Page 35 of Fracture

“She had them before,” Vinnie answered.

“But you never remembered anything?” Frannie asked.

Lorelei looked up at Vinnie. “He helped me. He calmed me down and let me go back to sleep.”

Frannie looked between them, then at Marcus. “Um, what does that mean, exactly?”

“When she would wake up, I would hold her. That’s it, I promise. I know it was a violation to do it, and I know I shouldn’t have, but the first night she had a nightmare, I worried she was going to hurt herself. She was thrashing around and fighting. I thought she would make everything worse, so I started talking to her. She calmed down a little, but not enough. I held her hand, but she was still frantic, so I held her. As soon as she was in my arms, she settled. Her breathing eased, and she went back to sleep.” Vinnie closed his eyes and shook his head. “I know it was wrong, Frannie. I know it crosses a line. She never gave me permission to put my hands on her, and?—”

“It appears to me you’re the only one beating yourself up, Vinnie. Correct me if I’m wrong, Lorelei, but it sounds as though you were sleeping better and feeling better when he took those nightmares away.” Frannie raised one eyebrow at Lorelei and waited for an answer.

Lorelei bobbed her head just enough to nod. “I didn’t know until I had a panic attack, and Vinnie… It made me feel better to have him close.”

“Then it sounds like there’s nothing to forgive, Vinnie.” Frannie reached for his hand. “You didn’t do anything intended to harm Lorelei. You were protecting her. Sometimes our memories are the worst thing to get protection from, and you were able to give her comfort and care when nothing else did. Stop beating yourself up for it and accept what she’s telling you. She’s not angry at you.”

Lorelei shook her head. “I’m not. I never was. I was shocked, but not mad.”

“I’m… Okay,” Vinnie said.

“To answer your original question,” Marcus said, “we won’t stop until we find the man who did this to you. And whoever he’s working for.”

“Working for?” Something tingled in her mind.

Marcus nodded. “We know there’s a boss, but we don’t know who it is. I’m guessing the man who took you isn’t the boss. It’s unlikely he would expose himself.”

“He meant for me to die. He broke my ankle in my apartment. Said he couldn’t have me leaving to get help.”

“You remember that?” Frannie gasped.

Lorelei swallowed roughly and nodded.

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” Frannie set a mug of coffee in front of Lorelei, followed by a plate of the most delicious and fluffy looking cinnamon rolls. “Eat. Drink.”

Lorelei nodded and did both. The other three joined her, the sounds of breakfast being enjoyed outweighing the worries in Lorelei’s mind.

The coffee was good, and the cinnamon rolls were even better. By the time she finished, she was stuffed and feeling better than she had in days.

“Vinnie, come for a walk with me,” Marcus said in a clear ploy to leave Lorelei and Frannie alone.

Vinnie looked at Lorelei, as if asking her before he left.

Lorelei nodded. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” Vinnie followed Marcus outside, locking the door behind them.

“Karli and Raina have been in touch with me. Jessica visited when she and Braden got back. I know he had to come back to work, but she hated to leave.”

“I understand. Everyone has a life. Things they need to do.”

“Yes, but we’re all here for you. And worried about you. I know Karli and Raina told you about all the others. When you’re ready, we all want to get together. But for now, I have something for you.”

Lorelei waited as Frannie reached into her handbag. There was a moment of panic when Lorelei wondered if she was wrong to trust Frannie, but then Frannie pulled out something small and black and handed it over.

“What is this?” Lorelei asked as she accepted the… “A mask?”

Frannie nodded. “When I was in my twenties, I worked at a nightclub. The dancers all wore masks like this one. I know, weird, but I saw a woman killed on my walk home one night. I set out to find who killed her, and when I confronted him, I wore my mask. It was… maybe a way to hide who I was, maybe something else. But it made me feel strong. Like I wasn’t alone. Like I could do anything.”

“A mask did that?”