Page 160 of Just This Once

Thane blinked a few times as he absorbed my words before he shook his head. “B-because she disappeared.Icouldn’t even find her after she left. She?—”

“You don’t have the money and means he does,” I countered. “Parker would’ve found her. He wouldn’t have stopped looking until he found her.”

Thane sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes full of shock. “You think Parker knows where Nova is?” But as soon as he spoke the question aloud, he began to shake his head, denying it. “No. No. He would’ve told me.”

“Not if he was protecting you too,” I said softly. “He loves you just as much as Nova did. If he thought something could hurt you, he’d do what he could to protect you.”

“Protect me fromwhat?” he repeated savagely. “What could’ve possibly hurt me more than losing her?” When I hesitated, he growled, “Dammit, Hope. You brought me this far, don’t fucking hold back now.”

I winced. “It’s only a guess, though.”

“I don’t fucking care.” The tears in his eyes started to spill down his cheeks. “What do you think you know?”

I exhaled roughly. “It’s just that she volunteered at the grief center a lot while Gerald Sprout was the director there.”

Thane sucked in a breath, and his lips parted. I watched the dazed shock cross his face as he digested the idea, and I knew he’d never considered the possibility before.

“No,” he rasped before managing to shake his head and clear such an ugly idea from it. “There’s no way. She would’ve told me if she—if he had—fuck. She would’ve told me.”

I only sent him a small wince before whispering, “I wouldn’t have.”

His gaze flashed to me, and panic filled his face.

“If I’d gotten raped by someone as powerful as him, and some boy had loved me as much as you loved her, there’s no way in hell I would’ve risked your life like that. Because you would’ve gone after him, and he would’ve crushed you like a bug. You either would’ve killed him and landed yourself in jail; or you would’ve tried to call him out for his crimes the honest, legal way, and he would’ve lied and schemed and ruined your entire future to keep his secret.”

Thane sobbed out a sound of pain and clutched his chest. “It’s not true. It can’t be true. She couldn’t—she was so pure and beautiful and perfect. Why would anyone do that to her?”

“Because monsters are attracted to beauty and sweetness, just like everyone else.”

“Oh God,” he choked out, bowing his head and shaking it. “It can’t be true. Itbetternot be fucking true.”

“I hope it’s not,” I agreed sadly, extending my hand to give him one of my napkins.

He took it and wiped his face, then blew his nose before lifting bloodshot eyes to me. “If itistrue, then why hasn’t Nova come back and told me?” he demanded harshly. “Sprout can’t hurt me now. He’s behind bars.”

“Oh, well that’s easy,” I said. “Because she would feel dirty and ruined. She wouldn’t want all that darkness to ever touch you. If she loved you, she’d want only the best for you, and she’dno longer feel worthy. If I were her, I’d probably never tell you either.”

Thane exhaled and fell back into his seat. “Well,” he murmured, visibly shaken as he heaved in a big breath. “This is certainly…” He shook his head, unable to say anymore.

“Yeah,” I murmured before taking a drink of my smoothie only to find it empty. My phone vibrated, and I checked the screen to see Parker trying to reach me, asking if everything was okay.

I lifted my face and winced at his best friend who looked absolutely wrecked. “Should I not have told you my theory?”

He looked up and studied me a moment before wincing through a hard swallow. “I don’t know. Probably not. But I’m glad you did.” Even though he looked utterly devastated.

Reassured that he felt that way. I licked my dry lips. “And you won’t tell Parker about my suspicions?”

With a self-deprecating laugh, he wiped a hand over his face and shook his head. “Since I have no idea if it’s even true, yeah, I’ll keep quiet about your hopefullywronghypothesis.”

I exhaled gratefully, just as my phone buzzed again. “And you’re not mad at him?” I pressed. “If it ends up being true, and he knew, you won’t hate him, right? Because he loves you. He’d do anything for you. Even go behind your back to help out the personyoulove most so you couldn’t get hurt doing it yourself.”

Thane’s jaw worked as if he were having trouble with this one. So I repeated, “You’re not mad at him,right?”

He glanced at me sharply but then gave a silent shake of the head. “No. I’m not mad at Parker,” he agreed, only to blink at me. “Damn, you really do care about him, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” I whispered as my phone buzzed a third time. Glancing down, I said, “And I really gotta go.”

“Ohrley?” he guessed.

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