"How about the press?"
"At the moment, the press doesn't know anything, but considering some of the men are in the public eye, it'll only be a matter of time until either the families raise the alarm or the press starts asking where they are."
Knowing Afonso was finally safe and there wouldn't be anyone looking for him was the biggest relief of my lifetime. Now that he was here, I'd do anything to keep him safe.
I mainly stared at Afonso as he ate the food Vítor had prepared for us. The conversation over dinner revolved around the children in the center and their families. Despite the tight balance in the accounts, I'd spoken to Isaac and he'd agreed we needed to support them and figure out later how to raise more money.
Afonso looked as tired as I felt after dinner. Tomorrow I'd have to get back to the center, but we'd have time to catch up properly. I didn't miss that Afonso didn't have anything on him other than his clothes.
"You can stay in the spare room. Feel free to use the shower and look in the drawers to see if any of my clothes fit you. We'll go shopping tomorrow, okay?"
He nodded, then looked at Fred and then back at me.
"Where is Fred staying?" His voice was small and unsure.
I hadn't missed how Afonso had seemed to drift toward Fred all evening, or that Fred always made sure he was there for him. Considering the relationship they'd built over the last few months, I wasn't surprised by the connection.
"Fred, do you want to stay over?" I asked.
"Oh, er yes, that would be nice, thanks. I'm too beat to drive. I'll sleep on the sofa. Do you have a spare blanket?"
Once we had the sleeping arrangements sorted and had let Fred use our shower, I hugged my little brother goodnight and reassured him we were just a room away if he needed anything. He'd been quite shy around Vítor, but he didn't look afraid of him, so I took it that he was just overwhelmed with being around new people.
When we got under the covers, I reached out for Vítor and wrapped myself around him. He chuckled and accepted his place as my big man pillow.
"Today was a big day. I'm so proud of you," he said, kissing the top of my head.
"Thank you for being there. I know how busy you are at work, but it meant everything having you with me today."
"Anytime, baby," was the last thing I heard as I drifted into the most peaceful sleep I'd ever had.
The next morning, I was awake earlier than normal. It was clear that I was too fidgety in bed because Vítor put his arms around me and pulled me closer.
"Let him rest, baby. You can both talk after Fred and I go."
I huffed but let myself settle against his chest.
The next time I woke up, I was alone in bed. I got up and hurried to get dressed.
My chest expanded when I saw my brother, Vítor, and Fred around the kitchen table with coffees in front of them. It didn't feel real that my brother was really here.
"Morning," I said.
When they saw me, both Vítor and Fred got up.
"We're going to leave you two to talk," Vítor said. "Call me if you need me to come back, okay? Otherwise, I'll see you tonight." He placed a kiss on my lips and left with Fred on his heels.
Afonso looked around and gripped the cup in front of him so hard his fingers were white. I struggled to find the right words to start, so I went to the coffee machine and filled a cup for myself.
"Do you want some toast?" I asked.
"No, thank you."
His voice was small. Whatever had happened to him since he'd disappeared, we could deal with. The first step would be to gain his trust. I put my hands over his on top of the table and squeezed them hard.
"Afonso, we have a lot to catch up on, but first, I need you to know that finding you wasn't an accident. I've been looking for you ever since you disappeared."
His eyes went wide.
