Framing Felipe (34 page)

to
send
back-‐up
in
with
you.
I
promise
you,
we’ll
get
you
out
safely,
but
right
now,
we
need

you
to
help
us
make
some
other
people
safe,
too.
We
have
to
be
a
team
right
now,
and
I

understand
if
you
don’t
want
to.
We’ll
figure
something
else
out
if
it’ll
be
too
hard.
I
know

they’ve
put
you
through
a
lot
of
abuse.”

Chauncey
forced
a
lump
down
his
throat,
and
his
eyes
darted
from
Sarah’s
to
Felipe’s.

Sarah
nudged
her
lover,
willing
him
to
be
kind—to
not
spook
the
young
bear—and
he

seemed
to
catch
the
psychic
drift.
His
tight
shoulders
fell
away
from
his
ears
and
the
hard

set
to
his
jaw
relaxed.
He
nodded.

“You
goin’
in
with
me,
too?”
Chauncey
asked
Felipe.

Without
even
a
moment’s
hesitation,
Felipe
nodded,
and
Sarah
felt
her
heart
fill
to

bursting.

Occasional
asshole
that
he
was,
Felipe
was
a
decent
man.

Chauncey
padded
away
and
picked
over
what
was
left
of
the
Visas’
lunch.

Sarah
turned
to
Felipe
and
gave
him
a
gentle
punch
in
the
arm.
“That’s
kind
of
you.”

He
shrugged.
“I
remember
being
fifteen
and
an
orphan.
It
was
scary,
and
I
had
Fabian.”

“Still.”

“If
you
can
be
kind,
so
can
I.
I
trust
your
judgment,
querida
.”

She
leaned
against
the
doorway
and
watched
Chauncey
shove
the
ends
of
Mr.
Tolvaj’s

sandwich
into
his
mouth.
“Why?”

The
wrinkles
at
the
corners
of
his
eyes
deepened
as
his
eyes
narrowed.
His
lips
parted,

and
he’d
just
started
pushing
some
words
out
on
an
exhale—“Because
I—”
when
Chauncey

cut
in,
“Y’all
think
y’all
can
find
me
a
pair
of
pants
or
somethin’
before
we
go?
I
lost
mine

when
I
shifted.”

Sarah
waited
for
Felipe
to
finish
what
he’d
started,
but
his
lips
pressed
together
and
he

turned,
already
climbing
the
stairs.

She
sighed.
“Yes,
love,
we’ll
swing
by
a
Walmart
if
we
have
to
and
get
you
some

sweatpants.”

The
Visas
climbed
the
stairs
next,
and
she
cringed.
“We’ll
have
to
get
you
two
some

clothes,
too,
she
called
up
after
them.
You
gotta
look
the
part.”

“Yes,
ma’am,”
Mr.
Tolvaj
said
from
the
top
of
the
steps.

FRAMING FELIPE
–
134
–
Holley Trent

Sarah
waited
for
Chauncey
to
climb
up
next.
She
bobbed
her
way
toward
the
entrance.

“Go
on.”

He
shifted
his
weight.

“What’s
wrong?”

“I
won’t
have
anywhere
to
go
after—”

She
put
up
her
hands.
“Don’t
worry
about
it.
If
push
comes
to
shove,
I
know
some
folks

who’ll
take
you
in
for
a
while.”

“They
good
folks?”

She
scoffed.
“Oh
yeah.”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
135
–
Holley Trent

Sarah
didn’t
like
the
boys
going
off
without
a
foreman—or
fore
woman
in
their
case—

carrying
out
a
mission
that
was
technically
Shrew
business.
Like
it
or
not,
she
knew
she’d

only
get
in
the
way
if
she
were
there.
The
Visas
could
take
care
of
themselves.
Of
course,

there
was
Chauncey,
a
boy
so
much
like
her
naïve
little
brother,
who
merited
some

concern.
But,
the
overwhelming
majority
of
her
anxiety
swirled
around
a
gorgeous,

intelligent,
though
reckless
man
who’d
been
nothing
but
trouble
for
her
from
the
day
they’d

met.
She’d
known
Chauncey
for
hours
and
while
she’d
be
sad
if
something
had
happened
to

him,
her
connection
to
Felipe
ran
so
much
deeper
than
that.
She
could
see
there
being

something
there,
long-‐term,
though
she
couldn’t
imagine
what
the
day-‐to-‐day
existence
for

two
people
who
weren’t
quite
human
would
be
like.
Would
they
get
up
like
the
typical
Dick

and
Jane
and
drink
coffee
while
reading
the
newspaper?
Would
they
go
to
movies
and
stroll

the
streets
hand
in
hand
afterward?
Or
would
every
day
be
like
this—intrigue
and

subterfuge?
Knives
and
guns?

“Stop
pacing,
you’re
making
me
anxious,”
Tamara
said
from
the
cabin’s
sofa.
She
looked

up
from
the
horoscopes
she
was
studying
and
glowered
at
her
friend.

Sarah
rested
a
hand
over
her
unsettled
belly
and
blew
out
a
shuddering
breath.
“Sorry.

This
feels
like
all
those
times
in
the
desert
when
I
got
left
out
of
missions
because
I
looked

too
much
like
a
woman
in
my
fatigues.”

“You’re
pulling
your
weight.
Quit
fretting.”

“But—”

Tamara
rolled
her
blue
eyes,
grunting,
and
set
down
her
newspaper.
“Yes,
yes.
You’re

in
love
with
the
asshole.”

Sarah
stopped
pacing.

Tamara
laughed
so
hard
she
wheezed.
“Your
eyes
are
as
big
as
the
moon.”

Sarah
blew
out
a
breath.
“Am
I
that
transparent?”

“No.
I’ve
watched
the
two
of
you
together.
At
first
I
thought
maybe
you
just
needed
to

get
laid
and
that
he’d
do.”

“Tamara!”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
136
–
Holley Trent

The
blonde
shrugged
and
lifted
her
horoscopes
to
eye
level
again.
“At
least
he’s
not
a

coward.
That’s
good.
You
need
someone
with
a
backbone,
even
if
it
disappears
on

occasion…”
Her
brow
furrowed
and
she
set
down
the
paper
once
more.
“Along
with
the
rest

of
him.
How
does
that
work,
anyway?”

Good
question.
“I
don’t
know.
I
haven’t
asked,
and
I’m
sure
even
if
I
did,
he
wouldn’t

know
how
to
explain
it.
Best
I
can
understand
it,
his
mind
is
still
there,
even
if
the
brain

isn’t.
It
holds
the
physical
part
of
him
in
a
sort
of
stasis
in
the
air
until
he
draws
everything

back
in.”

“How
long
can
he
stay
in
that
form?”

“I’ve
never
asked.”
She
hadn’t
really
cared.
She
liked
him
better
as
strong,
hard
flesh

than
invisible.

“I
bet
Doc
would
find
him
and
his
brother
interesting.”

Sarah
scoffed.
“Yeah,
she
would.”
In
fact,
she
could
think
of
one
more
thing
Doc
would

find
interesting.
On
that
thought,
she
wedged
her
hand
into
her
jeans’
pocket
for
her
phone.

She’d
woken
up
the
touch
screen
and
was
about
to
dial
out,
when
heavy
footsteps
on
the

porch’s
wooden
planks
made
both
women
literally
drop
what
they
were
doing
and
pull

their
guns.

Patrick
appeared
in
the
doorway
first,
acting
as
a
human
crutch
for
Chauncey
whose

right
ankle
and
calf
were
bloody
ruins.

Sarah
sprang
to
action,
running
into
the
kitchen
to
get
clean
towels
and
the
first
aid
kit.

“What
happened?”
she
called
out,
running
hot
water
onto
a
rag.
“Where’s—”

“Don’t
worry,”
Patrick
cut
her
off.
“Your
boy
is
fine.”

“Where
is
he?”
Sarah
returned
to
the
living
room
and
handed
the
first
aid
kit
to
Tamara

while
she
bent
and
carefully
unlaced
Chauncey’s
sneaker.

He
laughed.
“I
guess
it’s
a
match,
then.
You’re
a
couple.
Otherwise
you
would
have
had

some
retort.”

Sarah
flicked
the
wet
rag
at
him,
and
having
faster-‐than-‐average
reflexes
he
jumped

back
before
it
could
make
contact.

Patrick
laughed
and
rolled
up
his
shirtsleeves.

“Two
by
two,
going
to
the
ark,”
Tamara
mumbled.

FRAMING FELIPE
–
137
–
Holley Trent

“I
don’t
know
what
we
are,”
Sarah
said
with
a
sigh,
now
studying
the
blistered
skin

festering
just
above
Chauncey’s
anklebone.
She
reached
back
and
plucked
up
the
phone
she

previously
dropped
and
handed
it
up
to
Chauncey.
“Turn
that
on
and
call
contact
number

three,
will
ya?
Tell
her
the
Shrews
need
their
medic
at
Patrick’s.
Tell
her
it
looks
like
silver

this
time.”

“Okay.”

“What
happened?”
she
asked
while
he
dialed.

“They
got
in
okay,”
Patrick
volunteered.
He
extended
a
hand
for
Chauncey’s
ruined

sock
and
shoe.
“Did
their
job.
Gene
got
really
excited,
according
to
Chauncey.”

Chauncey
nodded
and
pressed
the
phone
to
his
ear.
“Yup.”

“And
then?”
Sarah
pressed,
now
impatient.
Where
the
fuck
was
her
man?

“And
like
Mr.
Tolvaj
said
he
would,
they
called
off
the
other
Visas
that
had
infiltrated

the
bears,
and
things
went
according
to
plan.
They
got
Gene
cornered,
tried
to
make
him

understand
the
cats
weren’t
responsible
for
the
bear
disappearances,
and
they
all
shifted

back
into
their
normal
forms.
Li’l
dude
got
angry.
They
let
him
rage,
and
he
made
a
lot
of

threats.
Chauncey
had
made
it
almost
all
the
way
back
to
the
farm
where
I
was
parked

when
Gene
caught
up
to
him.
He
tossed
some
of
those
silver
knives
at
him.”

Sarah
cringed.
Patrick
had
once
taken
one
of
those
knives
in
the
side
for
Dana,
so
she

knew
the
young
man
was
experiencing
more
pain
than
he
was
letting
on.
Brave
kid.
She

squelched
her
unusual
desire
to
hug
him.
She’d
never
been
a
hugger,
not
even
after
she

came
home
on
that
stretcher,
all
angry
at
the
world
and
bitter.
Maybe
something
in
her
had

broken
after
those
mutations
set
in.
Whatever
it
is
that
made
people
want
to
talk
to
her

made
her
want
to
feel
better
for
whatever
troubled
them.

“He
managed
to
jump
in
the
SUV
and
after
that
we
took
off.”

Sarah
stopped
dabbing
Chauncey’s
wounds.
“But
where
are—”

He
put
up
his
hands
in
a
calming
gesture.
“Okay.
While
Gene
was
distracted,
I
think
Mr.