Page 28 of Snagged By Hook

“From Daddy.”

It took every ounce of restraint, and then some, not to grab her by the shoulders and scream when, where, and why. One question at a time and calmly was the only way to handle her daughter.

“Your dad?”

June nodded but wouldn’t look up.

“Where did you see your dad, Bug?”

“Mrs. Griffith let me run over to our house the other day to get my favorite book. Dad was inside looking for something.”

Nova lost the battle to keep the horror from her voice.

“She didn’t say anything to me. You’re not going back over there—” Nova was getting worked up, and her voice rose with every word.

“It’s not her fault, Mommy, she didn’t know. She was watching from the porch like always, and Daddy made me promise not to say anything, so I didn’t.”

She didn’t miss the tremor in her child’s voice or the wetness gathering on her lashes.

“I’m sorry, baby. You’re right, it’s not her fault or yours. Come.” Nova sat on the bed and opened her arms to June. She ran into them without hesitation. Nova was kicking herself a little for teaching June to always keep her word.

“You know what, Bug? Sometimes keeping a secret can be worse than breaking your word.” What else could she say? She didn’t want to cause more fear by saying some secrets were bad or dangerous.

“But, you always said?—”

“I know what I’ve always said, Bug, but sometimes moms are wrong. Why don’t you tell me everything, and we can decide if it is a secret to keep or a secret to tell?” Yeah, it was a little underhanded trickery, but the warning bells were clanging in her head so loudly she couldn’t even hear herself think.

“Do you know what this is?”

June nodded.

“Do you know why Daddy gave it to you?”

She nodded again.

“Will you tell me about it?”

June worried her bottom lip for so long, Nova thought she’d have to play mean mom to get the story. If her own child hated her, so be it. She’d be safe and away from a man she had an increasingly bad feeling about.

“It’s a tracker so he can find me when it’s time.” Her voice was a whisper. Nova could see the stress it was putting on the child.

“When it’s time for what?” All the happiness and comfort of the night before curdled in her soul.

“I can’t say or…” June abruptly stopped talking. The look on her face was that of someone who’d said too much already.

“Bug, I need you to tell me.” She tried for a mix of firm but caring, which was at odds with how she felt inside.

“But if I tell, he’ll not only take me away, he’ll hurt you.” June slapped both hands to her mouth in an attempt to shove the words back in.

It took superhuman strength, and some things she didn’t know where she drew from, to not frantically start packing and run with her daughter just so she could feel safe, as far as humanly possible. Instead, she used the power of June’s love and trust in Jeremy.

“You can tell me.” She spoke with a sense of calm she didn’t feel. “Remember, Hook promised to protect us, both of us, and your Jeremy wouldn’t lie, would he?”

She shook her head.

“Good, then tell me so I can tell him, and everything will be just fine.” How she feigned nonchalance was a mystery to her. But thanks to whatever deity was on call that day for giving her the strength.

“Daddy said he’ll come when I’m worth the most money, and that if I was good and kept that with me.” She looked at the frog in Nova’s hand, then dropped her gaze again. “And I didn’t tell anyone, you’d be safe.”

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