Page 1 of Treasured by Them (Rose and Dagger #3)

Troy

T his isn’t the homecoming I expected.

The apartment looks fine. Better than fine, after the days I’ve spent holed up in the hotel room Amber booked and paid for me. The morning light here is bright and cheery, and the furniture and landscape photography on the walls comfortable and calming.

The problem is the people—not the people themselves. But their expressions.

Dani stands next to Edmund, her face pale, her eyes wide with panic. Edmund looks worried, his arms half-stretched toward her like she’s a bomb and he’s afraid to touch her and set her off.

I remain in the doorway, unsure of whether I should step in or quietly back away, let the elevator take me down to the ground floor, and disappear. “Guys?”

Edmund clears his throat. “Danica just—well, she’s having a panic attack.”

“No. Not panicking. But I have to go to the police. I have to talk to them.” Her gray eyes are wild, beseeching. “I have to talk to them now . I remember—I know what happened to her.”

“To who?” I feel like an idiot, but I have no fucking idea what she’s talking about.

“To Britney Gardner! All these things—everything I’ve been dreaming—it’s real.” She grabs Edmund’s hand and starts marching with him toward me and the door.

“Wait, Dani.” I drop my duffel on the floor and hold out my hands. I don’t know who Britney Gardner is, but I have to stop Dani.

She moves out of my reach. “You can’t tell me to wait! I just remembered important information about how she died?—”

“But you aren’t wearing clothes.” I cock an eyebrow as she pauses and looks down at herself. She’s wearing a silky gray cami and matching shorts. The pajamas are cute and sexy—just like Dani. I continue, “It’ll probably be hard for anyone to take you seriously.”

She blushes. “You’re right. And…shit, I’m sorry, Troy. I’m sorry about everything.”

I get the feeling she isn’t talking about her pajamas.

“I shouldn’t have shouted at you, and I shouldn’t have ignored you when you tried to explain.” She takes one of my hands, squeezing it. “If you give me another chance, I’ll talk things out if something like that ever happens again. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

I nod and cup her cheek. “If you need time to figure out your thoughts, just ask for time. I can handle giving you time. Okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Now.” I look from her to Edmund. “It sounds like we’re going back to SEPD?”

“You don’t have to come,” Dani says. “You’re probably so sick of the police by now.”

“I go where you go.” I spin her around and face her toward the hall. “But you have to put on clothes, first. As much as I like the sight of your sexy little ass in these short shorts.”

She sends me a smile over her shoulder before hurrying away.

I face Edmund. “So. What the fuck is going on?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. The news came on. They identified the body from Danish Lake. Danica started acting strange and said she remembers things.” He stares down the hall where she disappeared, his shoulders tense. “I don’t know what to make of this.”

“But we’re gonna see it through?”

“Of course.”

* * *

Danica

The “meeting room” at SEPD feels more like an interrogation room.

Air conditioning blasts, raising goosebumps over my bare arms. The room itself is sparse.

Jail cell chic. It holds nothing but a table and a couple of chairs.

A cup of smelly coffee sits in front of me.

The heat left it twenty minutes ago and it no longer warms my hands.

I hold my arms around myself, trying to keep from freezing. “Is there another detective I can talk to?”

Detective Spalding’s gray eyebrows rise high on his forehead. “No.”

“Okay, well are you going to take notes on anything I told you, so you can pass it on to whoever’s working the homicide case?”

He sighs. “Write down what, exactly? You remember being at Danish Lake Summer Camp fifteen years ago when Britney Gardner disappeared. So were countless other young men and women.”

“I remember someone drowning her.”

“And…?” He sounds mocking. “Do you remember who this someone is?”

I look away from his stupid face. No, I don’t remember who drowned her. The face, the body—all details are completely blank.

“Do you even work in homicide?” I ask.

“Does it matter?” He leans back in his chair, utterly at ease. I notice he’s wearing long sleeves—the AC isn’t affecting him.

Coming here was a mistake. I’m cold and cranky, and I feel like an idiot for trying to share what I think is important information, only to be dismissed by Detective Dingbat Douchewad.

He offers me what should be a sympathetic smile, but comes off as smug. “If you don’t have anything else…?”

“Nope.” I can take a hint. They probably get a thousand false leads and even false confessions on the daily.

I know what I saw, though. Someone holding her down. And it’s so visceral, it’s almost like I was her.

I guess it’s possible I dreamed the whole thing….

Detective Spalding shakes my hand at the front doors of the police station. “Thank you for coming in, Miss Montrose.”

“Thank you for listening to what I have to say.” I keep my voice syrupy sweet. If he can be insincere, so can I.

When I open the glass door, Edmund and Troy stand up from the bench where they waited for me. Detective Spalding does a double-take. “You came with them?”

“Edmund is my fiancé.” For the first time, I actually like how it sounds.

It’s not just that I’m used to it, that our families have worn me down—I like it.

No, I don’t want to marry him at the end of the month like our grandfathers are planning.

But someday I probably could. I resist the urge to gaze at my engagement ring.

I’m starting to understand why Edmund has been so obsessed with it.

“Oh, I didn’t realize…” Spalding trails off. “Well, Miss Montrose, if there’s anything I can do going forward, to help you. Or if anything else comes to mind, please get in touch.”

“Right.” He was a dick until he realized I’m connected to the Laytons. Fantastic.

I leave him behind and meet Edmund and Troy on the front steps.

“How did it go?” Edmund leans in to kiss my cheek.

I like the feeling of his stubble against my skin. “Terrible. We can talk in the car.”

I walk ahead of them, stewing in my emotions.

When they try to catch up, I walk faster.

Spalding the Spankstick didn’t respect me until he saw Edmund.

As I go down the block to where Jon parked, I barely get a second glance from people passing by.

It’s like I’m invisible. But I bet Troy and Edmund get second glances. I bet they get respect. I bet they?—

Oof.

A solid wall of muscle pins me against the car. Troy. His warm, clean scent is a balm for my irritation.

“Why are you ignoring us, Dani?” He opens the door for me, then helps me into the back seat, following behind me.

Edmund gets in on the other side of the car.

I’m sandwiched between the two of them—the best place to be.

“So?” Edmund touches my leg. “I think Troy asked you a question, angel. I’m curious about your answer.”

“Ignoring you?” I shake my head. “I wasn’t ignoring you. I was just lost in my thoughts.”

“You’re such a terrible liar.” Edmund grins.

“You’re mad about something.” Troy cocks his head to the side. “I want to know what.”

I laugh. He assumes I’m mad about one thing?

Edmund leans forward. “Take us home, Jon.”

As the car starts forward, Edmund raises the privacy screen. I hope he isn’t going to put the moves on me, because I am not at all interested.

But then he puts his hand on my knee. All-too-familiar heat grows low in my belly and my thighs clench reflexively.

Goddammit. This guy.

“Cut that shit out.” I push his hand away and round on Troy. “Why were you kissing that woman? Why were you letting her touch you?”

He blinks. He wasn’t expecting this. Well, good.

“It’s complicated.” Before I can tell him where I think “complicated” can reside on his anatomy, he continues, “But the short answer is, I needed her to think we were all good. She’s an ex, and a bad one.”

“What did she do?”

He shakes his head. The tension in the car ratchets up a notch. I’m stepping into dangerous waters. It’s partly my fault. If I hadn’t gotten so mad and yelled before, maybe he would think he could talk to me now.

I let it go, but I keep my mouth shut for the rest of the drive. The privacy screen is wholly unnecessary. My thoughts whirl between Detective Spalding’s dismissal of my memories, what actually happened to Britney Gardner.

Then my thoughts settle on how I should improve myself and my own communication so the guys I’m falling in love with might be more willing to confide in me.

Because that’s what this is…I’m falling in love.