Framing Felipe (13 page)

FRAMING FELIPE
–
49
–
Holley Trent

Felipe
swore
an
oath,
adjusted
his
crotch,
and
slumped
into
the
seat
at
Sarah’s
right.

Tamara
entered
first,
wearing
the
same
scowl
as
before,
and
made
a
quiet
beeline
to

the
nearby
pantry.
She
mumbled
something
about
never
being
able
to
get
the
blood
out

before
rooting
through
the
closet’s
contents.

On
her
heels
were
a
tall,
lean,
dark-‐haired
man
and
a
tiny,
but
bold,
woman
wearing
a

black
holster
over
her
blouse.
Both
had
their
gaze
locked
on
him,
but
the
man
stepped

forward
first
with
a
hand
extended.
“Patrick
O’Dwyer.
Welcome
to
my
home.”
He
cringed.

“Such
that
it
is.
I’m
sorry
your
stay
hasn’t
been
so
hospitable
so
far.
This
place
is
usually
as

quiet
as
a
monastery.”

It
took
Felipe
a
few
beats
to
completely
parse
all
Patrick
had
said,
but
when
he
did,
he

put
his
hands
up
and
shook
his
head.
“Don’t
worry.
I
am
happy
to
help.”
He
put
his
hand

around
Patrick’s
and
gave
it
a
firm
shake.

“Don’t
let
that
get
out,”
the
little
woman
with
the
guns
said.
She
shrugged
off
her

holsters
and
slid
her
firearms
onto
the
kitchen
counter
near
the
breadbox.
“Mr.
Castillo,

your
brother
is
under
the
impression
that
the
Shrews
are
the
best
at
this
sort
of
work.
Said

some
old
woman
you
all
work
with
had
caught
wind
of
us.
A
psychic?”

Ah.
That
was
how.
“Gypsy.”

“I
thought
the
Gypsy
fortune-‐telling
thing
was
just
a
stereotype.
Anyway,
you
caught
us

at
a
really
bad
time,
and
I’m
sorry
for
that.
We’re
usually
pretty
methodical,
less
scattered.”

Realization
settled
into
him
and
his
jaw
sagged
a
moment
while
he
worked
it
out.
This

must
be
the
ballsy
boss
lady
Sarah
had
so
much
respect
for.
The
one
Sarah
claimed
would

have
her
head
if
she
fucked
up.
She
didn’t
seem
to
be
much
of
threat.
She
was
the
kind
of

pretty
that
reminded
him
of
women
in
soap
advertisements.
Delicate
features.
But
he
didn’t

doubt
for
one
minute
she
couldn’t
hold
her
own
in
a
fight,
even
without
the
gun.
She
was

probably
used
to
people
underestimating
her,
and
he
wasn’t
going
to
make
that
mistake.

Felipe
stood
and
held
out
a
hand
again,
this
time
easing
away
from
Sarah.
“You
are

Dana?”

She
clasped
her
small
hand
around
his
and
shook.
It
was
a
good
shake—firm
and

confident,
and
a
bit
more
intense
than
a
woman
her
size
should
have
been
capable
of,
but

what
did
he
really
know
about
these
women?
He
hadn’t
directly
asked
what
specific
quirks

FRAMING FELIPE
–
50
–
Holley Trent

made
Sarah
weird,
but
from
what
he
could
glean,
all
five
Shrews
had
different
mutations

and
capabilities.

“That’s
right.
Dana
Slade.”

“Felipe
Castillo.
Encantado
.”

Patrick
draped
an
arm
over
Dana’s
shoulder
and
pulled
her
close,
removing
any

ambiguity
about
to
whom
she
belonged,
if
anyone.
Dana
rolled
her
eyes,
but
for
the
most

part
didn’t
seemed
bothered
by
the
small
act
of
possessiveness.

Felipe
couldn’t
blame
Patrick
for
it.
In
fact,
he
understood
the
compulsion,
even
if
he

didn’t
appreciate
the
steely
glint
in
the
guy’s
eyes.
He
had
no
interest
in
Dana
beyond

professional
ones.
She
was
cute
and
all,
but
his
radar
was
locked
elsewhere.

“What
do
you
want
me
to
do?”
Sarah
asked,
now
leaning
her
forearms
against
the
table

and
setting
her
tired
gaze
on
Dana.
She’d
looked
exhausted
even
back
at
the
farm.
After
the

scuffle,
she
had
to
be
nearly
ready
to
keel
over.
She
was
obviously
the
kind
of
woman
who

didn’t
slow
down
until
she
was
forced
to.
“Do
you
want
me
here
unraveling
this
shit
or

finishing
up
the
Castillo
side-‐gig?”

Felipe
scoffed.
“
Hola
,
Sarah,
I
am
sitting
right
here.
I
don’t
need
finishing.”

Patrick
made
a
snorting
sound
and
raised
one
dark
eyebrow
before
easing
away
from

Dana.
He
strode
to
the
refrigerator
and
pulled
it
open.
“I
don’t
think
it’s
too
early
for

refreshments,
given
the
circumstances,”
he
said.
Glass
beer
bottles
clinked
together
as
he

withdrew
them
by
their
long
necks.

Felipe
looked
down
to
see
Sarah
glowering
at
him.

He
blew
out
a
breath
and
crossed
his
arms
over
his
chest.
“
¿Qué?
”

“
¿Qué?
I’ll
tell
you
what.
Don’t
come
in
here
doing
that
guy
code
shit.”

“I
don’t
understand.”

Patrick
handed
him
an
uncapped
beer
bottle
and
leaned
in
close
and
whispered,
“Don’t

argue
with
them.
They’re
right
even
when
they’re
wrong.”

“Ah.”
Felipe
pushed
his
seat
closer
to
Sarah’s
and
winked
at
her.

Dana
refused
a
beer,
but
Tamara,
now
holding
a
large
first
aid
kit,
reached
between

Felipe
and
Sarah
and
grabbed
a
bottle
for
herself.

“That’s
so
cute,
you’re
all
pairing
off
two
by
two
like
you’re
boarding
Noah’s
Ark,”
she

cooed,
sarcasm
tingeing
her
voice.

FRAMING FELIPE
–
51
–
Holley Trent

Sarah
sighed.
“Nobody’s
pairing
off
other
than
the
queen
and
duke,
here.”

“Wait—”
Patrick
sputtered
his
beer
and
there
was
a
bit
of
annoyance
in
evident
in
his

furrowed
brow.
“I
don’t
rate
high
enough
to
be
king
in
my
own
house?”

Dana
picked
at
one
of
her
immaculate
fingernails
and
said
nothing,
but
her
grin
was

telling
enough.

“If
you
say
so,
Sarah,”
Tamara
continued,
already
near
the
front
door.
“I
don’t
like
him

personally,
but
there’s
no
good
reason
not
to
use
him.”

“Use
me?
Ha.
Los
cojones
.”

“I
don’t
even
need
to
know
what
that
means,
but
bite
me,”
Tam
snapped,
and
the
front

door
slammed
shut
behind
her.

Patrick,
Dana,
and
Felipe
all
started
talking
at
once.

Patrick
asked,
“Can
you
tell
me
more
about
these
shape-‐shifters
that
have
been

infiltrating
the
were-‐cats?”

Dana
asked,
“How
dangerous
is
Jacques
and
how
many
people
like
you
are
employed

by
him?
What
kind
of
supernatural
stuff
are
we
dealing
with?”

Felipe
said,
“I
should
stay
here
and
help.”

They
all
continued
talking
over
each
other
for
a
few
beats
until
Sarah
slammed
her

palms
down
on
the
tabletop.
“Yo!
Shut
it.”

They
did.

“Look,
I’m
exhausted.
I’m
so
tired
my
face
is
numb,
so
excuse
me
for
being
less
than

sociable
right
now.
Let’s
all
take
turns
like
we
learned
in
kindergarten.”

Felipe
hadn’t
gone
to
kindergarten,
but
that
particular
moment
didn’t
seem
like
an

appropriate
time
for
sharing.

She
pointed.
“Dana,
you
talk.”

Dana
gave
her
employee
a
long
blink—a
tacit
warning
perhaps—then
slid
her
gaze

over
to
Felipe.
“Are
you
catching
most
of
what
we’re
saying,
Felipe?”

“About…fifty
percent.”

“Sarah,
translate?”

Sarah
sighed.

Dana
resumed.
“You
said
you’d
heard
of
these
shape-‐shifters
before.
Seen
them
at
the

circus.
Tell
me
about
when
you
first
saw
them.”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
52
–
Holley Trent

Sarah
caught
him
up.
He
knew
most
of
those
words,
but
shape-‐shifter?
That
didn’t

translate
neatly.

He
drew
in
a
breath
and
tipped
his
chair
onto
its
back
legs
as
he
thought.
When
was
the

first
time?
They’d
seemed
to
be
pretty
much
an
institution.
Where
the
circus
went,
they

went,
and
whenever
they
showed
up,
they
always
had
new
troupe
members
in
tow.
“I
think

my
first
real
recollection
of
them
was
when
I
was
around
eight
or
nine.
We
were
in

Germany,
I
think.
I
saw
one
of
them
shift.
A
troupe
member
had
tried
to
run
because
he
was

so
close
to
home,
and
the
Visa
shifted
into
this
snarling
beast
to
overtake
him.
I
think
that

incident
scared
the
entire
crew
enough
to
not
attempt
to
run
anytime
soon.
Anyhow,
every

time
they
met
us,
they
brought
us
new
performers.”

“You
mean,
locals?”

Felipe
tipped
his
head
back
and
stared
at
the
ceiling’s
wood
paneling.
Had
there
ever

been
a
troupe
member
who
was
just
typical?
If
there
had
been,
he
couldn’t
remember
them.

“Weird
ones,
of
course.
Everyone
at
the
circus
is
a
bit
weird.
Jacques
and
some
of
the
circus

hands
being
the
exceptions.
I
always
thought
he’d
had
an
uncanny
knack
for
having
the
ear

to
the
ground
about
local
lore,
but
I
think
now
that’s
not
the
case.
He
was
using
the
Visas.”

“What’d
he
say,
Sarah?”

She
told
her.

“He
uses
them
the
way
I
use
Sarah,”
Dana
said.
“Send
her
out
in
disguise
to
root
out

information.”

“And
to
fetch,”
he
said
in
English.
“However,
I
am
yet
uncertain
if
she
intends
to
enslave

me.”

“In
your
dreams,”
Sarah
murmured.

The
sound
of
pitter-‐pattering
on
the
tabletop
drew
Felipe’s
gaze
downward,
and
he

found
Patrick
drumming
his
fingers
meditatively
and
staring
at
some
spot
on
the
wall
to

Felipe’s
left.
Patrick
seemed
to
be
fixating
on
it.
Given
he
was
a
cat
part
of
the
time,
that
was

probably
typical
for
him.

Dana
gave
him
a
nudge
when
he
didn’t
say
anything
after
a
minute
of
drumming.

“Shit.
Sorry,
I
was
just
trying
to
figure
out
how
long
those
assholes
were
infiltrating
the