Page 12 of Treasured by Them (Rose and Dagger #3)

Danica

H e has a gun . He’s threatening my friends. I freeze completely. Not only from the pain. I’m scared shitless, and more furious than I’ve ever been in my life.

His slimy voice is right in my ear as he moves in closer. “Nobody gets hurt if you keep your mouth shut. I just want to talk to you about your family. And your groom.”

My mind whirls. He wants to talk about Edmund? My family? I can guess why, but still, this makes no sense. And where’s Caleb? I haven’t seen him in a while. Figures—I spent days trying to ditch him. Now that I wish he was here, he’s nowhere to be found.

“What do you want?” I say through a clenched jaw.

“There. I knew you could behave.” He sounds perfectly amiable, almost conversational. If it weren’t for the agony of his grip and the revulsion I’m feeling, he could sound like a friend. “I want you, your family, and the Laytons to get the fuck out of San Esteban.”

“Let me guess—you’re a Vorsong?”

“Smart and beautiful.” He presses closer. I’m still frozen—by fear, and by the pain radiating down my arm, sharp and caustic. He grinds against my side. His voice darkens. “Maybe I’ll marry you.”

“You absolutely will not .” I want to stomp on his foot, but I don’t want him to shoot my friends.

“Tell your groom, and tell your grandpa I say hi. Tell them we’re watching. Tell them to pack up, leave town. You all will, if you know what’s good for you.”

I want to scream, but all I can think about is his gun. His closeness. The cloying scent of his cologne.

He spins me around, still holding onto my shoulder. Leans in.

He licks the side of my face with a warm, wet tongue.

Before I can either vomit all over him or knee him in the groin—both options sound equally good—he disappears into the crowd.

I can only stand, frozen in place. I need a shower, disinfectant, and maybe several vaccines.

He’s gone. What the hell can I do? Going upstairs to the VIP room, or rejoining my friends on the dance floor…hell, existing? It all sounds bad. I don’t want to do any of it. I can’t even take a step. I hold my arms tight around myself, shivering with fear and anger.

“Danica!” Caleb pants as he runs up to me. “I’ve been looking all over for you—you can’t keep disappearing on me like that. Edmund’s going to kill me.”

“I—we have to go. We have to get my friends and go.” My voice is a whisper. That Vorsong guy could still be here. Waiting. He could shoot anyone and everyone in this club.

“What?” Caleb’s brows pull together in confusion. “I can’t hear you. What happened?”

“We have to leave. Now! Someone from Vorsong grabbed me!”

“Okay, let’s go.” He moves straight into bodyguard mode, keeping close to my side and hustling me toward the door.

I hesitate. “But my friends?—”

“Text them once you’re safe.”

I text as we walk, and also keep an eye out for the Vorsong man. Caleb makes a call and by the time we get out of the club, the limo is pulling up. I’m vaguely aware of the people in line gawking as Caleb blocks me from their view and opens the door before shutting me inside.

Centered in the back seat by myself, I hold my arms tightly around myself. Something tugs at my hair and I realize it’s my bride tiara. Fuck this. Fuck all of this. That man had a gun on me, he licked my cheek.

I rip the tiara off my head and hurl it to the other side of the limo. Then I open up one of the cabinets, searching for wet wipes, a bottle of sanitizer, anything. My cheek tingles like it’s burning. I know it’s just in my head, but really, what did he lick me with—acid?

I’ve torn through the mini cooler and two little cabinets beneath the seats before the door opens again and Leah throws herself into the limo beside me. “What happened?”

She’s followed by Elias, Wallace, and Rita. The four of them circle me like a human shield, comforting. But it’s a little much.

“Some guy was there. He threatened me, grabbed me as soon as you stepped away, Leah. I just—I can’t go back in there. Does anyone have hand sanitizer?”

Rita whips some out of her clutch. I dump half of the liquid into my palm and smear it on my cheek while my friends look on, bewildered.

“He licked my face,” I whisper.

Exclamations of revulsion all around.

The limo door opens again and Elias raises his fists, ready to fight.

But it’s Edmund. His green eyes are dark with fury. “Danica. Come with us, we’ll take you home.”

Something about his bossy, angry tone makes me want to push back. Like I should be stubborn on principle. Before I say anything, though, I take another look at him. Behind the fury is wild panic. Maybe nobody else would notice it, but I do. He’s genuinely anxious.

“Okay.” I scoot across the seat, but not without giving a hug to each of my friends. “You guys can keep on dancing, make use of the VIP room, and have a good time.”

They all make sounds of protest. “It wouldn’t be the same celebrating without you,” Wallace says.

“Well, let’s have a redo later, when, um, when things settle down.” Tears fill my eyes. I blink them away. I don’t want everyone feeling even worse. But when will things settle down? The Vorsongs and all this gangster criminal shit have been hanging over my head for months. It’s unending.

* * *

Edmund

Something changed in Danica just now. It’s as if a switch has been flipped. Usually she’s fiery, stubborn…but now she’s resigned. A slump to her shoulders. Eyes downcast. It breaks my heart to see her this way.

Caleb Morraine stands uselessly next to the limo as Troy tucks Danica under his arm.

“Guys?” Caleb frowns. “Should I follow you in the limo, or…?”

“What. Happened.” I get right up in his face. “Explain it to me again. Slowly.”

“I was watching her. But I was trying to give her space, man, like you all wanted. Not too much space, though,” he hurries to add when I clench my fists.

“Go on.” I gesture him forward to walk with us. I don’t want to hang around here any longer than necessary.

He falls into step with me, and Danica and Troy follow behind.

Caleb tilts his chin at the line in front of Vice. “But the crowd got really big. I lost sight of her for a second. That’s when I first texted you. After that, she said a guy from Vorsong grabbed her.”

I halt in place and whirl around to check on Danica. “Someone grabbed you?”

She clings to Troy. “Yeah.”

Troy looks like he’s ready to pick her up and carry her. I wish he would. I want to whisk her away, somewhere safe and protected. Out here on the street isn’t the place for her. She should be safe because we’re in Aseyev territory, but no territory is safe with the Vorsongs wandering around.

We reach Troy’s truck. I’m tempted to get inside and run Caleb over. But Troy helps Danica in, then gets behind the wheel before I can give in to the impulse.

I turn to face Caleb. There’s no room for his ass in the truck. He’ll have to find his own way home. I can barely look at him. He failed and Danica could’ve been hurt—he had one job. He failed .

I grab him by the front of his shirt and slam him into the side of the truck with an echoing thud .

Danica yelps in surprise.

Glaring into Caleb’s face, I say, “Tell me again how you lost sight of my bride.”

He gulps, his brown eyes widening in fear. “Man, I’m really sorry. I was doing my best. It was crowded as fuck in there. I swear it’s just an honest mistake, please, I’ll make it up to you?—”

“Edmund.” Danica’s voice is soft from inside the truck. “It was crazy in there. I lost sight of Caleb, too. We were all trying our best to be safe, I promise. It’s not his fault!”

Fury washes through me. His ineptitude endangered Danica. I tighten my grip on Caleb’s shirt, wanting to squeeze the life out of him. “You had one job . The family doesn’t have room for assholes who can’t follow simple fucking directions.”

“Please, man, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

A part of me feels some pity for this guy. He’s supposed to be my friend.

Stop feeling .

I lock that pity into another part of me—a quiet, unreachable part. I’m above it, letting my fury bubble like lava. It doesn’t matter that we’re friends. He fucked up. He needs to pay.

“Troy, hand me your knife.”

Caleb sucks in a breath. “Please, man, please.”

“Shut the fuck up.” I keep hold of his shirt. “Troy. The knife.”

Troy starts to pass it to me, but Danica latches onto his arm. “Don’t—whatever you’re going to do, Edmund, don’t. Come on. Get in the truck. It was an accident, it was crowded in there.”

I try to reach past her.

“Stop!” She raises her voice to a shout. “Stop, now. Let him go, Edmund.”

Blinking, I look at her. My pulse thunders in my ears, but I should stop. She’s right. I’m feeling too much, even now. It isn’t sympathy, it’s anger.

I release Caleb’s shirt, shove him away from the truck. “Get out. Go. Out of my sight.”

He nods, visibly quaking as he walks away.

I stare after him until he’s out of view, then turn to the truck.

Danica holds her arms around her chest. She’s in a tight, white dress. Innocent and angelic. Her hair is messed up, and her eye makeup is smeared.

“What did that Vorsong asshole do to you?” I demand.

She looks at me with tear-filled eyes. “Grabbed me. He hurt my shoulder. He fucking licked my face. But right now, Edmund, I’m more scared of you .”

“Me?” I lean back in surprise. “Why?”

“What were you going to do to Caleb with the knife?”

I scoff. “Probably nothing. Just scare him.”

“No.” She shakes her head. “You…you weren’t yourself just now. I don’t know who you are, even.”

“Danica.” I climb into the truck. My mind is whirling with thoughts of that asshole grabbing her, putting his hand on her—putting his fucking mouth on her. I can’t stand it, but at the same time, I’m cool. Calm. Just like my father would want me to be.

Troy starts the car. Danica doesn’t flinch when I put my arm around her, but she holds herself stiffly.

I sigh. “What is it, angel?”

“I’m going to my family cabin earlier than planned.”

“What do you mean?” I feel my hackles rising. Her family goes every year around this time, apparently. We already planned for her to go up on Monday, the day after tomorrow.

“I mean, I want to get up there before everyone. I need space. I’ll leave tonight.”

“It’s midnight.” Troy’s voice is a deep rumble. “You shouldn’t be going anywhere.”

She needs space? From me, she means. She didn’t like the violence. Well, too fucking bad. Welcome to our world, princess.

I keep my face expressionless. “You’ll go up on Monday as we originally agreed.”

“Please. Don’t be a dick, Edmund. I’ll hire a car if you don’t want me to drive. We’re getting married in one week, and tonight really freaked me out.” She leans back to look at me. “I need this time away. I need to think.”

“No, absolutely not?—”

“I’ll drive you,” Troy says.

I shoot him a look. What the fuck? He’s going to take her off to the lake, all by herself?

“And we’re sending Caleb,” he adds. “Until your family is there.”

Better, but not by a lot. “Caleb can’t do this,” I say. “You saw what happened tonight.”

“He made a mistake .” Danica huffs out a breath. “For fuck’s sake, Edmund.”

I can see that I’m overruled. I don’t like it, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that getting Danica away from San Esteban and the Vorsongs might be the very best thing for her.

“Fine, whatever. But you’re not at the cabin alone. Caleb’s with you until your family gets there, and then they’re taking care of you. You go nowhere alone . Understand?”

“Yes.”

Fuck, I don’t feel good about this.