Page 60 of Caged
"It's so hard knowing he's still out there and probably hurting other kids. Have you heard of any kidnappings in the area?"
"No, and I've looked. There's nothing. Maybe Larry got smart and is laying low for now. Don't give up hope the cops will get him."
Danny leaned back, comforted by Marshall's arm around him. "I know I said I wanted to talk tonight, but now, I'm not much in the mood. Can we just do the movie and relax?"
"Anything you want, love." Marshall kissed the top of his head.
Love? What did that mean? Danny wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure he wanted the answer. Marshall was probably just comforting him.
"Why don't you go change clothes. I'm going to grab the stuff we bought from the trunk of the car, then I'll change too. I'll meet you in the kitchen and we can make hot chocolate together."
Danny nodded. "Sounds good." He turned to Marshall. "Even though it ended oddly, thank you for a fantastic day. It was the best day of my life, honestly. I loved the game and spending all that time out with you."
"I had a great time too." Marshall smiled. "We'll do it often. Come on, let's get comfortable and put tonight out of our minds."
Danny accepted the quick kiss and hurried to his bedroom. Going back into that house had stirred up emotions he'd forced back for the last few weeks. The memories had hit him like a sucker punch, forcing him to relive some of the worst moments of his life in his mind. Thank God he hadn't gone downstairs where even worse memories lurked.
He wondered how the boys were doing, wishing he had a way to contact them or their parents. After caring for them for two years, he missed them. Maybe they blamed him, thought he was part of Larry's disgusting agenda. He hoped that wasn't true. He never wanted anyone to think he was anything like Larry.
He sank down on the bed, needing a moment to collect himself. He'd thought he'd gotten over the fear and worry that Larry would come back for him, but somehow, going back into that house had made him realize that Larry was really still out there, and he could come after him at any time. He could have watched them today while they were at the game or out shopping. He'd been so distracted by having fun with Marshall, he hadn't paid any attention.
A knock on the door had him looking up. "Yeah?"
Marshall pushed the door open. "You okay?"
"Yeah, was just about to change." He took a deep breath, trying to get his thoughts back to a positive place.
"You sure, because you've been in here for thirty minutes?" Marshall walked over and sat down beside him.
"I have?" He glanced up, wondering how he'd gotten so lost in the memories that he'd lost track of time.
"Yep. How about we forget the movie? Change for bed and let me hold you. We don't have to talk or anything if you don't want to. Just let me hold you close."
Danny nodded and stood. "Sorry, I don't know what got into me."
"It's okay." Marshall smiled. "Want me to leave while you change?"
Danny shook his head. "We staying in here?"
"Is that okay?"
"Yeah." He wasn't sure he had the energy to walk across the hall to Marshall's room. Quickly changing into a pair of sweatpants, he told himself it was nothing more than a long day, but that wasn't true. Larry still haunted him. He could deny it, but it was true. Larry was never far, and at the moment, Danny wasn't sure he ever would be.
He found Marshall already in bed when he turned around. He gave him a small smile as he turned off the light, then joined him in bed. He relaxed as he curled up next to him, welcoming the strong arms around him. "Thanks," he whispered.
Marshall kissed his neck. "You'll make it through this. We'll do it together."
Closing his eyes, he nodded, hoping that somehow, they could make those words come true.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Marshall stretched, trying to ease the muscles in his shoulders. He'd been in front of the computer for hours, but he wasn't about to quit. He wanted information and he wasn't stopping until he got it. He'd hacked into the police department records, looking for any information on what was found on the thumb drives they'd taken from the house, but so far, there was no information. It had only been two days, so maybe they hadn't gotten to them yet, but that was bullshit. This case should have been at the top of the list for police.
Danny had tossed and turned the last two nights, sleeping little, which meant Marshall didn't sleep much either. He blinked, trying to push the sleepiness from his eyes. He had to find a lead. With the police department looking like a dead end, he focused on Lamp Light and the ranch in Colorado Springs. It wasn't hard to find the internet provider, and from there, it was just a matter of hacking more information to get himself inside the computer system. There wasn't much there. One email account, one Facebook account. Both held nothing of importance other than a new name to investigate. Both accounts belonged to Dale. Most of the emails were spam or from work. There was nothing to lead them to other family or friends. The Facebook account hadn't been touched in three years, and from the computer's files, it looked like it was only used for keeping track of finances and looking up a few unimportant things online.
"Fuck." Marshall stood, walking to the window across the room and looking out. He probably should head home soon, it was starting to get dark outside, but he didn't want to give up. There was something going on there, he just needed to find it. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to think what he was missing.
He'd taken down predators who tried to hide stuff all the time. He knew what to look for, where they hid things. He was a good hacker, able to get into almost any system. Why was he coming up blank now on the one case that was personal for him?
