Page 55 of Caged
"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.
