Page 99 of Fracture

Vinnie froze and realized he was towering over her. If he saw someone in his position over another person, he would have thrown them against the wall. Vinnie took a step back and shook his head. “I apologize. I was not trying to get in your face like that.”

“I know, which is why I didn’t kick your ass for it. What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing.” Vinnie pushed past her and went into the locker room.

Molly followed. “Is this about the shooting yesterday? Are you still messed up about that?”

“No. I’d do the same thing again if I were in that situation. I know I did what needed to be done. Not that I liked it, but there’s no telling what he would have done if I hadn’t put him down.”

“I agree. So what’s up your ass? Did something happen with Agent Sloane?”

“It has nothing to do with her,” Vinnie growled through clenched teeth.

Molly was silent while Vinnie shoved his SWAT uniform to the side and reached for the patrol uniform in the back of his locker. He tugged it on with jerky moves, fighting each item the whole way.

When he was done, he looked up at Molly.

“What happened with her?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying.”

Vinnie snorted. “No, I’m not. Nothing happened. She wasn’t at my place when I got home last night. Went out with her friends and stayed out all night. Didn’t come back to my place at all.”

“Okay. And?”

“And what?” he barked. “She leaned on me for two months. Needed me to help her with everything. And the day her cast comes off, she’s gone? I’m just discarded trash that was only useful when she needed me.”

“Are you really that dumb?” Molly asked.

Vinnie did not like being called dumb. Almost as much as he didn’t like being told he deserved more than he knew he did.

Molly shook her head. “You came in here with a stick up your ass yesterday. She probably didn’t want to deal with you when you got home. And you’re pissed.”

“She was talking about an ex. Some guy who helped her last time she broke something.”

“And?”

“And apparently it’s her pattern. Pair up with a guy who’s around until she’s healed, then skip out.”

“How do you know that? Do you really think that’s who she is?”

“You don’t know her.”

Molly laughed. “You’re right. I don’t. I’ve never had a conversation with her. But you have. For two months, you’ve been caring for this woman. For two months. You dropped everything here to go find her. From the way you told it, she jumped at the chance to stay with you. You were the only one she trusted. She had family and her partner and other friends who were all willing to let her stay. All kinds of people who would have taken care of her. Do you really think she was just using you until she was better? That it was worth it to her to stay in your fourth-floor walk-up one-bedroom apartment when she could have stayed with a billionaire who has more bedrooms in her house than your entire building?”

“She didn’t know them,” Vinnie defended.

“She didn’t know you! You were a stranger, too. There’s no reason she wanted to be with you except she wanted to be. She didn’t know any of you, but she chose you. She didn’t do it because it’s a pattern. Are you really this oblivious?”

“What are you talking about?”

Molly tilted her head to the side. She looked at Vinnie long enough that he shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

“Why are you looking at him like that?” Hannah asked.

“Because he has no idea that Agent Sloane is in love with him,” Molly said.

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