The words cracked something inside me. I pulled him close, wrapping my arms around him. He buried his face against my chest, his small shoulders shaking with sobs. I held him tighter, whispering nothing because I had no answers, no comfort real enough to give. His crying slowed, the sound breaking into hiccups, then faded as he eventually slipped into sleep against me.
I sat there long after, rocking him gently, staring into the desert beyond the firelight. It was nothing but an ocean of sand and stone, silent and merciless, stretching to the horizon. My throat was dry, lips split, and still there was no water, nothing but the promise of a village far ahead.
When Rafe finally slept, profoundly from the exhaustion, his breathing soft and even, I let myself fold. Silent tears cut down my face, salt burning against my skin. I pressed my hand against the back of his head, as if holding him there could keep the rest of the world away.
The fire crackled low.
The stars above were brilliant, cruel in their distance. I tilted my head back, staring into the void, though no one would hear. And when the night passed, I would stand again, and walk.
I would keep him safe.
After three days and seventy miles of carrying Rafael on my back through the desert, we reached the village.
The airport smelled of polished floors and reheated coffee. Glass walls threw pale daylight across rows of chairs and wandering travelers, their voices blending into a constant hum that didn’t touch me. A month had passed since the fire, yet the memory clung to me like smoke – I felt it every time I closed my eyes.
Rafe sat near the boarding gate with Maya Su, her arm draped protectively behind him as she read aloud from a children’s book in her precise, careful English. He listened, but not really; his eyes drooped, his lips pressed in a thinline. He wasn’t the boy who used to laugh at everything, who once begged me to race him down the cliffs. Now he only nodded, quiet and small.
I told myself maybe New York would fix that. A place with noise, with other children, with the Sus’ son and daughter tugging at his hand, dragging him back into play. Maybe then, he’d smile again.
The moment we reached the village, things had become strangely simple. Numbers memorized from conversations with my dad. Connections my parents spoke of openly. The Sus family responded swiftly, their reach stretching across continents. I had made one call, and within days, the path out of Mexico had been laid clear.
Richard Su stood beside me now, sharp suit under his dark coat, posture casual in a way that never truly relaxed. His eyes scanned the terminal as if he couldn’t help mapping exits, reading faces.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice low, rough.
He tilted his head slightly. “You’re certain you don’t need support further south? Loose ends can become… Messy.”
I shook my head, jaw clenched. “I want to handle it myself.”
Richard studied me for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then he placed a hand on my shoulder, firm but not unkind. “You’re strong. Stronger than most grown men I know. Your brother will survive this because of you.”
I didn’t answer. My gaze had drifted back to Rafe, who leaned into Maya now, his cheek against her sleeve as she turned another page. Her voice was soft, patient, weaving warmth into a child who had lost too much too fast.
The boarding call echoed through the terminal. People stirred around us, gathering bags, shuffling forward. Mychest tightened, not with fear, but with the ache of letting go of everything that once defined home.
“Come on,” Richard said quietly. “Time to say goodbye for now.”
My legs felt heavy as I walked toward my brother, who was still seated beside Maya. His small hands twisted at the hem of his shirt, his eyes darting every so often toward me, as if checking I hadn’t vanished.
I crouched down to his level, the floor cold even under my suit. Up close, I could see how much he’d changed – his cheeks thinner, his smile gone. The boy who once couldn’t stop talking now stared at me with a silence that weighed more than words.
“You’re not coming?” His voice was a whisper.
I forced my jaw steady. “I have business to handle here.” The words burned on my tongue.Find and kill the people who murdered our parents.“But I promise to come see you as soon as I can.”
His eyes searched mine. “How soon?”
“Next weekend, if everything goes according to plan.”
“You promise?”
I held his gaze, actually believing the words I was saying. “I promise.”
His arms shot forward, wrapping around my neck with a suddenness that knocked the air out of me. “I love you, Teo.”
I swallowed hard, pressing my face against his shoulder, breathing him in as if I could memorize the shape of him. “I love you too, little man. Be good.”
He pulled away reluctantly, his hand slipping from mine.
