“Sí, jefe asshole.” Flix sighed. In a softer voice, he said, “Warrior brothers.”
“Warrior brothers,” Joe repeated. “Let’s go.”
It took half of the morning to locate Aria. They found her and a dozen other Sons in the southeast, digging graves. Shovel in the dirt, she looked up as they approached. Sweat beaded her brow, and dirt covered her boots. Her closely cropped hair glinted auburn in the sun. She didn’t smile.
“Coming to help the town? We’ve got sixty-three graves to go.” She patted the back of the man next to her. “Sanchez could use a break.”
Joe took the offered shovel and sank it into the red earth. He’d dug plenty of graves. “Flix can help, too, if you have something for him to use.”
Aria shook her head. “He’ll tear out those stitches.” She addressed Flix. “How’s the face, kid?”
Joe slammed the shovel deep. He wanted to rail at Aria for pretending to care about Flix when she’d hurt Navarro, when she’d no doubt played a part in taking Devin and Peter, but he bit his tongue.
The packed clay made for slow going, heavier than the dirt and rock at home but easier to push through. Joe dug in silence until the hole was a foot deep. Every once in a while, he’d glance up to find Flix, who’d sat on the ground at the foot of the grave, watching him. The other Sons, too, seemed to be sneaking a peek in Joe’s direction. He felt their eyes on him.
“Heard your traveling companions went missing last night,” Aria said quietly as she twisted around to throw her shovelful of dirt behind her. “Tough break.”
Joe grunted but kept his head down. “Any idea where they might be?”
“No clue.”
“Aria...”
Aria straightened and wiped her hand on her forehead, leaving behind a streak of red clay. “Your little friend’s looking a bit peaked. I think it’s time he got some rest, maybe some food.”
Joe’s traitorous stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten, hadn’t slept, and neither had Flix, who really did not look healthy. His skin, normally a lovely deep gold, had turned a bit sallow, and his eyes were drooping. Joe needed to get the boy home. It was bad enough he’d failed Devin and Peter, and even Marcus before them; he wasn’t about to add Flix to the total.
But he couldn’t leave without learning something.
“I need —”
“I know Navarro told you to pick up those veggies from Cadia.” Aria’s eyes flicked to Joe’s and then away. “You should probably get those before you take the kid ho — back to the place you’re staying.”
Joe put his hand on Aria’s shoulder.
She shrugged it off and went back to work.
***
As they approached the greenhouse, Flix stumbled. That Aria girl hadn’t been bluffing; he was so tired. Joe’s hand under his arm was all that kept him from falling. Flix sort of hated the jerk for still being so strong. Joe was like a robot. No exhaustion, no hunger, no emotion. Yeah, the outside of the guy was pretty, but the inside was hollow. Tin Man. Flix snorted and tripped over his own feet again. The vise-like grip around his arm tightened.
“What’s funny?” Joe asked.
Flix lightly pounded Joe’s chest with the side of his fist. “It’s all empty in there. You’re like a...a...manbot. Did you ever see those? Follow the lady of the house around and wash her windows and mop her floors and look good doing it, but nobody home on the inside. That’s you. Robot, Joe-bot.”
“Sleep deprivation makes you an ass.”
“Huh. Well, you would certainly know, jackass king.”
From just outside the greenhouse, the weird old gardener lady was watching them, her arms crossed, her mouth set in a thin line.
What were they doing here again? Flix leaned into Joe and whispered, “Are Devin and Peter here? That would be good. Get them and go home.”
“I don’t know,” Joe said. “But I know Navarro didn’t ask me to pick up anything from the greenhouse. Aria wants us here for some reason, but...” Joe stepped in front of Flix and held his shoulders. He lowered his voice even more. “I need you to wake up enough to keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. Can you do that?”
Flix was so tired of the condescension, of being treated like a child. He stuck out his tongue. “Fuck you.”
Joe shook him hard enough for his neck to pop. “I am not losing Devin because you can’t keep your mouth shut, do you hear me?” His eyes blazed, not at all like a robot. “Get it together.”
Devin. Flix didn’t want to lose Devin, either. He slapped himself twice on his uninjured cheek. It helped. “Got it. Mouth closed. Eyes open.”
Joe must have thought that was good enough, because he walked right up to the old lady, still dragging Flix, and pasted on a smile that made him look like he had an extra row of teeth. Flix couldn’t decide whether Joe was trying to appear charming or menacing.
“Miss Cadia,” Joe said, still with that creepy smile on his face. “Navarro sent us to pick up a package.”
“Wipe that grin off your face, young man, ’fore I smack it off. People done died last night.”
The tension in Joe’s body radiated all the way down to his fingers. Much more and he’d snap Flix’s arm in half. The old lady was right, though. A smile was out of place.
“Sorry ma’am. That was thoughtless of me. Not quite thinking straight.” Now Joe’s eyes were all big and sad, like in one of those weird old paintings hanging in Abuela Carmen’s den. Carmen had said they were fairies, but Flix had always thought they looked like starving kids.
He shuddered at the memory. He hadn’t thought about Carmen in weeks. Didn’t do any good to think about her now. He did hope his little brother and
