at the older man. He gave her the same sense of calm that Vinnie did. In a different way, but she knew Marcus was someone she could count on and trust. Someone who wouldn’t lie to her or manipulate her. And someone who would be brutally honest with her. Which was why she had to ask him…
“What’s the chance the man who took me will be found?”
“Man?” Vinnie barked, rushing back into the living room with Frannie right behind him. “Do you remember something?”
Lorelei nodded, avoiding meeting Vinnie’s gaze. “Last night and the night before, I had nightmares that woke me up. Both nights I remembered a man.”
“Can you tell me anything about him?” Marcus asked.
“He was mean. And he wanted to know what I knew about something.”
“Do you know what he was asking about?”
Lorelei shook her head. “No. I can’t ever remember details.”
“You only started having nightmares two nights ago? When you left the hospital?” Frannie asked.