Page 8 of Fracture

“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.”