Page 102 of Tragic Empire

I smile reassuringly, I won’t be mad if he picks up the phone to make sure whoever is calling isn’t having some kind of emergency. Lives depend on him sometimes, that’s just a fact of his life.

I turn back to my quiet new companion as soft Italian words spill from my husband’s mouth. I’m not sure whether he switched to his second language for privacy or necessity, but I’m too shocked by what comes next to contemplate his reasoning.

The little boy’s head snaps up, his dark, curly hair bouncing with the swift movement. He immediately staggers out of the bean bag to his feet, wobbling in an unsteady stride, heading straight for Cassio.

Slightly worried but curious, I let the shy child make his way over to my husband. I follow the short path, watching in amazement as he reaches for Cassio’s pant leg. He tugs on the fabric urgently to get his attention.

“Aiuto, aiuto,” he babbles to Cassio. “Mio mama, aiuto, aiuto.” His voice is cracked and his words come out slightly slurred, but it’s like a weight immediately lifts from my shoulders.

He hasn’t spoken since arriving because he doesn’t speak English. He overheard Cassio on the phone speaking Italian and he rushed to his side without a second thought. My heart clenches in my chest as I watch Cassio completely disregard his phone call. He immediately kneels to tend to the boy, concern furrowing his brow.

“Come ti chiami?” he asks in the softest tone.

The boy sniffles, overwhelmed with emotion. “L-leeeo.”

“Leo,” Cassio repeats to him. He must have asked for the boy’s name. “Stai bene, Leo?”

“Adesso,” Leo babbles, sniffling. Without caution, Leo throws himself against Cassio, tucking into his chest for comfort.

My husband stiffens, but quickly recovers, offering the boy an embrace in return. “Va tutto bene, shhh,” Cassio coos softly. “Va tutto bene, Leo.”

Only a few minutes into calming him, Heather finds us.

“He’s asking for help for his mother,” Cassio tells her, holding an emotional Leo close. “His name is Leo, and he doesn’t speak English.”

Biting her lip with emotion swimming in her eyes, Heather nods. “We just got a call about him. He can’t understand me, right?”

“Not a word,” Cassio confirms. “What’s happened?”

“His mother abandoned him at a hospital two days ago, and instead of bringing him to the cops and getting him shucked into foster care, he was brought here. One of The Kings’ wives is a nurse there and she risked her job to do it. But now I’m not sure how to help him.” She knits her brows in contemplation.

“That call about him was from our lawyer, she overdosed the day after she left him. Apparently Leo’s father died a week ago in a car accident, and she couldn’t handle it. The lawyer confirmed that Leo has no other family. But if we inform the state about him, he could be taken somewhere so much worse for god knows how long until we can get him back?—”

“Don’t call anyone about him,” Cassio interrupts. “We’ll take it from here.”

Eyes widening, my mouth pops open. “What? We will?”

“Tell your lawyer that The Moretti Family will take care of him. If anyone here sees fit to report this, I assure you, we have friends in higher places than they do. Leo will have a home tonight.”

“I… are you certain?” Heather hesitates. “That would be incredible.”

“I have a place in mind, and a backup if that doesn’t work out. I’ll make a call and handle it.”

“I’ll go shred the paperwork we have started for him,” Heather declares with a look of determination.

“See if you can find out what nurse brought him here,” Cassio requests, pulling his phone off the floor.

“What for?”

“I’m going to make sure she gets a bonus for her quick thinking, and that the hospital doesn’t find out and fire her.”

Is it possible to fall in love all over again?

Grabbing a stray plastic truck off the floor for Leo, my sweet husband encourages the boy to explore it. Shyly, he does, using the wheels to roll it around Cassio’s body rather than the floor.

I take a seat next to them, not minding the hard floor one bit, seeing the immense change in Leo. Somehow, Cassio is able to be attentive toward the small child and make his phone call. I can hear the line ringing shortly until someone picks up on the other side.

“Leon, hey,” he says, letting Leo continue to roll his toy truck up and down his legs. “Any chance you and Cleo are ready for another kid sooner than expected?”