Page 54 of Caged
"Won't you be ashamed to be with me?"
"Whoa! Where did that come from?" Marshall did pull him on his lap. "Never, ever would I be ashamed of you. I'm excited to go out with you, and I'll be even happier if we can call it an official date." He brushed his lips along Danny's neck. "I could never be ashamed of being seen with you. Why should I? Neither one of us has a reason to be ashamed. We're two men going out to enjoy a game. Couples do it all of the time."
"Couples?" Danny glanced up, his eyes wide.
"Would you rather it be friends?" He didn't want to mislead Danny into something he didn't want.
"What would couple mean?" Danny asked.
"It would mean that I'm very interested in you in a romantic sort of way and I'd like to get to know you better, and hopefully that you feel the same way about me. It would mean we hold hands, maybe even kiss if you're comfortable. But if you're not ready for that in public, we go as friends. Just two guys hanging out having fun."
"But won't people judge you for being with me? I'm used."
Marshall shook his head. "No, you're not used. You are perfect just how you are. You just told me that Jessica had been raped. Do you look at her and see used or dirty?"
Danny shook his head.
"So why should anyone look at you that way?" He tipped Danny's head up with a finger under his chin. "I like you, Danny, a lot. I want to go places and do things with you. The past doesn't matter to me or anyone else who matters. When I hold you and kiss you, I'm not thinking about your past. I'm looking forward to the future and seeing if you and I can make anything out of this attraction I'm feeling for you. I'm not playing around here trying to make you feel better. I really like you. If we can build a relationship out of this, I'd like to try. We can take it as slow as you want and need, but I'd like to see what happens."
"Really?"
Marshall nodded. His only worry was that Danny hadn't been out and experienced other people. He hadn't dated. He didn't want Danny settling for him now just to realize later that there was a whole world of other men out there he could see. It was a risk he was willing to take. "For now, we'll plan on going to the game as friends. If at any time you feel like holding hands or kissing, you let me know. I don't want you stressing on us when the whole point is to get out in the sun and cheer on the Rockies."
"Okay." Danny relaxed in his arms, leaning his head against Marshall's shoulder. "I try so hard to be brave, but a lot of things scare me."
"When that happens, let me know. We'll deal with it together. Remember, I won't judge you. It's okay to tell me you've had enough and we should go home or to tell me that you don't feel like being held and want me to let go. This is your life. You make all the choices."
"Don't let go," Danny whispered.
"Not until you tell me to." He eased back on the couch in the silence of the living room and just held Danny against him. It was perfect. He didn't need any more than this. If he came home from work each night just to have him in his arms, it would be enough. He just needed to make sure his own spiraling emotions didn't influence Danny's. He meant what he said. This all had to be Danny's choice and he'd go along with whatever Danny decided.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
"He's out and on the way to the dumpsite." Jeremy's voice was filled with more relief than usual. It was always that way when it was D who was out doing a sting.
Marshall tried to imagine being in his shoes, but he couldn't. He wasn't sure he could send the man he loved into such a dangerous situation. It said a lot about the people he worked with. They were strong as hell and willing to sacrifice whatever it took for the good of helping save the kids.
"So, while we wait, I've got something to show you." Jeremy moved to another computer so he could keep the dispatch log running on his screen. "I was doing a little digging today on that Lamp Light company you found. It looks like it was created shortly after Larry's uncle died, the same year Danny was kidnapped. The thing is, it was left to Larry's cousin, Dale, who is listed as the owner of Lamp Light, so it's clearly still in the family."
"What do we know about Dale?"
"He's fifty-six years old, divorced three times. Has lives in Colorado Springs, and works as an accountant for a small three-person company in the area." Jeremy handed him a file of papers.
"Okay, so if he has a job, why create Lamp Light? Who runs that if Dale is working and Larry never left home?"
"That is the question, isn't it?" Jeremy nodded to the screen. "I used satellite surveillance to check the area out. I can make out two adults who appear to live at the ranch house. From the size, they look male, but I can't be sure. I also found two children. Which wouldn't worry me normally, but the fact they are linked to Larry is the first alert, and the second is that it looks as if they are being held in a single room. I watched for over two hours today and while the adults moved around the house, the children only moved around the one room, located way in the back of the house."
Marshall shook his head. "That's still not enough evidence to say something is wrong. It's just gut instinct. We can't act on gut instinct, even if it's usually spot on." He stared at the screenshot of the adults. "One of those could be Larry, couldn't it?"
"It could, and my gut tells me it is." Jeremy leaned back in his chair. "It's not enough to send our team in, and honestly, not enough to send the police. They can go knock on the door, but if Larry's hiding, they can't get inside. There isn't enough for a warrant."
"So we keep digging." Marshall looked at the papers he had in the file Jeremy gave him. "Have you tried hacking any internet on the site?"
"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."
