Framing Felipe (35 page)

Tolvaj
and
Felipe
decided
to
get
a
head
start
to
the
next
circus
site
before
word
got
out
and

they
packed
up.
The
Visas
that
had
infiltrated
the
bears
confirmed
what
the
Gypsy
told

Felipe.
They
needed
to
know
where
the
troupe
had
idled
because
they
had
some
new

abductees
to
deliver.”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
138
–
Holley Trent

She
ground
her
teeth,
rage
seeping
through
every
pore
and
making
her
skin
burn
with

furor.
Asshole
.
Didn’t
they
have
an
agreement?
Hadn’t
he
said
he’d
always
include
her?

“I
can’t
believe
he’d
just—”

“Sarah,”
Tamara
chided,
holding
a
roll
of
sterile
gauze
out
to
her.

“What?”

“It’s
not
your
business
anymore.
Your
job
was
done
the
moment
Dana
pulled
you
off

the
case.
He
didn’t
need
babysitting,
remember?”

“I
remember
better
than
anyone.
But
I
can
help.
I’m
good
at
what
I
do.”

“We’re
all
good,
but
that
doesn’t
matter.”

“He
ain’t
want
you
to
get
hurt,
so
he
weren’t
gonna
say
nothin’.
He
was
real
torn
up

about
it.
Thought
you’d
be
mad,
but
figured
it
was
the
better
choice
if
you
didn’t
know,”

Chauncey
said.
“What’s
that
sayin’?
Easier
asking
for
forgiveness
than
permission?”

“It
was
my
choice,
not
his.
Where
is
he?”
she
asked,
and
she
asked
him
as
regular-‐old-‐

human
Sarah,
not
Sarah
with
the
weird
psychic
gift.
Her
voice
was
pleading,
maybe
even
a

bit
desperate,
and
she
didn’t
care
one
bit
who
heard
it.
Let
them
hear.
Let
them
judge.

There
were
bigger
things
at
stake
than
her
pride.

“I
saw
them
Visas
drawing
him
a
map.”

“Sarah…”
Tamara
chided
again,
now
holding
out
a
spool
of
medical
tape.

“What?”

“Your
horoscope
says
to
avoid
taking
risks
today.”

Sarah’s
voice
wrenched
to
a
high
pitch
she
hadn’t
heard
herself
making
since
her
body

had
been
forty
percent
covered
in
third-‐degree
burns.
None
of
the
Shrews
had
ever
seen

her
scars.
They
went
away
during
her
mutation
period,
only
to
leave
other
sorts
of
scars

behind.

“Are
you
fucking
kidding
me?”
she
shrieked,
the
Shrew
in
her
really
coming
out.
“That’s

rich!
Even
the
smallest
things
in
my
life
come
with
some
degree
of
risk.
I
can’t
risk
painting

my
fucking
toenails,
because
the
moment
I
get
to
the
second
pinky,
Dana
mobilizes
the

Shrews
to
some
new
job
and
I
have
to
jam
my
feet
into
my
boots.”
She
stood
and
paced,

Tamara’s
agitation
be
damned.
There
were
other
risks,
too.
Those
she
couldn’t
say
aloud.

She
couldn’t
risk
drinking
one
of
the
beers
Patrick
had
stocked
in
his
fridge
especially
for

her,
because
the
alcohol
might
have
consequences
above
and
beyond
the
usual.
She

FRAMING FELIPE
–
139
–
Holley Trent

couldn’t
risk
telling
a
man
she
loved
him,
because
there
was
a
chance
he
wouldn’t
say
it

back.

Risk
was
a
goddamned
joke
and
she
wasn’t
afraid
of
it.
She
laughed
at
risk.

“Look,
I’m
not
going
to
sit
back
and
twiddle
my
thumbs
again
like
the
FBI
made
me
on

that
last
case.
It
won’t
make
a
difference
whether
we
do
this
delicately,
or
if
I
go
in
with

guns
blazing.
And
I
mean
both
guns.
One
in
each
hand
and
knife
clamped
between
my
teeth,

if
necessary.
If
something
happens
to
Felipe
and
I
didn’t
do
anything
to
stop
it,
I’ll
never

forgive
myself.
He
needs
me.”

Tamara
sighed.

Patrick
looked
up,
his
lips
set
in
a
tight
line
while
he
considered
her.
Moments
passed,

and
then,
“You
want
to
take
the
van?
It’s
got
gas.”

Just
like
that,
he
understood.
He
would
have
better
than
anyone
in
the
room.
Tamara

certainly
wouldn’t.
She’d
never
been
in
love,
and
Chauncey
was
just
a
kid.
The
moment

Dana
stepped
onto
Patrick’s
porch
on
behalf
of
his
pub
staff,
who’d
all
thought
he’d
gone

missing,
he’d
been
enthralled
by
the
Shrew.
He
understood
love,
and
most
of
all,
he

understood
that
if
the
right
person
came
along,
you
fell
fast
and
hard.
It
didn’t
make
sense.

It
wasn’t
supposed
to
make
sense.

“I
don’t
know.
Chauncey,
where
are
they?”

“Not
as
far
as
you’d
think,”
Chauncey
said,
wincing
as
Sarah
put
his
foot
down.
“Heard

they
got
in
some
trouble
in
Tennessee.
A
few
of
the
circus
hands
got
outstanding
warrants

for
somethin’.
Felipe
thought
that
was
funny
as
shit.”

“The
circus
hands?”
The
fine
hairs
on
Sarah’s
neck
stood
on
end.
The
muscles
in
her

back
and
legs
tensed,
ready
to
spring.

“Uh-‐huh.
One
of
them
Visas
said
one
of
them
guys
got
caught
on
some
security
camera

footage
killin’
a
guy
in
an
alleyway.
Cops
think
he
was
just
a
bum,
but
I
think
he
was
one
of

us—a
weirdo.
Probably
fought
too
hard.”

Sarah
barely
registered
her
feet’s
movement
as
she
ran
from
the
room
onto
the
porch,

barreled
down
the
stairs,
and
jogged
at
a
brisk
clip
to
the
van.

“Wait,”
Chauncey
called
from
the
door.
“You
don’t
even
know
where
you’re
goin’!”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
140
–
Holley Trent

“Text
it
to
me.”
She
slammed
the
driver’s
door
shut
and
cranked
down
the
window

while
turning
on
the
ignition.
“And
tell
Dana
where
I
am.
In
case
she
needs
to
collect
my

body
later
or
something.”

She
regretted
it
the
moment
she
said
it.
She
had
to
be
careful
this
time.
This
time,
it

wasn’t
just
her
life
at
stake.
Her
life,
up
until
recently,
she
couldn’t
give
two
shits
about.

Now
she
had
things
to
look
forward
to
that
didn’t
involve
bullets
and
blades.

She
put
her
foot
on
the
accelerator,
poised
to
burn
rubber
down
the
mountain,
when

Dana
ran
from
the
woods
at
her
usual
superhuman
canter
and
put
herself
right
in
front
of

the
van’s
grille.

Sarah
stopped
just
in
time,
sighed,
and
poked
her
head
out
the
window.
“What?”

“Not.
Without.
Back-‐up,”
the
Shrew
said,
slapping
the
van’s
hood
and
making
the

vehicle
bob.
There’d
probably
be
a
petite
handprint
in
the
metal.
It
didn’t
stand
a
chance

against
Shrew
strength.

“Dana,
let
me
go.
I
was
without
back-‐up
for
six
weeks
in
that
last
case.”

Dana
narrowed
her
eyes
at
her
and
in
a
flash,
was
at
the
passenger
side,
pulling
the

door
handle.
She
slammed
the
door
and
fastened
her
seatbelt.
“And
look
what
that
case
did

to
you.
New
policy.
I
don’t
care
who
you
are
and
how
tough
you
think
you
are,
but
none
of

my
girls
are
working
solo
again
in
cases
like
that.”
She
gestured
toward
the
driveway.
“Are

you
going
to
go?
I
imagine
we
need
to
make
up
some
time.”

Sarah
studied
her
boss’s
serious
mien
for
a
moment,
thinking
of
how
this
woman
she’d

met
in
a
botched
research
study
designed
to
make
them
sweeter—
kinder
—was
the
best

friend
she
had.
The
man
who’d
recommended
Sarah
for
the
study
had
said
she
was

incapable
of
developing
true
friendships.
He
couldn’t
have
been
more
wrong,
and

fortunately
for
Sarah,
Dana
knew
better.
She
knew
there
was
something
in
Sarah
worth

saving.

“We
do.”
Sarah
cranked
the
transmission
into
drive
right
as
Patrick
yanked
the

passenger
door
open.

Dana
sighed
and
rubbed
her
eyes.
“What
is
it,
dirty
cat?”

He
tossed
in
a
familiar
duffle,
climbed
into
the
middle
seat,
and
shut
the
door.

“Got
the
guns
and
your
double-‐holster,
Sarah.
Chauncey
drew
me
a
map.”

“I
love
you
so
much,”
Dana
said,
without
a
hint
of
sarcasm.

FRAMING FELIPE
–
141
–
Holley Trent

“You
wouldn’t
marry
me
otherwise,
would
you?”

Sarah
looked
from
one
to
the
other
with
one
eyebrow
cocked.
“Are
congratulations
in

order?”

“Save
’em
for
later,”
Dana
said
with
a
shrug.
“After
you
get
your
man.”

“Right.”
Sarah
paused,
scanning
the
tree
line,
studying
the
workers
on
the
expansion’s

roof,
and
watching
the
cabin’s
front
door.

“What
are
you
waiting
on?”
Patrick
asked.

“Just
making
sure
no
one
else
is
going
to
jump
in.
Van’s
getting
crowded.”

Dana
slapped
the
dashboard.
“Go!”

And
Sarah
did.

The
trailer
park
was
eerily
quiet
as
Felipe
approached
on
foot
with
Mr.
Tolvaj
in
his

wake.
He’d
never
seen
Jacques
resort
to
staging
the
staff
in
these
sorts
of
living

arrangements.
In
the
past,
Jacques
always
knew
where
they
were
going
next,
even
if
they

didn’t
know
where
the
stop
after
that
would
be.
Now,
the
campers
were
parked
mirror-‐to-‐