Page 73 of Caged
"You understand what we do?" Marshall asked as he kicked off his shoes and repositioned himself on the couch.
"Not really. I mean, some things are clear, but how do you choose who you help and who you don't? How come a team helped Faith, but not me?"
Marshall shook his head. "It's not like that. We don't choose. We didn't know about you or we would have done something. Your face never crossed our computer screens, we never got an upload of child porn from the address. There was nothing to alert us about what was going on in that home. Trust me. Larry is exactly the type of man we would go after. We just didn't know."
"So you watch for people trading child porn?"
"Sort of. We go into the darkest parts of the internet where the worst of the worst hang out. It's on there that people upload pictures and videos. They sell children and adults into sex slavery. There's some nasty stuff on there. I go in and track who these people are, keep a database of those we know of but can't find. I also track the children, trying to find where they are so they can be rescued. When we track a pedophile down, we spend time hacking their internet, watching their homes, doing all we can to learn everything about them. We collect all the evidence we can and put it on a flash drive. Once we are sure it's safe for us to go in, several members of the team will go into the home, confine the pedophile, and castrate him. We do this so they live and can still face criminal charges. Once that's done, the flash drive is left for the police to find and the team leaves. Once safely away, they call the police and leave an anonymous report of either a medical issue or sometimes they tell the truth and tell them a pedophile is tied up. After that, we leave it up to the police to rescue any children and deal with convicting the pedophile. Our goal is to take away the pedophile's weapon. Without their cock and balls, the hormone levels change in the body. They live as a eunuch the rest of their lives." Marshall took a long breath. "It's not a pretty thing to talk about, but the abuse these men and women cause isn't pretty either.
"Have you ever made a mistake?" Danny wasn't sure how to feel about any of this. He was glad the team saved kids. What bothered him was that Marshall was a part of it and hadn't told him. Even understanding how something like this had to be kept a secret, with what Danny had gone through, he would have thought Marshall would be honest with him.
"Not here in Denver, and I've never heard of one happening with the other team. We're careful. What we do changes lives. We have to be sure of the facts before we even think about going in. We make sure we have the evidence to back things up. If there is any doubt, we don't go in. We've sent anonymous leads to the police before when we are pretty sure something is going on but aren't comfortable going in ourselves. I couldn't do this if there was a chance of an innocent person being hurt by us." Marshall caressed his arm. "Are you okay with this?"
"I don't know." Danny closed his eyes a moment, trying to figure out exactly what he was feeling. "At first, I was hurt because Faith got help, but no one came for me. I understand why, but I prayed so many nights that help would come."
"We would have if we'd known."
"I know that now. I'm also a little pissed off that you didn't tell me."
"It's not up to me. I wanted to tell you, but when we join the team, there are rules. One is that before anyone is told about the team or invited to join us, it's put to a vote. If one member votes no, that person isn't told about STK. D, Jeremy, and I had discussed you knowing, but we decided to wait a bit. I think they wanted to be sure that you and I were serious enough about each other to make it worth the risk."
"They don't trust me?"
"We don't trust anyone when it comes to the team. That's the only way it works. I trust you, and I know others do too, but we have to follow the rules. No one gets away with breaking them. They're what keep us safe."
"And if I ran to the police right now and told them?"
"There's nothing we could do. If we had time, we'd try and leave. Build the team back up in a new city under new names. If we get arrested, we know we did what we could, and I personally can say I regret none of it. I've seen what you and others have gone through. I watch those videos every day, looking for any evidence of who they are, where they're being held. I've seen the news when those kids are reunited with their parents because of what we do. It's worth the risk."
Danny reached for Marshall's hand. "You know I won't tell anyone. I would never go to the police."
"I know that. So does everyone else. That's why Xander didn't panic when we realized you knew. It's why D and Jeremy haven't called yet to make sure things are safe. They'll give us time to talk, then I'll call them once we're done and let them know things are fine. Where it goes from here, I'm not sure. It will be up to them if you're included when we share information. If you'll be allowed to come to the place we work. I'm not the boss. D is." Marshall brought Danny's hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. "I'm glad you know."
Danny looked directly into Marshall's eyes. "You've been hunting Larry?"
"Yes. I think I know where he is, but I have to be sure. I promise you, if it is him, the team will go get him. He will pay for what he did to you."
Danny nodded. "Thank you."
"I'll tell you more when I can, but until I'm sure…"
Danny understood, but he needed to know one thing. "Is he close? Can he get to me?"
"No. He's in the state, but not in Denver. I promise you're safe. I'll keep you safe." Marshall took both of Danny's hands in his. "I am doing everything to get him. I won't rest until he's in jail. We're close." He leaned his head against Danny's pressing their foreheads together. "I'm glad you know. I want to be able to tell you when the team goes after him. Let you know when the police have him in custody."
"Can I go?"
"No. And not because I think you couldn't handle it. I won't be going either. Only those on the team who are trained to go into a house and handle a pedophile will go. I'll be here at the office on the computer, keeping track of things outside the home. I'll watch the police, make sure cameras in the area aren't recording the team going in."
Danny closed his eyes. "Then what happens?"
"Then the police take him. He'll be in the hospital for a while because of things the team will do to him, but he'll recover and face trial. You'll have to testify if you're up to it. Then, hopefully, the bastard will spend the rest of his life behind bars."
The thought of getting up in court and talking about everything was so overwhelming, but if Marshall and the team could do what they did, he could at the very least give statements to what Larry had done to him and the other boys. He needed to be brave if it came down to that. There was no way he would forgive himself if Larry was set free to hurt anyone else. "You'll be there?"
"For all of it. I'm guessing I'll have to testify too about when you escaped."
"You're okay with that?"
