Page 101 of Fracture

“Keep calling her. And when you get her, tell her not to read the note and that you’re sorry.”

“Always say you’re sorry,” Molly agreed.

Vinnie nodded. “Thanks. I love you guys.”

“We love you,” they said together. “Fix things so you can come back to SWAT next shift.”

“I will. Thanks!” Vinnie took off, calling Lorelei again. Still no answer.

He would talk to her. He had to. He had to make everything okay.

Vinnie was twitchy the entire shift. He never got in touch with Lorelei, so as soon as he was off, he went to Karli’s house.

Where no one answered the door.

“Dammit!” Vinnie shouted as he went back to his SUV. The house looked dark, so he guessed they really weren’t home and not that they were all hiding from him.

He fucked up. In a big way. He pushed Lorelei away because he was afraid of loving her. Of wanting her and her rejecting him.

And he probably lost her because of it. A self-fulfilling prophecy.

What an idiot.

He could go to Adam’s or Dawn’s or maybe find one of the others, but would any of them want to help him get her back?

Probably not.

Vinnie drove by Adam’s, but it was dark, too. Even though Molly pointed out that Lorelei could have stayed with Dawn, he doubted she’d be there. Lorelei would choose Karli or Adam. And both offered so there was no reason to think she would have gone somewhere else.

Like she chose to do when she moved in with him. She chose.

He was so blind.

Vinnie went home, making a plan to track Lorelei down on his first day off. He had two more days on shift, then he was going to find her. No matter where she ended up. Even if she went back to Boston.

He let himself into his apartment and stopped short when he realized the lights were on. The TV was on. Someone was in the kitchen.

“Lorelei,” he breathed. “You’re here.”

She turned on him, a hand on her hip. “Yeah, I’m here. You don’t get to kick me out. I’m not done with you, Vinnie Morgan.”

“You’re not?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not. But I am mad at you. How dare you pack my shit? How dare you assume you know what I want?”

“I was an idiot.”

“You’re damn right you were. My ex did that. Mark? Who you freaked out about? He dumped me because when I got my cast off my arm, I didn’t need him anymore. He thought I was going to stay home and require his help forever. That I was going to turn into some alternate reality version of myself. He told me I was too independent for him. You know what I did?”

Vinnie shook his head.

“I tried to prove to myself that being independent was good. That I didn’t need anyone else. I was so set on being independent, I stopped sharing things with my partner. I stopped reaching out to friends and family. And I made the worst decision of my life and met with an informant alone and almost got myself killed.”

Vinnie sighed and took a step toward her.

“And then I met you. And you didn’t need me. I needed you, but you knew who I was. More than I did. You were here for me, in every possible way. And then you decided it was too much. But you don’t get to decide that, Vinnie Morgan, because I’m in love with you. And if you don’t feel the same, that’s fine. I will go if you really want me to, but you don’t get to throw me out without telling me to my face that you don’t love me.”

Vinnie took a step forward, then another, and another. He didn’t stop until he cupped her jaw and lifted her face so he could see only her. “I am the biggest idiot on the planet. I convinced myself you didn’t need me. You didn’t want me. I have never had anyone who wanted me because of who I am. It was always what I could do for them. My grandmother got extra money from the government for taking care of me. My dad got to leave and have a better life without me. All my exes wanted the cop or the man who took care of things, but it wasn’t about me. No one ever wanted me.”

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