by E. M. Leya
"Not yet. I figured one of us can do that tomorrow. Possibly get into some emails and see if anything is being said."
Marshall eyed the picture of the kids in the back room. "Have there been any kidnappings in the area since Danny escaped?"
"Nothing within a five-hundred-mile radius. I got one hit and it was a domestic custody dispute that was solved in a few hours."
"So the kids either belong to one of the adults or they've been held there for quite a while." Marshall's stomach tightened at the thought of anyone else being hurt by the asshole who had held Danny. "I hate we can't just rush in and see."
"So do I, but we have rules for a reason. I'll brief D on this tonight and we can all sit down tomorrow and decide what we want to do. Hopefully, we'll have more information to go on by then."
The door to the computer room opened. "Everything okay?" Patrick asked.
"Good. D's on his way to the dumpsite. Police are on the way to the scene. Another successful night." Jeremy smiled. "Did Jessica leave already?"
"Yeah, she has meetings with a couple of politicians to work on pushing through some new sex trafficking legislation in the state. She'll be back tomorrow night, ready to go out." Patrick leaned against the wall, a sly smile forming as he glanced at Marshall. "You need to invite Jessica over more often. She said she had a great time baking with Danny. I got to eat some of the bounty."
"You should have smelled my house. It was like walking into Heaven. She's welcome any time she wants. I might gain three-hundred pounds, but I'll be happy." Marshall grinned. "Danny had fun. I don't know how he did it, but she taught him her recipes. We've begged for over a year, yet he's here a month and suddenly in on her secrets."
"Some guys have all the luck," Jeremy glanced over his shoulder at them before going back to typing something.
"As long as he shares, I'm okay with it." Marshall patted his stomach.
"Until he moves out." Patrick laughed.
The thought made Marshall frown. He didn't want to think about that. He liked Danny there. Was used to having a roommate now. "Let's hope that isn't for a very long time."
"I'll tell Rani to get the insulin ordered because we're all going to be diabetics if those two bake as often as we want." Patrick nodded to the computers. "You two all done? Can I head off to bed?"
"Sure, D will be back anytime, but there's nothing you're needed for tonight. Go dream of chocolate chip cookies and we'll see you in the morning." Jeremy pushed back and stood. "I think I'm going to have a beer now that this is done." He looked at Marshall. "Join me?"
As much as he wanted to get home to Danny, he wasn't going to leave until D was back and he was sure he was safe. "I could use one." He shut off his computer, leaving the papers about Lamp Light beside the monitor to deal with tomorrow.
He stood and followed Jeremy into the kitchen. He took the beer Jeremy offered and sat down at the kitchen table. "So, I was thinking, Danny's birthday is in two weeks, and I'm pretty sure he's not even thinking about it. After being held so many years, I was thinking he deserves a party."
Jeremy smiled. "Great idea. You got ideas?"
"I'd like to keep it simple, just the team. He doesn't have anyone else, and he won't want to go out in public for something like that. While the media has backed off a bit, we still get one coming to the door or calling a couple of times a week. Any public party would draw attention. I just wanted to make sure everyone has the night off so they can come."
"Of course. That won't be an issue. Why don't we hold the party at mine and D's place? You can make it a surprise party. Tell Danny that it's just a dinner and we can all be there waiting to surprise him when you show up. Hell, he hasn't had a party since he was six or so. We'll decorate and have fun. What about gifts, what does he need?"
"Just about anything and everything." Marshall shrugged. "Gift cards maybe, so he can pick out his own stuff. I'm getting him his own laptop."
"That's a big gift for someone you're just helping out." Jeremy raised a brow.
Marshall shrugged. "He's a friend."
"You got me tickets to the Bronco's game for my birthday, not a laptop."
"Price was about the same," Marshall joked.
"True, but you know what I mean. Are you sure you want to invest that much?"
"I'm sure." He had no doubts about doing it. "Giving him more independence is a good thing. He's online all of the time, searching and learning. He is a sponge right now, reviewing a world that's been kept from him."
"You've been good to him. He's lucky you're the one who was there when he ran." Jeremy tipped his beer back, taking a long sip.
"I'm glad I was there. Anyone else might have let Larry drag him back to the house. I'd like to think they wouldn't, but you know how people hate to get involved in things. It's worked out well. I like having him around. We get along great."
"So I hear." Jeremy grinned. "Jessica mentioned a kiss."
Marshall smiled.
"Not going to deny it?"
"Hell no. He's amazing. If I'm lucky enough that he'll give me a chance, I'm taking it. I know he's fragile right now and we have to take things slow, but I like him a lot. Not just as a friend. And before you worry that I'm pushing him into anything, he asked me to kiss him first, I didn't push myself onto him. In fact, I tried to talk him out of it." Okay, so he didn't try too hard, but he had hesitated. That had to count for something.
"I know you'd never do anything to hurt him. Just remember this is all new to him. Protect your heart as much as you're protecting him. I don't want to see you hurt in all this."
"Thanks, but I'm aware he could decide to live a little before taking on anything serious. If he does, I'll understand. There's a lot to work through, but if cuddling on the couch and kissing works for him now, I'm content to be the one he chooses to do it with. He's not ready for much more than that."
The front door opened and a moment later D walked into the kitchen pausing to kiss Jeremy. "Evening."
"Almost morning." Marshall glanced at the clock on the stove, seeing it was almost three. "Everything go smooth?"
"Other than the house was a fucking mess. I had to watch every step I took. There was garbage and junk everywhere. I'm lucky I didn't trip over something and alert the fucker I was in the house. I had to clear a place on the floor to just lay him down to do the job." D pulled out his phone. "I did find these on his desk." He flipped through his phone, then handed it to Jeremy. "I took photos of what I could."
Marshall waited patiently for information.
"Interesting." Jeremy handed the phone to Marshall.
He glanced at the photo, seeing a notebook filled with names and then different sexual fetishes to the side of each name. He recognized a couple of the names. "These are names of people who upload photos to the dark web. Mark Tiller is well-known for his roleplay photos. Things like a trip to the doctor or going naked at daycare. His work is disgusting. There's a lot of names here I haven't seen before."
"I was thinking the same thing." Jeremy took the phone back and looked again. "Good thinking getting pictures of this. Hopefully, we can get some leads on where these perverts are located."
"Sadly, most of them will be out of state." Marshall sighed.
"We need teams in every state." D pulled a beer out of the fridge and twisted the cap.
"Dream big." Jeremy sighed.
It was a dream they all had. To have a team in every area would make it so much easier for them. They had locations of some of the worst pedophiles, but traveling to them wasn't always smart. Going into a new place without known resources wasn't good.
"I figured it was worth a shot. The guy had photos taped to the walls. I have to say, I've seen some disgusting homes in my time, but this one was the worst. I couldn't wait to get out of there. As soon as I finish this beer, I'm grabbing a shower before we go home. I don't even want to step into our house until I change clothes." D shook his head.
"I thank you for that." Jeremy grinned. "We'
ll dig into these names tomorrow. We also might have a lead on Danny's kidnapper. I'll fill you in on the details later, but if they pan out, it might mean a trip to Colorado Springs."
Marshall watched for D's reaction. He didn't like going out of town if they didn't have to, but sometimes it was called for.
"That's doable depending on the location. We can go down a day early, book a hotel, act like we're there to take in a game or something. There's a lot of old ruins in the area we can say we're there to see. How many of us will you need?" D asked.
"Not sure yet. At least two, but we haven't verified anything yet. It's all gut instinct right now. We'll keep you posted." Marshall finished his beer. "I'll leave you two to enjoy what's left of the night. I need some sleep." He tossed the beer bottle in the trash and pulled his keys out of his pocket. "I'll be in sometime tomorrow afternoon. Call if you need me before."
"Don't come in too early. It's going to be another late night tomorrow," Jeremy told him.
Marshall nodded. "See you both then." He headed out the door and to his car. He was glad to be going home. He hoped Danny hadn't waited up for him. Then again, he loved walking into the house and having him waiting for him.
The roads were nearly empty as he made his way to his house, glad he'd gotten a place close to the team house so the drive wasn't far. All the lights were off in the house as he entered, a sign that Danny was indeed in bed. He tried not to be disappointed, but he would have liked a little time together before he went to sleep.
Locking the door, he made his way in the dark to his room and undressed. He showered, glad to wash away the day. He'd gotten a lot of information over the last few hours and wondered how much of it to share with Danny. Was it better to get all the facts first, or should he let him in on what was going on and keep him up to date on things as more information came in? It was hard to know. He didn't want to get Danny's hopes up. He also needed to be careful to make it look as if he was just doing some casual searching. Danny couldn't know about the resources STK had. He couldn't know about the team.
Too tired to think about it, he dressed in a pair of sweatpants before sliding into bed and turning off the lamp. Before he had the chance to even get comfortable, the door opened.
He glanced up, seeing Danny in the shadows. He waited, wondering what he needed, but Danny didn't say anything. He just shut the door again before wandering over to the bed, lifting back the sheets, and sliding in beside Marshall.
"Goodnight." Danny curled his back to Marshall.
Marshall smiled, turning so that he could wrap one arm over Danny's waist. He kissed his shoulder lightly and whispered, "goodnight."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Danny leaned against Marshall's shoulder as they ate their ice cream cones in the park. The day had been amazing. After watching his first professional baseball game earlier in the day, the two of them had gone shopping, then out to dinner. Now, with the sun setting, they sat on the park bench watching people around them. "This is perfect."
"It is. I've had fun today." Marshall rested his hand on Danny's thigh.
It had taken time for him to relax and not worry about someone recognizing him, but after a few hours without anyone saying anything, he'd been able to forget about his past and focus on the game and just being with Marshall. "The last time I was at a park, I was kidnapped."
"Do you want to leave?" Marshall looked concerned.
"No, I'm okay. This is good. I need to get over my fears. I'm not going to be going off with some stranger to play with his puppy. I just look around and see all the kids without their parents, and wonder how long until it happens again."
"Luckily, not as often as you'd think, but sadly, still too often. Parents just don't think it can happen to their kids. If you look around, parents are looking at their cell phones and not watching their children. People seem to ignore the news of bad things that happen. They focus on the good. The news comes out like your story and people are stunned, wondering why they didn't know kids were missing, but it's simply because they don't pay attention. Evil is everywhere."
Danny watched two kids around five play on the small playground, and looking around, he had no clue who the kid's parents were. It was easy to remember back to the day he'd been just a little older, doing the same things as these kids. All it took was a puppy and a nice man to lure him into the shadow of the trees before he grabbed him and covered his mouth to keep him from screaming. From there, he'd ended up in the guy's trunk, then in his home. The whole thing had taken minutes. He sighed. "I wish I could do more."
"You might try talking to Jessica," Marshall suggested. "She works with a lot of groups who advocate for tougher laws and punishments when it comes to rape and sexual assault, but I bet she'd have some ideas how you could get involved in educating parents and children on the dangers out there. In fact, you'd be the perfect person to speak about it since you've lived it."
Danny sat up straighter. "Do you think so?"
"I do. I think you'd be really good at it. Maybe even go into schools and talk to the kids. You'd have to decide what to share, work out how much you can talk about in a school setting, but I think it might be a great idea for you. If you're willing to put yourself out there. I know you didn't want people knowing who you are."
Danny thought about it as he watched the kids. Would it make a difference? Would they listen? Could he put himself out there and admit how stupid he's been to go with a strange man? He sighed. "It's something I'll have to think about, but I like the idea of trying to keep other kids from making the same mistake I did."
"I'll support you no matter what you do." Marshall brushed a kiss over his cheek. "You ready to go home?"
"Yeah, it's been a long day. I think this is the most walking I've done in a long time."
"Me too." Marshall laughed. "I should probably get a gym membership, but I just can't talk myself into it."
"We can go for walks at night when you're home."
"I'd like that."
Danny linked his hand with Marshall's as they walked several blocks to where they'd left the car. He'd thought about a lot of things over the day, trying to decide if he wanted to talk to Marshall about his nervousness about sex. It had been on his mind a lot since talking to Jessica.
He'd finally been brave enough several days ago to sneak into Marshall's room and sleep beside him. Since then, he hadn't been back to his own bed. He liked Marshall's warm body against his, and other than a few kisses, Marshall hadn't tried for anything more.
It wasn't that Danny didn't want more. He'd loved the one time they'd gotten off together, but he was so scared that things might go farther and he'd have to tell Marshall no. He just couldn't be brave enough to let another man take him the way Larry had. Just the thought was enough to nearly throw him into a panic attack.
"You okay? You tensed up for a second?" Marshall asked as they got to the car.
"Sorry, was remembering. I'm okay. It happens sometimes, but it's gone as fast as it came."
"You sure?" Marshall drew him close for a hug.
"Yeah." Danny wrapped his arms around him. "Today's been perfect. Thank you."
"It's not over. We still have hot chocolate and a movie to watch." Marshall smiled as he opened the passenger door. "Then you get to let me slide my cold feet against your legs as we cuddle."
"I don't know how your feet can get so cold all of the time. It's not like it's winter."
"Just wait until then and see what they are like."
"I might have to go back to my own bed," Danny teased. He wondered if he would still share a bed with Marshall by winter. Would he still live with him or would Marshall tire of him by then? He hoped not. He liked living with him. He just didn't like living off him. He needed to find work, make his own money, and figure out his future.
"You wouldn't dare." Marshall got in the car and started it. "I like having you beside me."
Danny glanced over as Marshall pulled onto the road. "I haven't had a single nigh
tmare since I've been in your room."
"I hope it stays that way, but you know you can always wake me if you do have one. I expect they'll happen from time to time."
He hoped not, but Marshall was probably right. It wasn't going to end that easily. Still, he liked that it happened less with Marshall there. "I don't lay in bed and think about him when I'm with you. I think about you."
"Oh, and what do you think about?"
"A lot of things." Danny grinned. "Things I shouldn't. Some things that scare me."
"Do you want to talk about those things?"
"Yeah, but not in the car. When we get home. It's the stuff Jessica said I should probably mention to you."
"Ah, okay. So, since we are waiting until we are home, I wanted to let you know we've been invited to go to Jeremy and D's house for another team dinner on the fourteenth. Are you okay going?"
"Sure. Do they live far?"
"Nope, and you'll love their house. It's huge. I thought you could make one of Jessica's cakes to take with us. You know there is never enough." Marshall smiled.
"I could do that, or I can try a new recipe for a banana cake that sounded really good that I found online."
"Sure, that sounds good too. I've never had banana cake, but I love banana pie. I'm up for trying it."
"Maybe I'll make it for you first and make sure it's good." He had a million things he wanted to attempt to bake and cook.
"We can hit the store tomorrow and get what you need." Marshall slowed. "Look." He pointed at the house next to theirs where Larry had held him for so long. The lights were on and there was a police car out front.
"Wonder what that's about? You don't think Larry came back, do you?" A wave of nervousness rushed through him. He swallowed it back, trying not to show how scared he still was of the man.
"I don't know, but we can ask. Do you want to come with me or go inside?" Marshall asked as he parked.
"With you." The last thing he wanted right now was to be alone.