Joe expected Marcus’s agony, and he got it.
Marcus jolted and wailed, but the screw seemed to slide through his heel like a knife through butter. The second screw went in the same way. Navarro slid a small, flat, silver square over the area. He read whatever information it provided and breathed a heavy sigh. “It’s good.”
Marcus had stopped screaming and struggling, so Joe slowly let him go. His back ached, and he’d be stiff later from how long and tightly he’d flexed his muscles.
Lil went to work applying some sort of seal over Marcus’s broken skin.
Navarro straightened, and removed his bloody apron. He tossed it in a bin and moved to Marcus’s head. He rested his hand on Marcus’s chest and smiled down at him. “You did great, Wonder Twin. I fixed all the things that were wrong, and that medicine I gave you should have you feeling better already. I’m sorry it hurt, but you’re going to be just fine. You were very brave.”
While he talked, Navarro made slow, gentle circles over Marcus’s chest. His voice was calm and deep, and Marcus smiled weakly at the praise.
Joe remembered how gifted Navarro was at making people feel better. He’d been a much better leader of the runners than Joe. Those shoes had always been too big to fill.
“Thank you,” Marcus whispered.
Navarro stroked Marcus’s hair. “I’ll send your brother in to sit with you in a few minutes, and I’ll come check on you in a bit. We’ll never leave you alone.”
Navarro motioned to Joe, and they walked over to the sink, where they disposed of their gloves and washed their hands. Joe took his time with the warm water, enjoying the sensation of the water’s constant movement over his skin. Navarro turned off the faucet and crowded into Joe’s space.
They didn’t touch. They never touched, even though the life they’d lived at Flights of Fantasy meant that touch and physical intimacy came as naturally and necessarily as breathing. Navarro had comfort and kindness to offer to everyone but Joe. He searched Joe’s face and bowed his head so their faces were inches apart. “We have a good setup here, nuevecito, but the last thing we needed right now was for you and your friends to show up. This kid needs to stay until he’s healed. I want to keep an eye on him, make sure the heel’s set right and the infection doesn’t return.”
“Okay. We can do that.”
Navarro closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them and spoke, he sounded like an old man. “I don’t know what to do with you. I need to think about it, talk to Lili. You understand?”
Joe didn’t, not yet, but he knew Navarro would make sure he did eventually. Communication was Joe’s problem, not Navarro’s. All the same, a prickle of unease traveled up his spine. When they’d walked through the town, he’d noticed the man with the gun, the way the people had gawked at Devin. Navarro wouldn’t have been happy to see Joe under the best of circumstances. But even Lil had hesitated before kissing him and welcoming them in. What had they gotten themselves into?
Navarro prodded Joe’s knee with the cane.
Joe nodded. Not like they could leave now.
Navarro backed up. “Let’s go update your traveling circus freak show friends.”
***
Devin sat with the others in the wavering candlelight, crowded around a table not meant to hold so many people, and stared at Joe, who picked at the first hot meal they’d eaten in two weeks. Something seemed to gnaw at him, but Devin couldn’t figure out what it was. Joe had been so hell-bent to get here, even before Marcus got hurt; now Marcus, at least according to Joe’s old crush, should be all right; they were going to bed tonight in a house where they wouldn’t have to worry about getting killed in their sleep; and still Joe acted like someone had kicked the shit out of him.
“Eat your food, nuevecito,” Navarro barked from the head of the table and used his fork to nudge Joe’s hand. “You’re so skinny your pants look like they’re about to fall off you. Plus, Sadie worked hard on dinner.”
Maybe that was the problem. Joe didn’t get bossed around by anyone, but the usual Joe rules didn’t seem to apply to Navarro.
Joe perked up and winked at the pretty teenager next to him, Sadie, though for some reason, Joe called her “Mole.” He speared a sliver of scrambled eggs from the fancy blue and yellow plate in front of him. “You made this? Tastes great.”
Liliana patted Sadie’s hand. “She’s a fabulous cook.”
Sadie frowned. “They say that because Lili and Navi can’t cook worth shit. Plus, I like fire.”
Across from Joe, Peter laughed too loudly, and Navarro frowned at him before smiling indulgently down the table at Sadie. Devin found himself smiling, too. Navarro had dimples.
“Do you have solar?” Joe leaned closer to Navarro. “How big is Purcell?”
“Solar for the exam room only,” Navarro said, “and we have a couple solar appliances. This isn’t actually Purcell, but that’s what we call it. The real town’s on the other side of the border. I’d guess the town, our town, has a couple thousand people, wouldn’t you say, Lili?”
“It’s a good place,” Liliana added with a nod. “The town took up a collection for the solar panel. Navi takes care of the residents, and they pay us in food or whatever we need.”
Navarro gave a lopsided grin that was gooey around the edges. “That’s all fine, but Lili’s the town mayor.”
Liliana rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t pay.”
“But it’s important.”
“I’m not surprised,
