Caged

by E. M. Leya

  "You've been strong this long. Stay stronger a bit longer and hopefully, you can put this all behind you." Rani smiled. "Now come play this game with me. Let's get you good enough so you can kick Marshall's ass when you two play later."

  "Traitor," Marshall mumbled at Rani.

  Danny reached for the second controller and started to play. It was strange how they could go from talking about what happened to him to playing video games, but he liked that they didn't seem disgusted by him. They didn't look at him like the poor abused boy he felt like. They seemed to accept him and he hoped that meant others could too. He didn't want to be alone anymore, and once he left Marshall's and had to face the world, that was his biggest fear. He wanted a normal life. He just wasn't sure how to make one happen.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  "There has to be something here." Marshall's fingers flew over the keyboard as he set up the facial recognition software the team used. He wasn't supposed to be back at work yet, but he'd been going nuts trying to stay home and not search for Larry. He couldn't put it off any longer.

  After a week, things had seemed to calm down. The media had called and even come to his house a few times trying to get him to do an interview, but they quickly realized he wasn't going to talk.

  He'd made sure Danny was good and had everything he needed before taking off for a few hours to work. With all the doctor appointments and interviews with the attorney and the cops, it had been his first chance to really sit down and work through the little information he had.

  "What are you doing here?" D asked as he walked into the computer room. His dark hair was messy as if he'd been running his fingers through it.

  "Keeping myself from going crazy with boredom." Marshall glanced up. "Things are calm enough. Besides, Rani lives here. If anyone is following me, it looks as if I'm just visiting my best friend." He didn't need a lecture as to why he shouldn't be there but was afraid he was going to get one anyway.

  To his shock, D sat down and glanced at the computer. "What ya got?"

  "Photos of Danny. He said Larry took video and pictures of him but didn't know what he did with them. I'm seeing if we've got anything with him in it and just didn't know who he was. We've got thousands of photos we can't identify."

  "You looking local?" D asked.

  "For now. I figured it was the place to start."

  "Send a picture to Matt in California and have him run it through their database. It's larger than ours and covers the whole country. They might flag something." D watched as Marshall continued to type. "So how is Danny? He holding up?"

  "So far, but I can't see how. He's got to break at some point. If he's cried over this, I haven't seen it. Maybe he cried so much while he was being held, he can't cry anymore, but my gut tells me he's going to break sooner or later. I got him hooked up with a therapist. He sees him for the first time tomorrow." Marshall sat back, turning to face D.

  "Good, that might head off any major issues, but you're right, there are still going to be some. Is there anything the team can do?"

  "Find Larry." Marshall stressed the words.

  "Working on it. We've also got a sting set for Friday night. Are you able to get away and be here? I wasn't sure how you felt about leaving Danny alone at night."

  "He'll be okay. I want to be here. I'm going nuts not working. If he seems nervous, I'll let you know. Who's the sting on?"

  "That Jefferson Sanders guy. The one who is taking naked photos of the kids at that daycare his wife runs. We were going to just send the file anonymously to the police, but then a new picture showed up. He's moved on to rape. That means he's ours. The police can have what's left of him."

  "Fuck, we should have moved faster on that." Marshall had been working on the case before all this stuff with Danny happened. If he'd been at work more, he could have maybe gotten the evidence together faster and the police could've moved in before a child was raped.

  "We do what we can, but this brings up the issue again of we need to build a bigger team. I've slacked off in looking for new members. I'm going to fix that. I'm keeping my eyes open if you hear of any good computer guys." D sighed. "It's impossible to know who to trust."

  "I'm glad I don't have to do it." Marshall couldn't imagine being responsible for the team's safety and security. "I'll be coming in more and hopefully getting back into the flow of things. Danny's getting used to the house and being alone more often. I can introduce him to Patrick or Jessica so he can have company while I'm here on the computers."

  "The whole team would love to meet him when he's ready." D smiled.

  "Maybe I'll ask him if we can do a dinner. I still haven't had my housewarming party I'd planned on."

  "How are you holding up? This is a lot to take on. I'm not surprised you stepped up to help Danny, but it can't be easy. The guy has been captive since he was seven."

  Marshall nodded. "You'd expect more child-like behavior or thinking, but he's really doing well. He has questions and gets confused at things, which frustrates him, but he's hungry to learn how things work. He really wants a normal life. He keeps asking me what he missed out on during the years he was held. He can't go back to high school, prom, dating, or any of the other tortures of teenage years, but he likes to hear about my adventures when I was that age. In time, he wants a job, wants to make his own money, and live on his own. He's scared to death to do it, but the longing is there. I've never met a braver man."

  D grinned. "Something about going through shit must make them strong. Look at Faith. You met her when Xander and Matt came to visit. She went through hell, yet she's one of the strongest women I know. I'm sure the girl will conquer the world before she's done."

  "I keep telling Danny how strong he is, but he's so worried people blame him for what happened. I don't know how to convince him it's not his fault." Marshall hated seeing the shame in Danny's eyes when the subject came up.

  "That's something a good counselor will help get him through. It might take time. He's had years to convince himself of things being a certain way. How's he dealing with his mom's death?"

  "He's not. Hasn't really said a word. That's another thing I'm worried about but afraid to bring up. I'm so out of my comfort zone here. I just want to avenge him. Make Larry pay for what he did. I don't know how to help Danny deal or adapt."

  "He'll let you know what he needs. It could take time. He's going to have to work through it all, but when that happens is up to him. I think the key for you is to treat him like any other friend or guy you hang with. Show him what it's like to live a normal life. Go out, have fun, do things. Don't tiptoe around him. Just be you and act like the kidnapping didn't happen unless he brings it up or there is a good reason to. He needs to see that it's not the kidnapping that identifies him. Help him find out who he is and what he wants." D nodded to the computer monitor. "You got a hit."

  Marshall held his breath. Did he want to see what pulled up? Could he handle seeing a video of Danny being abused? He's witnessed hundreds of children being abused, but this was Danny. It was someone he knew and was growing to care about.

  As if reading his mind, D sat forward. "You want to step out while I look and see what we've found and if it links to any other sources we have?"

  Marshall ran his hand over his face and shook his head. "I'm okay. I can do this."

  "Are you sure. You can't unsee it once you have." D narrowed his eyes.

  "I'm sure. I need to know." Before he could change his mind, he reached over and brought up the linked video. The facial recognition software they used seldom got things wrong. It was a military-grade program. "Had to be a video, didn't it?" He grimaced.

  "Might give us more to work with. We'll get some screenshots of Larry's face if it shows and run it as well. It might link us to others."

  "I doubt he put his face on screen." Holding his breath, Marshall hit play.

  There was no easing into the video. It started out harsh, with a younger Danny being pinned on his back to the floor. The cam
era was on his face at first, and the tears and screams left no doubt that he was being hurt. The disgusting grunts and laughs that were heard over Danny's screams made Marshall's temper flare. He wanted this guy dead.

  "He's maybe thirteen in these." D shook his head. "Makes me sick to think how long he was held, and makes me fear how many more kids are out there facing the same life that we don't know about."

  "I want this guy. I want the team to get him, not the police. I want to deliver his cock to Danny and let him destroy it. Hell, if I could, I'd send Danny in to cut it off himself." Marshall was furious, and it got worse as the camera panned lower so you could see exactly what was making Danny scream.

  "Easy. We can't let Danny in on any of this. You know that, right?"

  Marshall nodded. "I know. Still, he's the one who deserves to take vengeance on the guy."

  "I know and agree. Hopefully, one of us can do it for him." D sighed. "If there is one video of them on the dark web, there will be others. You going to be up to finding them or do you want me to put Jeremy on this and let you work on other cases?"

  "I need to be the one to do this." He wasn't sure why it mattered, but he didn't want anyone else taking the lead of finding evidence. He would welcome help, but he needed to be the one with the main focus on the case. "I'll still work our other active cases, but I want to be the one to work this."

  "Fair enough." D's hand gripped his shoulder as the video ended. "Marshall, you need to promise me if this gets too hard, if you get too involved, you'll let me know and step back. Being personally connected to a case is different than anything else we do. I watched Xander and Matt go through it. I watched as Carter spent every minute of free time hunting his daughter's killer. It gets in your head."

  "I'm good. I swear it. If it gets to be more than I can handle, I'll speak up." He quickly saved the video in a new file then set the facial recognition program to continue going through things. "I'm going to leave this running, but can work on other things. What do we have going on?"

  "Jeremy's handled everything for the sting Friday. We'll need you and him both here during it to handle cameras in the area and keep track of the police. We've also got a hit on a prostitution ring in the area. They're frequenting ski resorts with twelve-year-old girls. Mostly hired by out of towners, a lot of men from out of the country are flying in to hire them. The file is titled, Vail. You could dig into that. I'd love to be able to put a stop to this one. They've got seven girls that we know of, but we can't figure out where they are being kept or where the promotional videos are being filmed. We've identified four different ski resorts they've used."

  "On it." Marshall was already clicking the file open to see what they had. Tracking the pictures and videos to the source was what he was best at. This would be a good distraction for him while the other software worked on Danny's case.

  "Thanks, Marshall. If you need anything, either for yourself or Danny, you let the team know. We're here for you. You don't have to take this on by yourself. We want to help. Jessica's going to casually hit up her brother to find out what the gossip is around the police station and let us know if there's anything we're missing."

  Marshall smiled, thinking about how dangerous it was for them to even keep Jessica around. Her brother was a cop, and he knew Jessica was working with the team. He could follow her in anytime he wanted and arrest them all. It was only Jessica's word that he wouldn't, and the fact that her brother was determined to bring down his sister's rapists that gave them any security that he wouldn't raid the team house and send them all to jail. "Thanks. I think I'll invite the team out maybe Saturday to meet Danny. I'd like to have a few options for people to sit with him if I'm going to be working long hours. Jessica might be good. I don't think he's been around women much other than his mother years ago. It might be good for her to come around a bit."

  "That's a great idea. As long as she doesn't mother him to death." D grinned.

  "It might be just what he needs." He wanted Danny to be mothered, cared for, and loved. He wanted him to have the compassion and affection he'd never been allowed growing up. He wanted to see him laugh without that shadow in his eyes that was always there.

  "You're a good man for stepping up and helping him. I hate to think where he'd end up if he'd been alone." D stood.

  "Me too. Some half-way house being treated like a criminal or drug abuser. That wasn't what he needed." He sighed. "I'll talk to Danny tonight and see how he feels about a team dinner, then I'll call and let you guys know so we can plan it around stings. Thanks for being so supportive."

  "Anytime. We're family." D gave Marshall's shoulder a tight squeeze before leaving the room.

  Marshall relaxed back, thinking how alike Danny and he were. They really didn't have any family. They were both alone other than each other and the team, who he hoped would become like family to Danny. It wasn't easy since they had secrets to keep, but still, the team would never turn their back on someone, especially someone who went through what Danny had. D was right, the team was family. He hoped they'd become that to Danny too because if anyone needed one, it was him.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Danny sat on the couch, looking around the room, wondering if this was a mistake. What could some therapist do to help him? No one who hadn't gone through it could understand. He was doing this because the doctor and Marshall both thought he needed to talk to someone.

  The thing was, he couldn't really talk to anyone about it. He could walk them through what had been done to him, but he'd be damned if he'd talk about how he felt about it all. He'd opened up a little to Marshall, but even that made him uncomfortable. He didn't want them to think of him as weak.

  But he was.

  He'd gotten a bit stronger over the years with Larry, mentally learning how to handle the abuse, but that could have just been because the abuse wasn't really happening to him anymore. Sure, he got beat, but it was the boys who had the worst of things. How could he ever tell anyone that as much as he hated what had happened to the boys, there was a part of him that had been relieved because it wasn't him any longer?

  He sighed as he bit his lip, his toes tapping nervously on the floor.

  The place was too neat. He wanted to get up and pull some books from their places on the bookshelf, mess up the desk a little.

  "I'm sorry to make you wait."

  Danny looked over and was surprised to see a younger man walk into the room. He couldn't be much older than thirty. He'd expected some gray-haired man with messy hair and a starched suit, but this guy wasn't anything like that. He wore jeans and tennis shoes along with a simple pullover shirt. His hair was short and spikey in places. He had one ear pierced with two earrings, the other empty.

  Danny stared at the man and swallowed hard. "It's okay."

  The man grinned. "I'm Doctor Franz, but you can just call me Gary. I'm not big on being formal unless that's what you prefer." He sat down behind the desk and relaxed back in his chair.

  "Gary is okay." Danny's voice cracked as he spoke.

  "Nervous?" Gary asked.

  "A little."

  "That's normal. No one likes coming in here and talking about their issues. I don't blame them. I wouldn't like it either, but you know, the thing is, sometimes talking helps. We don't even have to talk about issues, but just talk. It's Danny, right? Is it okay to call you that?"

  Danny nodded.

  "Good. Now, since this is our first meeting, I'd like to set some ground rules. I keep things pretty simple. The rules are as long as there is no violence, there are no rules. We can hang out for an hour in silence, we can talk, we can read, we can even pull out the video game console and play games. The key is spending time together and getting comfortable." Gary smiled. "Don't look shocked. I've never been one for rules or formality. I have your case file from your doctor. I've seen the news. I'm aware of the basics of what you've been through. If you feel like talking about it at some point, I'm here to listen, but I think what you could use more than
a therapist right now is just someone to be your friend. So, that's what I'm hoping for from all this. I don't want you nervous about coming to see me twice a week. I want you to look forward to it."

  Danny rubbed his hands down his pant legs. "But I'm supposed to tell you how messed up I am and you're supposed to fix me, right?"

  "Are you messed up?" Gary asked.

  "Probably. I don't know because I don't know what normal is. I was locked away for so many years my messed up is normal to me."

  "Well, the way I see it, all of us have messed up lives in one way or another. I have a bad divorce from when I was twenty that still messes with my head. I changed majors in college four times before finally settling down. My father left when I was three, my mother sleeps around with men like she can't go a night without one, and my sister and I finally gave up trying to understand it all. So you see, I'm just as messed up as the next guy. It's just that my mess isn't the same as his mess or your mess. We all have to figure out what normal is for us because it's not the same for everyone."

  Danny just stared.

  "Do you feel like you need fixing?" Gary asked.

  Danny shrugged. "Maybe, but I think I really just need time."

  "Things happening too fast?"

  Danny nodded.

  "I imagine you're a bit overwhelmed. You were held for twelve years, and now that you're free, everyone is treating you like you should know what's going on."

  Danny shrugged. "Marshall tries to remember, but sometimes he forgets."

  "Marshall is the man you're staying with now?"

  "Yeah."

  "Tell me about him."

  Danny bit his lip for a moment, not sure what to share. "Um, he saved me. He was the first person I saw when I escaped. He stood up to Larry and wouldn't let him take me back into the house until we called the police. I think he felt sorry for me when he heard my mom was dead and I didn't have anywhere to go."

  "You think that's why he invited you to stay at his place?"