Page 57 of Fracture

Karli was telling the truth about being cousins.

The relief that knowledge brought was shocking. Lorelei didn’t realize she was holding on to doubt about what Karli said. That she questioned if her cousin was really her cousin.

“Are you okay?” Karli asked.

Lorelei looked over at her, seeing the woman next to her in a different way. “I am. Thank you for sticking with me through all of this. For not giving up on me.”

“I would never.” Karli grabbed Lorelei’s hand and squeezed.

“None of us would,” Raina said.

Lorelei nodded, realizing she had the attention of the entire table. Adam and Cade were smiling, and Karli and Raina were wiping tears from their eyes. It was a big moment.

And the one person Lorelei wanted to share it with wasn’t there.

Vinnie had been her rock for two weeks. He’d put his career at risk to save her, then continued to risk it by not going back, even though his boss demanded it.

And on his first day back, he withdrew from her.

Lorelei wasn’t going to let him do that. She was going to find out what was going on and make it right. Get back to where they were before he went back to work. Be there for him the same way he was there for her.

She wasn’t giving up on him.

Vinnie heated up a frozen meal and sat on the couch. His stomach churned, and his mind mocked him.

She doesn’t want you.

You’re not important.

You have nothing to offer her.

He hated that the words were truth. Lorelei was bigger than him. She was better than him. She had people around her that would be there for her, no matter what. People who cared and came running when she needed them.

He’d never had that. He was alone. The only person who ever watched out for him was Marcus. His parents… They barely earned the titles. He didn’t remember his mom. The only memories he had were his grandmother telling him she was a waste of a human and she left him when he was two.

Of course, Grandmother hated his mother because she was the reason Vinnie ended up living with her. His father wasn’t much better than his mother. He worked odd jobs and spent more time away than at home. He was content to drop Vinnie with his mother and disappear for weeks at a time. Something he never did until Vinnie’s mother took off.

And his grandmother? She tolerated him. She let him stay because he had nowhere else to go, but if he did, she would have packed his bags for him.

Vinnie got the hell out of there as quickly as he could. He knew the only person he could count on was himself, so why pretend otherwise? When his grandmother died, Vinnie made sure she had a nice funeral, and the seven people who attended said nice things, but Vinnie only felt relief. He didn’t have to think about anyone else.

For seventeen years, Vinnie didn’t worry about anyone else. Didn’t think twice about what anyone else was doing or if they were okay.

Then he met Lorelei.

She’s too good for you.

“Yeah, I know,” he told the voice in his head. Vinnie sighed and turned off the TV. He needed to do something that would wear his mind and body out. Something that would mean he could sleep.

Preferably before Lorelei got back. If she came back.

He laced up his sneakers and stepped onto the treadmill. He pushed the speed higher and higher until he had to sprint to keep up with the belt spinning beneath him.

His feet pounded the belt. He stared at the wall on the other side of the apartment, the taunts of his mind echoing in time with his pace.

Not good enough.

Not worthy.