Page 85 of Caged
"Yeah, we all say that about her." Marshall grinned. "I'm going to miss her when she leaves."
"Me too, but she's promised to keep in touch if she has time. It sounds like school is going to keep her really busy. I'm jealous in a way. I wish I'd had a chance to pick a career early in my life and work toward it. It sounds like she's wanted to be a doctor forever."
"I think since she was saved. She's really close to Beau. He's the doctor for the other team. It's not too late for you to find your passion. I wouldn't be shocked to see you go on to be a chef someday. You seem to love cooking. But even if it's not cooking, you can figure out what you want to do. Once Larry is locked up, you'll be able to go out and fulfill your dreams."
He wished he had as much confidence in himself as Marshall did. "Thanks. I couldn't do it without you." He kissed him. "Want me to get the ice cream?"
"We can get it together." Marshall stood.
They ate ice cream and watched a movie, but neither of them was paying much attention to it. They were watching the clock. It was nearly three in the morning before Marshall's phone rang.
Danny sat forward as Marshall answered, "I'm putting you on speaker."
"Tell me when you're ready for the update." Jeremy's voice sounded over the line.
"Ready." Marshall glanced at Danny as he reached for his hand.
"The team went in and found the two adults and took them both down. One was Larry and the other was Dale. Police have all the evidence and have arrested both of them. They're being treated at the hospital as we speak."
Tears filled Danny's eyes. "They got him?"
"They did. D said it was an easy sting. They got both men without any fight and made sure the police knew about the kids in the back of the house. Larry is in police custody as we speak and won't be getting out for a very long time, if ever. My guess is he'll die in prison. With police still on scene, I'm guessing you won't hear from them until later in the day. If you can, I suggest you two get some sleep. The team is going to spend the night in Colorado Springs and will be home later tomorrow."
"Thank you," Danny said hoarsely, his throat tight with emotion. "If you talk to them, tell them thank you. And you guys, too. Thank you to everyone who worked on this case." He looked at Marshall, unable to express how relieved he was to know Larry had been caught.
"I'll tell them. I hope they cut a little more aggressively on him," Jeremy said. "Are you two okay?"
Danny nodded at Marshall.
"We're good. We'll try to sleep and contact you tomorrow. We'll be staying home until the police contact us, then decide from there what we're doing." Marshall smiled at Danny.
"Sounds good. We'll talk then. Sleep well." Jeremy ended the call.
Danny sat back, releasing a long breath. "It's over."
"It will be soon. You're safe. That's all that matters." Marshall turned to him. "I love you."
"I love you too." Danny smiled. "Thank you. If you hadn't searched for Larry, they might not have caught him. You did all this."
"No, you did. You're the one who was brave enough to make a run for it. I just did my job after that. If you hadn't been brave…" Marshall shook his head. "You did this. You caught him."
It wasn't true, but Danny wasn't going to argue. Larry wasn't going to hurt him again. He still feared going to court, but he had Marshall and the team beside him. He could get through this. It would be hard facing everything again, but if it made Larry suffer, he'd do whatever it took. "I can't believe it's over."
"Your future is just starting." Marshall grinned. "Tomorrow, you wake up and you can do anything you want, go anywhere you want. He can't hurt you ever again."
As true as that was, the memories would still take time to stop haunting him, but each day it got easier. Maybe Marshall was right and in time he'd forget. Maybe he could be as strong as Faith and move forward and make a life for himself.
For the first time since he'd been kidnapped, he was completely free. He could go forward and be someone. He wasn't a victim anymore. He was now a survivor. He had a lot of people to thank for getting him there, but the fact remained, he was there. He could finally breathe again.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
It was nearly four in the afternoon before the police showed up at Marshall's door to inform Danny that Larry had been caught. Marshall had thought they'd have alerted him sooner and wasn't happy that it had taken so long. He was curious how much information they'd give them about what had happened.
"Come in." Marshall waved the two detectives inside. He'd met one of them before but the other wasn't familiar. "What can we do for you?" He closed the door and reached for Danny's hand as he led everyone into the living room.
Nobody spoke until they were all seated, then one of the detectives turned to face Danny. "We wanted to come and personally inform you that Larry Burns was arrested late last night in Colorado Springs. He's currently recovering from injuries and under guard at a hospital in that area."
Marshall's eyes went wide, feigning surprise. He gripped Danny's hands with both of his. "You caught him?"
