Framing Felipe (28 page)

might
as
well
be
dead.
They’re
in
nursing
homes.
Dana,
Tamara,
Astrid,
Maria
and
I
got

lucky.
Don’t
know
why,
but
after
the
worst
of
it,
we
got
stronger.
Developed
some
new

traits
during
all
that
time
we
spent
in
hospitals.”

“I
see.
And
why
did
you
sign
up
for
this
study?”

“I
didn’t.
My
ex
signed
me
up.
I’d
been
back
from
overseas
and
still
recovering
from

injuries
I
received,
and
I
guess
I
was
just
too
surly
for
him.
I
went
along
with
it
since
I
was

in
and
out
of
the
hospital
getting
burn
care
anyway.”

His
eyes,
then
fingertips,
trailed
down
her
torso
to
her
thighs,
caressing
the
soft
skin

there.
“I
can
imagine
you
having
burns.”

She
shrugged.
“Positive
side-‐effect
of
being
a
mutant.
The
drug
nearly
killed
me,
but
I

was
going
to
die
with
my
skin
regenerated,
so
there’s
that…”

“I’m
glad
you
survived.
That
you’re
here.”

“You
don’t
want
to
hear
about
all
the
freaky
shit
I
can
do
that
you
haven’t
seen
yet?”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
109
–
Holley Trent

Did
he?
Nah.
He
wasn’t
really
that
curious
about
that.
Seeing
this
side
of
her—the
side

with
the
interest
in
interior
decorating
and
old
houses—was
what
sparked
his
curiosity

even
more.
He
shrugged.
“As
long
as
you
don’t
use
it
against
me
at
some
point.”

She
let
out
a
breath
and
smiled.
When
she
brought
a
hand
up
to
her
forehead
to
swat

her
hair
away,
he
saw
that
it
shook.

He
grabbed
it,
stilled
it
in
his
own,
and
kissed
it.
Poor
thing.
“It’s
okay,”
he
whispered.

“It’s
over
now,
right?”

She
dragged
the
back
of
her
other
forearm
over
her
eyes
and
sniffed.
“Don’t
know.
We

Shrews
see
our
doctor
far
more
than
the
average
person.”

“Well,
we
can
hope.”

He
leaned
in,
kissed
her
cheeks,
her
eyelids,
and
finally
her
lips.
He
kissed
her
until
the

tears
stopped,
and
more
beyond
that.

He
held
her
against
his
chest,
chafing
her
bare
arms
with
his
hands
until
she
was
quiet.

He
thought
perhaps
she’d
fallen
asleep,
but
when
he
reached
for
the
covers,
she
said,
“I

need
to
set
the
intruder
alarm.”

“Tell
me
how,
I’ll
do
it.
You
stay.”

She
shook
her
head,
and
with
some
effort,
sat
up.
“Let
me
do
it.
I
guess
since
I’m
off
for

the
next
couple
of
days,
I
should
finally
get
my
appliances
delivered.
They’ve
been
in
the

local
warehouse
for
a
month.
I
need
to
go
online
and
take
care
of
it
and
some
other
things.”

It
seemed
a
good
reason
to
let
her
up
as
any,
so
he
did.

She
shrugged
into
fluffy
robe
and
tied
the
sash
tight,
watching
him.

“What?”
he
asked.

“What
are
you
doing
the
next
couple
of
days?”

Any
fucking
thing
she
wanted.
He’d
even
scrape
her
peeling
plaster
if
she’d
asked.

“Looking
for
leads.”

“Maybe
you
can
do
that
here.
I…hate
being
alone
with
delivery
guys
and
contractors.”

She
had
to
be
joking,
but
the
look
on
her
face
and
the
way
she
shifted
her
weight

confirmed
otherwise.
But
then
again,
he’d
seen
a
hint
of
that
hesitance
at
the
lodge
when

the
great
room
had
filled
for
dinner.
She
had
a
hard
time
with
strangers…and
maybe
that

was
part
of
the
reason
Dana
wanted
her
on
leave.
Maybe
it
was
a
new
thing
she
needed
to

FRAMING FELIPE
–
110
–
Holley Trent

work
out.
Might
have
been
something
she’d
always
had
that
got
amplified
by
her
psychic

traits.
Either
way,
it
didn’t
matter.

“Yes,”
he
said.
“I’ll
deal
with
them.”

With
that
she
nodded,
and
padded
out
the
room.

He
followed.
When
they
were
on
the
stairs,
heading
down,
he
said
in
a
light
tone,

“
Querida
,
you
need
a
dog.”

She
laughed,
and
it
was
a
real,
throaty
laugh
and
not
a
scoff.
“Why
would
I
need
a
dog?”

“Big
house
like
this
and
all
this
land?
You
need
something
here
to
make
noise.”

She
seemed
to
consider
it
as
she
paused
at
the
landing.
“Maybe.”

“Perhaps
a
mastiff?”
Oh
yeah,
something
big
that
would
be
as
protective
of
Sarah
as

Felipe
was.

“No
way.
Didn’t
the
conquistadors
use
those
to
quell
the
natives?
I
don’t
think
my
part-‐

Taíno
mother
would
find
that
cute.”
She
pushed
her
code
into
the
alarm
panel
at
the
front

door
and
waited
for
the
beep.

Maybe
she
had
a
point
there.
“Water
dog,
then?”

She
grinned
and
grabbed
his
hand,
pulling
him
toward
the
den
where
her
desk
was

half-‐set
up.
“Maybe.
Have
you
never
had
a
pet,
Felipe?”

“Not
even
a
goldfish,
querida
.
Fabian
and
I
hadn’t
earned
that
privilege.”

“Yeah,
Jacques
needs
a
throat
punch.”

Felipe
didn’t
disagree.

FRAMING FELIPE
–
111
–
Holley Trent

Being
back
around
the
Shrews
and
in
the
midst
of
things
felt
great,
invigorating,
but

Sarah
couldn’t
slake
the
feeling
there
was
somewhere
else
she
needed
to
be.

Felipe
had
been
coming
and
going,
every
other
week
for
a
month,
trying
to
chase
down

the
circus
that
seemed
to
have
disappeared
into
the
ether.
Best
he
could
tell,
they’d
gone

dark
temporarily,
and
he
couldn’t
catch
a
lead
on
where
they’d
hunkered
down
to
wait
it

out.
Jacques
had
even
shut
down
the
answering
service—something
he’d
never
done

before.
He’d
always
wanted
customers
to
have
a
way
to
find
them,
hire
them.
And
worse,

Sarah
couldn’t
catch
a
lead,
either,
not
even
with
her
network
of
psychic
friends.

Sometimes,
Felipe
traveled
with
Patrick
when
he
could
get
the
time
off
from
his
pub.

He’d
been
absent
from
it
a
lot
lately,
which
was
completely
contrary
to
his
type
A

personality,
but
he—even
more
than
Billy—understood
the
importance
of
this
mission.
Of

finding
Jacques
and
ensuring
he
left
the
natives
alone
when
his
freak
show
rolled
through

town.

Sometimes,
when
Patrick
wasn’t
available,
Eric
escorted
Felipe,
which
both
Sarah
and

Astrid
disliked
a
great
deal.
The
men
usually
came
back
no
worse
for
wear,
but
what
about

the
next
time?

Sarah
startled
at
the
press
of
a
firm
hand
against
her
belly
that
drew
her
back
into
a

very
solid
form.
She’d
been
alone
in
the
tree
house
the
Shrews
had
installed
to
survey
the

comings
and
goings
at
the
gate,
and
hadn’t
heard
anyone
climb
up.
When
she
looked
down,

she
saw
Felipe’s
familiar
fingers
inside
her
front
waistband.
His
stubbly
cheek
abraded
her

smooth
one,
a
rasp
escaping
his
lips
at
their
contact.
His
silky
lips
tickled
the
edge
of
her

ear,
and
he
whispered.
“
Hola,
querida
.”

She
gasped
as
his
fingers
breached
her
panty
elastic.
“I
didn’t
hear
you
come
up.”

“When
you’re
one
with
air,
you
don’t
make
much
noise.”

She
chuckled.
“That’s
poetic.
I
think
your
English
is
getting
better.”

“Being
with
you
Americans
around
the
clock
has
its
perks.
Immersion
works,
I

suppose.
Did
you
miss
me?”
His
fingers
curled
near
her
sex,
stimulating
without
probing,

FRAMING FELIPE
–
112
–
Holley Trent

although
her
arousal
should
have
been
evident
given
the
previous
slick
glide
of
his

fingertips.

A
moan
escaped
her
chest,
and
she
put
her
head
back
against
his
chest,
closing
her

eyes.
“No,”
she
responded.

“No?
Hmm.”
His
teeth
sank
into
the
meat
of
her
shoulder.
One
skillful
hand
worked

upward,
cradling
her
breast
in
its
palm,
his
thumb
grazing
over
a
lace-‐covered
nipple.

She
gasped.
It
was
a
lie.
Naturally,
she’d
missed
him.
Missed
every
inch
of
him
from
the

hair
she
so
loved
lacing
her
fingers
through,
to
the
rock-‐hard
abs
she
kissed
on
her
way

down
to
things
lower.
She’d
even
missed
the
muscular
legs
he’d
in
the
past
shaved
smooth

for
performances—especially
when
they
were
wedged
between
her
own
legs,
forcing
her

open
for
him.
He’d
kept
up
the
shaving
because
she
liked
it.
She
missed
the
way
he
always

fell
asleep
with
one
hand
beneath
her
breasts.
And
maybe
she
even
missed
the
way
he

made
her
stop
.
Slow
down.
With
one
gentle
nudge,
he
could
have
her
on
her
back,
thinking

of
nothing
but
his
hands.
His
lips.

“What
do
I
have
to
do
to
make
you
miss
me
when
I’m
gone?”
He
licked
down
the
side
of

her
neck
and
pulled
back
her
shirt’s
collar,
letting
the
cool
breeze
tickle
her
breasts.

She
squirmed
against
him,
nestling
her
ass
against
his
swelling
cock.
“I
don’t
know.

Maybe
leave
me
tied
up
somewhere
so
I
have
no
choice
but
to
think
about
you
coming

back.”

He
nudged
her
pants
past
her
hips
and
they
fell
to
the
floor
in
a
soft
thump.
The
sound

of
clinking
metal
made
Sarah’s
sex
clench,
her
wetness
peak.
His
belt.
She
knew
the
next

thing
she’d
hear
was
the
sound
of
his
zipper
going
down.

“You
want
to
be
tied
up?”

She
swallowed
hard
and
arched
her
spine
when
he
rested
a
hand
on
the
small
of
her

back.
Leaned
over
the
side
of
the
treehouse
as
she
was,
a
sensation
of
vertigo
overtook
her.