Page 245 of Seasons of Love
"He works for the organization. I couldn't get much out of him, but he said there are too many kids this time round."
"He works for them?"
"I don't think it's out of choice, Tiago."
"How did you recognize him?"
"Babe, I've been looking at your face for years, and I've been studying his photo for just as long. I'd have recognized him if he’d colored his hair or was in women's clothes. Besides, apart from the glasses, he looks like he could be your twin."
"What do we do? I want him home with me. I don't want him to have to do whatever he does."
Fred took a deep breath, and I knew what was coming.
"Tiago, he's an adult now. It has to be his choice."
I got up and paced the length of the living room with both Vítor and Fred's eyes on me.
"He's going to want to come home, right, Vítor? He'll want to come with me, won't he? When I tell him how long I've been looking for him?"
Vítor got up and put his arms around me. I couldn't stop more sobs from coming out.
"What if he thinks I gave up on him? What if he blames me for whatever happened to him? Oh my god, Vítor, maybe he hates me." I wasn't sure he could even hear me with my head buried in his chest, but it didn't matter because I was too scared to hear the answers to those questions.
"Baby, look at me."
I did as he asked. He removed my glasses, cleaned my tears, and pushed my hair back so he could look into my eyes.
"We have a lot of questions that can only be answered by Afonso. The priority is to get the kids out of there. My feeling is that whatever position he's in, he's relatively safe as long as we don't put him in danger by making the wrong move."
He was right. I rested my head on his chest again, trying to take in some of his strength for myself as he ran his hands in circles on my back, calming me.
I couldn't believe it. My brother had been found. I needed to be patient and have a plan, but I could see him again. Suddenly, I had the urge to laugh, so I did. It was probably not the best reaction to the situation, but I couldn't help myself. I laughed until I was crying again, but this time, with happy tears. God help me when I'd actually get my arms around my brother.
"Fred." I looked at him and saw how much his job had taken out of him. He looked exhausted. "Do you want to stay here tonight? We can talk some more tomorrow. I promise I'll do whatever you tell me to do. I want those kids safe."
"Thanks, I'd love to stay if that's okay with you, too, Vítor."
"Goodness, Fred, you found Afonso. I'll sing you lullabies and bring you breakfast in bed in the morning if you want."
I struggled to contain my laugh when Fred's eyes opened wide.
"That, er… won't be necessary. A bed will do. I mean, I'll sleep in the spare bedroom. Or the sofa, whatever."
I addressed Fred while I kept my eyes on Vítor. "You can stay in the spare bedroom, that's where my stuff is. Feel free to use the shower and look for anything you need. I'm sleeping with my silver fox here."
"You bet your cute little ass you are," Vítor whispered before he gave me a kiss that turned from chaste to full-on heated in two seconds. I heard a groan from Fred as he walked over to my bedroom.
"If I hear any sex noises, I'm going to tell Vítor about that time in—"
"Night, Fred," I shouted back.
"What was he going to say?" Vítor asked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at me.
"Nothing, nothing at all. Maybe you're hearing things. Do we need to get you a hearing aid?"
He lifted me up and over his shoulder and slapped my ass.
"I'm going to make you eat those words."
