Page 120 of Stolen By The Bratva King

I know better; he’ll be devastated.

We’ve had social workers and police scouring for months, trying to track down anyone with a connection to Desi. In the meantime, he lived with my father, but we were there every day; he only didn’t live with us because he hated the noise and bustle of Manhattan, preferring the spacious peace of my father’s home.

Desi adores my dad, but he and Leon became the best of friends, and although Leon’s Serbian is now excellent, Desi prefers to speak English and the few Russian phrases Leon taught him.

They hang out a lot; Desi has gotten Leon into fishing, and they’re powering through the Studio Ghibli back catalog. They often simply sit close together, taking comfort from one another without saying a word.

My husband lost almost all his family, and it was his hope that he’d be able to use his resources to find Desi’s relatives and return him to them, with a hefty trust fund to secure his future.

Locating his family was exactly what Leon wanted. It doesn’t mean letting him go won’t break his heart.

I hold Desi tightly and steady myself, keeping my voice light. “That’s wonderful, Desi! Who told you? You must be so excited!”

To my astonishment, he starts to cry. Not deep, wracking sobs, but the tears of someone who’s overwhelmed rather than simply sad.

“Oh, baby.” I sweep his hair off his forehead. “What’s wrong?”

“I found my family,” he says again. “But not in a different place.”

He looks at Leon, then turns his small face up to mine. “You are my family. You, Leon,dedaAlec…” his voice tails off, and swallows, finding his words again. “I can live with you always? Please?”

I whip my head to face Leon. “When did he ask? Oh my God, Leon. Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” He crouches beside me and Desi. “Go for the big one, Desi. Don’t be scared.”

The little boy touches my face and draws a deep breath.

“I love you,” he says. “Will you be my Mami and Papa?”

With that, I’m a wreck.

I bundle him in my arms and bring his face to mine, showering him in kisses, and he giggles like a maniac, trying to scramble out of my grasp.

“Yes, of course we will!” I cry. “We love you too, Desi.

Leon’s grin could stretch around the world.

“I know we spoke about this a hundred times, and you wanted to keep him. But the kid was in charge of his own destiny, and I wanted him to choose us, just like you chose me.”

“Hence the dramatic reveal?” Desi leaps into Leon’s arms, and I wipe the mascara from under my eyes. “You’resuchan asshole.”

“Haha, you asshole,” Desi says, and Leon wags a finger at him.

“Nyet, Desi. Mami is right, butyoudon’t get to say it.”

EPILOGUE

One year later…

Leon

There could never have been a good day to bury Josef, but this is the first warm day of the incoming spring, and the sun brings with it a feeling of optimism despite the sad occasion.

Mydyadyawas glad to go. He picked up a pneumonia that dug itself into his lungs like a tick, and he lost his strength all too quickly, but he didn’t seem to mind.

He spent his remaining time with Emery, Desi, and me, and like rich food after a famine, he filled up on loving companionship until he was positively fat on it.

Emery nursed him through those final days, a selfless act for which I’ll forever be grateful. Even Desi lay beside him, his usual hyperactivity nowhere to be seen, and told him he would be safe where he was going.

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