Page 77 of Caged
Danny swallowed, ducking his head, praying they wouldn't ask him what was said or why he didn't discuss it.
"Faith, do you remember how long it took you to open up? You were having late-night talks with Xander long before you opened up in a counseling session. There were several points I considered finding you someone else to talk with." Matt smiled at his daughter.
Faith shrugged.
"How do you feel about the idea of hiring him for the team, Danny?" Jeremy asked.
"He's a nice enough guy. Easy to talk to and listens well. The issue of not talking is mine, not because of anything he's done. I think he'd fit in with the team as far as personality, but I can't say how he'll react to what you do." Danny wondered how his own sessions might change if Gary knew everything.
"Does anyone here object to me setting up a meeting with him so I can get a read on him?" D asked.
No one responded.
"Okay, then I'll talk to Rani later. If he doesn't object, I'll set up a meeting with Gary and see how things go. From all the research I've done into his past, I think he'll be a good fit and is someone we can trust. I'll keep the team posted on how it goes." D settled back in his chair. "Anyone else have anything?"
Jeremy cleared his throat. "I've been watching a guy who records himself chatting like a teenage girl online, then goes out to meet the men who are trying to have sex with her. He doesn't do more than confront them and put the video online for people to watch, but I'd like to give you his name and information to look at. He might be a possible team member."
"For computers or cutting?" Jessica asked.
"I'm not sure yet. He's got some computer skills, but not enough to do what we do here. He could be teachable, but I was thinking more cutter. The anger and hate he seems to have for these predators has to come from somewhere. I haven't dug too deep into his past yet. I wanted the go-ahead before I really looked into him."
"Find out what you can and get it to me. Send me links to his videos. Let me see how he handles himself. If he's got too much anger, we don't need him." D looked around the room. "Anyone else?"
At the silence, D nodded. "Then I'd like to officially welcome Danny to the team. We'll leave it up to you how involved you want to be, but know that you're welcome here anytime and have the full support of the team if you need anything."
"Thanks. I know how much trust it takes to let me be here. It means a lot that you are willing to let me come with Marshall when he's working. I don't know what I can do, but if anyone needs anything, just let me know."
"Jessica's cake recipe." Patrick grinned.
"If anyone needs anything I can share without risking my life, let me know." Danny laughed, smiling at Jessica across the room. "I might be nice enough to bake when I'm here."
"That would make you the most important member of the team," Jeremy teased.
"We might need a bigger house with more bedrooms if you do that. No one would ever leave." Jessica smiled.
"Alright, back to work. We'll meet again next week. Same time. Until then, let's make sure we're ready for these stings coming up. I want everything to go smoothly." Jeremy stood.
Marshall turned to face Danny. "I'm done here for today. How about we grab something for dinner and head home."
"KFC?" Danny asked.
"Sounds good to me."
They said goodbye and headed out the door. With the sun slowly setting, Danny looked up at the purple hazed sky and smiled. They were close to getting Larry, and once that was done, he could finally move forward with his life.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Marshall transferred that final file onto the thumb drive, the last of the evidence they would leave at the scene when the team went in. He pulled the small drive from the computer and set it on the desk. "Everything is set to go for tomorrow." He glanced over at Jeremy who was chatting with someone on the dark web. "You got something?"
"Guy just messaged me asking if I was interested in paying for time with a twelve-year-old boy." Jeremy's voice held a tone of disgust.
Sadly, this happened all the time since the team worked hard to create fake profiles online that cast them as pedophiles who were interested in things like that. It was one of the many ways they worked their way into the inner circles of some of the darkest groups on the internet. Playing the role and faking interest wasn't easy, but knowing that it would hopefully mean protecting the children in the end, made it worthwhile.
"I'll play nervous and scared for a few days, let him slowly talk me into it." Jeremy kept typing.
Marshall gripped Jeremy's shoulder. "You need me to stay?"
"Nah, go ahead and go. I'm not going to stay much longer. D's cooking dinner and I promised to be home early. Matt, Xander, and Faith were going out. " Jeremy smiled over at him before turning back to focus on the computer monitor. "I'll talk to you tomorrow and keep in touch through the night as I get information."
