Framing Felipe (12 page)

Tamara
beamed.
“I’m
getting
better
with
the
moving
targets.
Call
Doc
and
see
what
she

says.
I’m
going
to
check
on
the
good
guys.”

Sarah
brushed
his
side
brusquely
on
the
way
into
the
cabin.
“I’ve
got
to
call
our
doc.
Do

me
a
favor
and
stay
out
of
trouble
for
five
minutes.”

Five
minutes
seemed
like
a
lot,
but
if
she
insisted…

He
followed
her
in
and
leaned
against
the
kitchen
counter
while
she
made
her
call,

eyeing
her
the
entire
time.

She
looked
up
at
him
once
or
twice,
saying
nothing,
and
apparently
she
was
put
on

hold,
because
she
put
her
hand
over
the
mouthpiece
and
said,
“What’s
with
the
glare?”

He
crooked
his
thumb
toward
the
front
door.
“This
is
normal
for
you?
This…
caos
?
This

pelea
?”

She
produced
a
noise
that
was
a
combination
of
a
snort
and
scoff
and
raised
her

shoulders
briefly.
“I
expect
the
unpredictable.
We
Shrews,
we
can
take
care
of
ourselves.

Every
now
and
then
a
bad
guy
might
get
away,
but
we
usually
come
out
unscathed.
Doesn’t

matter
what
kind
of
supernatural
bogeymen
we’re
up
against,
none
of
them
particularly

like
guns.
That’s
why
we
all
carry.”

“But—”

She
held
up
her
index
finger,
bidding
him
to
wait.
The
person
on
the
other
line
had

returned.
“Hey,
Doc.
We
had
a
bit
of
a
scuffle.
Two
of
the
cats
are
clawed
up.
Usually
I’ve

seen
these
sorts
of
injuries
heal
on
their
own,
but
I
don’t
know
what
kind
of
entity
we’re

dealing
with,
and
whether
the
unknown
factors
will
affect
the
wounds
in
any
way.
Tam
got

stabbed
pretty
good,
too.
She’s
trying
to
walk
it
off
as
always,
but
the
cuts
don’t
seem

poisoned
or
anything.
Just
ragged.”

Felipe
pulled
back
the
nearby
chair
and
sat.
He
rested
his
elbows
on
the
tabletop
and

twined
his
fingers
into
a
basket
to
rest
his
chin
on.
It
was
probably
strange
that
he
found

this
sort
of
chaos
so
fascinating,
but
for
once
he
was
useful
for
something
other
than
being

pretty
and
awe-‐inspiring.
He’d
been
a
key
player
in
solving
an
actual
problem
.
That
felt

damned
good.
Hell,
he
was
still
high
on
the
endorphins
from
that
tackle.
Life
outside
the

FRAMING FELIPE
–
45
–
Holley Trent

circus
was
a
whole
new
ballgame.
It
was
a
different
kind
of
danger—the
kind
that
felt
so

much
more
rewarding
if
you
survived
it.

If
Sarah
thought
she
was
going
to
dump
him
at
some
safe
house
while
this
strange
feud

raged
on
with
her
in
the
midst
of
it,
she
had
another
thing
coming.

FRAMING FELIPE
–
46
–
Holley Trent

He
twined
his
fingers
behind
his
head,
and
leaned
back
in
the
kitchen
chair,
grinning.

Dios,
Fabian
would
flip
over
this.

His
grin
ebbed.
Fabian.
At
the
thought
of
his
younger
twin,
Felipe’s
stomach
dropped.

Here
he
was,
technically
on
the
run
from—hell,
who?
He
was
so
out
of
the
fucking
loop.

He’d
left
without
a
plan
and
had
no
access
to
information.

There
was
Jacques
to
run
from,
obviously,
but
what
about
the
police?
Were
they
still

interested
in
him?
How
could
he
find
out?
Maybe
Fabian
would
know
something,
but
there

was
the
matter
of
contacting
him.
None
of
the
troupe
members
had
personal
phones.
It
was

a
wonder
Fabian
had
found
a
way
to
call
Dana.
They
could
email,
but
he
had
no
way
of

knowing
if
Fabian
could
access
a
computer.
He
had
to
be
on
heavy
lockdown
now
that

Felipe
was
gone.
A
hostage
of
his
brother’s
making.

“
Mierda.”
He
let
the
chair
legs
down
and
blew
a
long
exhale
through
his
lips.

Sarah
crooked
an
eyebrow
up
at
him
and
covered
the
phone’s
mouthpiece.

He
shook
his
head.

She
shrugged.

He
and
Fabian
had
never
expected
they’d
be
separated
so
long.
Whenever
they
moved

from
one
city
to
the
next
with
the
circus,
they’d
always
had
a
tentative
plan;
they’d
pick
a

nearby
town
with
a
train
station
to
hide
out
in
for
a
couple
of
days,
and
meet
at
some
pre-‐

decided
place.
Like
clockwork,
they
picked
someplace
in
every
city
they
visited.

But
there
was
no
way
Fabian
could
know
where
Felipe
was
now,
and
if
he
moved

again—to
someplace
“safe”—before
the
circus
moved
on,
he
may
never
catch
up
to
him.

Not
even
with
the
help
of
the
Gypsies.

He
sighed
and
scraped
his
hair
back
from
his
face.
There
had
to
be
a
way
to
get
a

message
to
him.
Perhaps
send
a
Shrew?

Sarah
was
now
scribbling
some
notes
onto
the
back
of
a
fast
food
menu,
and
mumbling

“Uh-‐huh”
into
the
phone.

FRAMING FELIPE
–
47
–
Holley Trent

No,
Sarah
would
be
too
memorable.
She
was
too
striking.
Too
singular.
Besides,
Felipe

wanted
to
keep
her
close.
To
put
a
different
kind
of
pressure
on
her
and
see
how
she’d

handle
it.

“Okay,”
she
said
into
the
phone,
raising
her
eyes
to
meet
Felipe’s.
“He
said
they’re

called
Visas
and
that
they
can
shape-‐shift
at
will.”
She
held
the
phone
back
from
her
ear.
“
¿Y

qué
más?
”

God,
her
accent
was
horrid.
Her
mother
must
have
felt
like
a
failure.

Sarah
rolled
her
eyes
and
made
a
Get
on
with
it
gesture
with
her
hand.

He
shrugged.
“
Es
todo
.
Jacques
would
know.”

With
a
groan,
she
slumped
in
the
chair
across
from
him
and
rubbed
the
back
of
her

neck.
“That’s
all
he
knows,
Doc.
I’ll
keep
an
eye
on
Tam
and
see
what
I
can
find
out
about

these
guys.
You
do
the
same,
and
I’ll
check
in.”
She
stabbed
the
end
button
on
her
phone

and
gave
him
a
scrutinizing
stare.
“Our
departure
will
be
somewhat
delayed
for
obvious

reasons.”

“No
hurry.”
He
pushed
back
from
the
table
and
stood.
With
his
gaze
locked
on
hers,
he

eased
around
the
table
and
stopped
behind
her
chair.

She
propped
the
back
of
her
head
atop
the
chair’s
top
rung
and
stared
up
at
him.

Beautiful
brown
eyes
with
a
depth
of
intelligence
that
aroused
him
far
more
than
the

lowest
cut
shirt
or
shortest
skirt.
She
probably
had
a
lot
to
say
that
he
wanted
to
hear.

Needed
to
hear.
And
he
wondered
if
she
knew
just
how
stunning
she
was.
She
couldn’t

possibly.

“What
are
you
doing?”
she
asked.
She
lifted
her
head
and
rolled
her
shoulders.

Something
in
her
neck
clicked.

Felipe
cringed
at
the
sound,
then
pressed
his
hands
onto
the
tops
of
her
shoulders.
He

squeezed
gently.

Almost
instantaneously,
her
body
tensed
beneath
his
touch.
She
sat
more
upright
and

tried
to
turn
her
head
to
look
up
at
him.

“Relax,”
he
whispered,
increasing
the
pressure,
kneading
her
tight
muscles
like
dough.

She
was
so
wound
up,
but
after
a
while,
her
shoulders
sank.
The
muscles
uncoiled.
She

sighed.

FRAMING FELIPE
–
48
–
Holley Trent

“Just
relax,”
he
repeated,
extending
his
ministrations
to
her
shoulders
and
down
her

back.

“I
hate
to
admit
it,
but
it
feels
good.”

“I
do
it
all
the
time
for
Fabian.
Trust
me.”

She
leaned
her
torso
forward
and
pressed
her
face
against
the
tabletop.
“Trust
me,”
she

said
into
the
table.
“I
think
that’s
very
similar
to
what
the
spider
said
to
the
fly.”

“
No
comprendo
.”

“Cool.”

Oh,
she
was
long
overdue
to
relax.
It’d
be
easy
to
take
advantage
of
the
situation,
and

that
temptation
was
certainly
there.
Her
body
was
so
fit
and
her
curves
so
enticing,
he

never
wanted
to
stop
touching.

He
pressed
his
hands
lower,
and
made
small,
tight
circles
down
her
back
on
either
side

of
her
spinal
column
with
his
thumbs.
When
he
got
to
the
base,
where
her
spine
met
her

waistband,
he
was
nearly
ready
to
burst
and
she
didn’t
even
know
the
effect
she
was

having
on
him.
He
dragged
his
fingers
ever
so
lightly
across
her
warm,
brown
skin
from
hip

to
hip,
and
forced
a
giggle
from
her
obscured
lips.

A
ticklish
spot.
He
filed
that
information
away
for
later.

The
fingers
of
his
left
hand
grazed
the
bend
of
her
neck
as
he
pushed
back
the
fringes
of

her
ponytail.
He
leaned
in
low,
impelled
by
her
scent
and
her
feminine
softness,
poising
his

lips
near
her
neck.
Would
she
draw
away
if
he
kissed
her
there?
Pretend
to
be
disgusted?

Or
would
she
lean
into
it—enjoying
it?

“Felipe,
you
stopped
rubbing,”
she
whispered
as
closed
the
gap
between
them.
“I’d
pay

for
a
back
rub
that
good.”

“You
don’t
have
to
pay.
Just…”
His
lips
were
right
there,
over
the
place
where
her
neck

and
shoulder
joined.
His
lips
connected,
and
she
startled,
but
didn’t
complain.
As
he
kissed

one
side
of
her
neck,
he
resumed
his
massage
of
the
other
shoulder.

“I’m
on
the
clock,”
she
murmured.

“You
want
me
to
stop,
then?”

“Stop
talking.
Keep
rubbing.”

“And
the
kisses?”

The
front
door
slammed,
and
Sarah
straightened
up.