Page 72 of Caged
Danny sat up on the couch, nearly knocking the laptop from his legs as he did. It couldn't be him. But it was. There were subtle differences, but there was no doubt that the man on the screen was D.
He stared at it, stunned. Did Marshall know? Did Jeremy? Had D come to Colorado after his odd escape? Danny read the article slowly, trying to digest everything he was reading. D was a wanted man. All traces of him had disappeared after he'd escaped the jail in California.
How was he able to hide out here in Denver? How could Jeremy and the others working with him not know about this if it was online? Did they not do background checks at Marshall's company?
Danny closed his eyes as he thought about the company. They kept odd hours, working late into the night. Marshall never talked much about work. He just said he worked on computers and was good at what he did.
Could it be? He didn't want to allow his mind to go where it was, but he couldn't stop it. Was Marshall working with D and doing the same thing here as D had in California? It made sense. That would be why Faith was so close to the men. If they'd saved her, then it would make sense that she'd have strong feelings for them, just like he did for Marshall.
He sat motionless as he thought about everything he knew and realized how much sense it all made. This was why Marshall was looking for Larry. Would the team go after him? Did he want them to?
He searched D's old name, finding even more articles about his arrest and escape. How had the team managed to get him out of jail? It said the computers were hacked, but there had to be more to it than that. Could D really live in Denver and not worry that he could be recognized at any time?
After reading everything he could find, he was convinced that Marshall worked for a team just like the one who'd saved Faith. What did he do for them? How involved in all this was he? Did he castrate people?
Should he let Marshall know that he'd figured it out? Would that upset Marshall? Be a problem for the team?
At the sound of a car in the driveway, he set the computer on the coffee table. He had to ask Marshall about this. He couldn't just assume things. He needed to know the truth. He sat there waiting, but was shocked when it was Faith who came through the door first, followed by Marshall, then Xander.
"Hope you don't mind if I invited Xander and Faith for dinner." Marshall walked into the room, dropping his keys on the table before leaning over and giving Danny a kiss.
"No, not at all." He smiled at Faith, then frowned as he realized she was staring at the open laptop.
Danny swallowed hard.
"Guys." Faith pointed. "He knows."
Danny watched Marshall for his reaction, curious how he'd respond.
"Well, that was easier than having to break the news to him later." Xander sat down at the other end of the couch a smirk playing on his face.
"You were going to tell me?" Danny asked, still staring at Marshall.
"We'd discussed it, but hadn't gotten to voting on it yet." Marshall took a deep breath. "I couldn't tell you. It's not something we can talk about to anyone, even those we are closest to."
Danny nodded. "So it's true. You are part of this?" He waved a hand at the computer.
Marshall nodded. "What do you want to know?" He sat down.
"We should leave you to talk," Xander said.
"Yeah, it's probably best we do dinner another night. Will you let D and Jeremy know about this? I'll call them as soon as Danny and I finish talking." Marshall glanced over at Xander.
"Of course. And don't sweat it. You know you'd have told him soon anyway. It's easier this way." Xander stood, putting a hand on Faith's shoulder, but she moved from him and went to Danny.
She knelt beside him. "Don't be upset with anyone about this, okay? They have to keep secrets to stay safe. They do good work. If you need to talk, call me later, okay?" She gripped his shoulder with a gentle hand.
"Yeah, thanks." He met her stare for a moment, then looked back to Marshall.
Without another word, Xander and Faith left.
At the click of the door, Marshall asked, "do you hate me?"
"God, no." Danny blinked. "I'm just shocked. I don't hate you at all. I respect what you do. I'm just confused by it all."
"I'll explain everything to you." Marshall glanced at the computer. "I should have known you'd come across D's mug shot."
Danny shrugged. "I was searching for information about Faith's kidnapping and it led me to that. When Faith mentioned her rescue, I was curious." That wasn't true. He was jealous. Maybe even hurt that no one had come for him.
