Caged

by E. M. Leya

  He wished he had as much confidence in himself as Marshall did. "Thanks. I couldn't do it without you." He kissed him. "Want me to get the ice cream?"

  "We can get it together." Marshall stood.

  They ate ice cream and watched a movie, but neither of them was paying much attention to it. They were watching the clock. It was nearly three in the morning before Marshall's phone rang.

  Danny sat forward as Marshall answered, "I'm putting you on speaker."

  "Tell me when you're ready for the update." Jeremy's voice sounded over the line.

  "Ready." Marshall glanced at Danny as he reached for his hand.

  "The team went in and found the two adults and took them both down. One was Larry and the other was Dale. Police have all the evidence and have arrested both of them. They're being treated at the hospital as we speak."

  Tears filled Danny's eyes. "They got him?"

  "They did. D said it was an easy sting. They got both men without any fight and made sure the police knew about the kids in the back of the house. Larry is in police custody as we speak and won't be getting out for a very long time, if ever. My guess is he'll die in prison. With police still on scene, I'm guessing you won't hear from them until later in the day. If you can, I suggest you two get some sleep. The team is going to spend the night in Colorado Springs and will be home later tomorrow."

  "Thank you," Danny said hoarsely, his throat tight with emotion. "If you talk to them, tell them thank you. And you guys, too. Thank you to everyone who worked on this case." He looked at Marshall, unable to express how relieved he was to know Larry had been caught.

  "I'll tell them. I hope they cut a little more aggressively on him," Jeremy said. "Are you two okay?"

  Danny nodded at Marshall.

  "We're good. We'll try to sleep and contact you tomorrow. We'll be staying home until the police contact us, then decide from there what we're doing." Marshall smiled at Danny.

  "Sounds good. We'll talk then. Sleep well." Jeremy ended the call.

  Danny sat back, releasing a long breath. "It's over."

  "It will be soon. You're safe. That's all that matters." Marshall turned to him. "I love you."

  "I love you too." Danny smiled. "Thank you. If you hadn't searched for Larry, they might not have caught him. You did all this."

  "No, you did. You're the one who was brave enough to make a run for it. I just did my job after that. If you hadn't been brave…" Marshall shook his head. "You did this. You caught him."

  It wasn't true, but Danny wasn't going to argue. Larry wasn't going to hurt him again. He still feared going to court, but he had Marshall and the team beside him. He could get through this. It would be hard facing everything again, but if it made Larry suffer, he'd do whatever it took. "I can't believe it's over."

  "Your future is just starting." Marshall grinned. "Tomorrow, you wake up and you can do anything you want, go anywhere you want. He can't hurt you ever again."

  As true as that was, the memories would still take time to stop haunting him, but each day it got easier. Maybe Marshall was right and in time he'd forget. Maybe he could be as strong as Faith and move forward and make a life for himself.

  For the first time since he'd been kidnapped, he was completely free. He could go forward and be someone. He wasn't a victim anymore. He was now a survivor. He had a lot of people to thank for getting him there, but the fact remained, he was there. He could finally breathe again.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  It was nearly four in the afternoon before the police showed up at Marshall's door to inform Danny that Larry had been caught. Marshall had thought they'd have alerted him sooner and wasn't happy that it had taken so long. He was curious how much information they'd give them about what had happened.

  "Come in." Marshall waved the two detectives inside. He'd met one of them before but the other wasn't familiar. "What can we do for you?" He closed the door and reached for Danny's hand as he led everyone into the living room.

  Nobody spoke until they were all seated, then one of the detectives turned to face Danny. "We wanted to come and personally inform you that Larry Burns was arrested late last night in Colorado Springs. He's currently recovering from injuries and under guard at a hospital in that area."

  Marshall's eyes went wide, feigning surprise. He gripped Danny's hands with both of his. "You caught him?"

  Danny played surprised as well, taking in a deep breath and leaning back hard in the chair he was sitting in. "Injuries?"

  The detective cleared his throat and nodded. "The details of the case are still being investigated, but I can tell you he was arrested with another man who is also being investigated for child abuse and child pornography. They were both injured when we arrived, but we're unable to discuss that information with you due to laws."

  "Will he live? Is he hurt badly?" Danny asked.

  "Severe enough, but he should live. We're building the case and expect to hand it over to the district attorney. I'm sure he will be in contact with you as soon as he gets the case." The second detective glanced at his notebook. "Were you both home last night?"

  "Why?" Danny asked.

  Marshall frowned.

  "We're just checking on a few things. Were you here all night?"

  Marshall shook his head. "No. We went to dinner at Illegal Pete's, then hit a movie after. We got home a little after eleven."

  The detective made a note in his small book. "Thanks, which theater?"

  Marshall gave them the name.

  "Why? Where did you think we were?" Danny asked, looking confused and worried.

  "We're just investigating. If you were here in town, you have nothing to worry about."

  Marshall wished they could dig more information from them, but he was proud of how well Danny was covering for them knowing everything. He genuinely looked surprised by the news. "So what happens now?" Marshall thought it best to ignore the odd questions about where they were.

  "Charges will be filed and the case goes to court. With the amount of evidence against him already, I doubt Mr. Burns will ever see the light of day again. We just wanted to inform you of his arrest and let you know that he is no longer a threat to you." The detective stood, the other following his lead.

  "Thank you." Danny stayed seated, still looking like he was in shock.

  Marshall stood and shook the man's hand. "Thank you for letting us know. Please let us know if anything changes."

  "We will. I'm sure the D.A. will be in touch soon. If you need anything, please let us know." He handed Marshall a business card.

  "Thanks." Marshall glanced at Danny. "You okay while I see them out?"

  "Yeah, just shocked. I can't believe they got him." Danny looked as if he'd just gotten the news.

  Marshall gripped Danny's shoulder before turning and leading the detectives out. Once they were gone, he headed back into the living room. "You did that well." Marshall smiled as he sank to his knees beside Danny's chair.

  "I get they can't tell us much, but you'd think they'd want to let me know he was castrated." Danny pouted. "I wanted the gory details."

  "You'll have to get those from the team. The police don't like to advertise that people are being castrated. They worry it will cause a panic. But my take on that is that it should cause a panic. Let the pedophiles sweat a bit and worry that they'll be next. Almost all the news on the stings we do leave out the team's part in things. The police take the credit and life goes on. It's not perfect, but the team doesn't care. They want to stay in the shadows. As long as the pedophile is stopped, that's all that matters."

  Danny sighed. "I wanted to see pictures to prove it was really him."

  "I'll tell you what we can do. Once it's safe for us to go to the team house, I'll hack into the jail's database and get you photos. I doubt he's been booked yet since he's in the hospital, but there will be crime scene photos that should be uploaded to the system soon. We can look for those. We can also talk to D, Patrick, and Jessica and let them tell
us if it was him. I'm sure they'll be happy to tell you all the details once they see you. We just have to stay away from STK for a day or two so we don't draw any attention to the team." Marshall hated having to wait. He wanted to talk to everyone and find out what happened, but safety had to come first.

  "Do you think they'll check and make sure we were really out to dinner last night?" Danny asked.

  "Yeah, I do. They want to catch whoever is castrating people. I'm guessing they'll follow every lead they have to try and do that. It's why the team is so careful about where they go and what they do. One tiny mistake can lead the police to us."

  "Does that worry you?"

  Marshall thought about it. "It never used to. This is a cause I was willing to risk going to jail for, but since I met you, I have a reason to not get locked up for twenty years. It's more of a worry now because I have something to lose. Before you came into my life, it wouldn't have mattered. I mean, of course I want to stay free, but I could have gone to jail knowing what I did made a difference. A few years in jail for me is nothing compared to the torture and pain you and many other faced. I'd much rather have a part in rescuing you and others like you and risk a little jail time."

  "I wish I could do more to help the team."

  Marshall grinned. "You can. You can feed us. If cooking is your passion, we're always hungry and ready to eat. I don't see why the team can't include a cook or chef."

  Danny laughed. "I guess that's true."

  "I'd much rather have your cooking than all the junk food and take-out we eat there. I swear we live off tacos and burgers. Rani is going to have us all on medication soon if we don't improve our diets."

  "Can Rani do that? Is he your official doctor?"

  "Not yet, but he will be. He's still jumping through hoops trying to get his license here in America. It's a lot of work and not a lot of his training from Oman is transferable. He's got to do a lot of it over again. He'll get there. For now, the team trusts him to treat us if we're hurt and we get all our medications and stuff through Beau in California. Hopefully, soon, Rani will be able to do everything here. I know it's frustrating for him not to be able to work like he did back home, but once he finishes training here, it will be better. Right now, he's just so tired all of the time."

  "Yeah, he's hardly around. I was wondering how he can be there for the team when he works so much."

  "He works a ton, but he's home at night a lot when the team is at their biggest risk. If something major happened, he'd find a way to be with us even if he had to fake being sick or something at work. Thank God that hasn't happened yet."

  "Faith was telling me about some things she's seen. Did you know Xander was shot?"

  "I heard about that. I'm nervous every time the team goes out."

  "I'm glad you're a computer guy and not out with them. I know you're still in danger, but not the way they are. I hate the thought of Jessica out there risking her life."

  "I'm glad you and Jessica have gotten close. She's a good woman."

  "She's been through a lot, but she's strong. Like Faith, she makes me think that someday things might be okay for me too."

  "I hope they will be. I wish I could make you forget everything you went through." Marshall stood and moved to the chair beside Danny's.

  "That's the thing. I'm not sure I want to forget. I mean, I hate the nightmares and stuff, but I think I want to help others. Warn kids to be safe. Jessica and I were talking more about doing that public speaking thing. It's something I'd like to look into. She said she knew some people who could help me get into schools to do assemblies and things. I'm scared to speak to a lot of people, but I really think I might help some kids stay safe. Maybe even warn some parents to watch their kids closer."

  "I think that's a fantastic idea." Marshall loved that Danny was looking ahead.

  "I was waiting until Larry was caught, because I didn't want to risk him finding me when I was in public speaking or something, but now, I think I could do this."

  The sound of Marshall's phone interrupted them.

  "Hello?"

  "Hey, turn on channel seven news." Jeremy's voice came over the phone.

  Marshall reached for the remote from the coffee table and turned it on. "What's up?"

  "News broke about Larry's arrest. Sounds like a leak from the hospital because they are talking about the castration too," Jeremy told him.

  "Really? Shit. Thanks for letting us know." Marshall paused for a moment watching the report, aware of Danny sliding forward in his chair as he did the same.

  "Listen, stay home for another day before heading over here. Since this is the first STK case Colorado Springs has seen, they're all worked up, determined to find out who assaulted the pedophiles before calling it in. They won't get far, but let them calm down a bit before you show up here."

  "Yeah, detectives were here about a half an hour ago, questioning us on where we were last night. They wouldn't say more than they'd arrested Larry and he was injured and in the hospital."

  "Hospital records show he came through surgery just fine and is recovering. The other guy, Dale, he had a seizure on the operating table and ended up in ICU. He should recover, but only time will tell."

  Marshall couldn't find it in himself to feel sorry for the guy. "I'll let Danny know. Hey, he is looking for proof it really was Larry. Can you help with that?"

  "I can't right now, but I'll watch for anything. If he was local, I'd just send Rani in to grab a pic, but since it's an hour from here, it's not worth the effort. I'll see what I can drag up once more information hits the database."

  "Thanks, Jer." Marshall glanced at Danny. "Keep us in the loop if anything changes."

  "Will do." Jeremy ended the call.

  Marshall stayed silent as they watched the news talk about Danny and the other boys who had been saved, then a recap of Larry and the search for him. Then it got to the current events and Marshall was shocked how much information the media already had. There were photos of the ranch where Larry had been found, references to two children who had been rescued from the place, and then they went into a very detailed account of the injuries Larry and Dale had received before the police were called.

  "I thought you said the police kept that information silent." Danny glanced at him.

  "They usually do."

  They watched a few minutes more, sighing when they talked about D's arrest in California and how they think this situation was linked to what was going on there. Then a commercial came on. Marshall sat back, leaving the TV on as he wondered how the media got the news.

  "Maybe someone at the hospital leaked it."

  "Could be, but the last thing D needed was his face on the news again. He was finally feeling safer going out in public."

  "He looks a little different now."

  "But not enough. Even you knew who he was the moment you saw the stuff online about him."

  "True, but I interacted with him. Most people don't. Still, I get why you're worried. I'm sorry if I caused this."

  Marshall shook his head. "No, this isn't your fault. This is what the team does. It could have happened with any sting we do. It was only a matter of time before news of a new team in the area got out to the media. Now we'll see how the police play it. They will either support the media bringing attention to it or try and cover it up and ask the media to stop reporting. Either way, D needs to lay low for a few months again. As bad as that is, I can't say I'm unhappy the news is out there. I want pedophiles to know what we do and what will happen to them. Maybe just the thought this could happen to them will keep them from abusing another child."

  "It wouldn't have stopped Larry. He didn't think anyone was smart enough to catch him. He was all ego. He thought he was better than anyone else."

  "Sadly, that's how most of these assholes think." Marshall sighed as he leaned back. "Well, Jeremy asked us to spend a few days here and skip coming into the STK house. So it looks as if you're stuck with me for a few days."

  Dan
ny grinned. "That's not a hardship."

  "How about I give you a break and I cook tonight? I'm nowhere as good as you are, but I can grill a good steak."

  "Sounds good. Maybe I'll make some cookies or something while you do that."

  "You know the way to my heart," Marshall teased.

  "Sugar?"

  "Yep." Marshall stood and went over to Danny before he leaned down and gave him a light kiss. "If we have to be stuck at home, there's no one I'd rather be stuck with."

  "The feeling's mutual." Danny kissed him back.

  The ringing of the doorbell forced them to part.

  "Police again?" Danny stood.

  "Maybe." Marshall headed to the front door and opened it. He sighed when he spotted a reporter standing on the porch with a cameraman beside her.

  Spotting Danny, the reporter smiled. "Hi, I'm Rebecca Newby from ABC news. I was hoping you might give us a statement on your reaction to your kidnapper being arrested early this morning."

  Marshall glanced at Danny who shook his head.

  Happy to take the lead, Marshall kept a tight arm around Danny's waist. "While we are always happy to know that a kidnapper is off the streets, we have no comment at this time." He stepped back, ignoring the woman who was about to protest, and shut the door. He turned to Danny. "She won't be the last to show up or call."

  "Guess staying home is a good idea all around if we want to avoid them." Danny glanced out the window. "There's two other news vans parked on the street and someone filming Larry's old house."

  "This never ends for you." Marshall pulled him into his arms, hating that Danny couldn't escape the attention.

  "It's the beginning of the end. The news just broke. Hopefully, it dies down in a day or two."

  "Let's hope so. Come on. Let's ignore the doorbell and figure out dinner." He led Danny to the kitchen hoping that the remaining media outside would leave them alone. "Instead of using the grill and risking going out where they can get to us, how about we just toss in a frozen dinner and call it good for tonight. We'll hide out and watch a movie or something while Jeremy tries to dig up more information."