Page 70 of Under His Sheets
His frown changed from confused to concerned. “Dime màs. What happened then?”
I explained what I knew, that he was close to discovering what was going on with the separatist group, then their father was assaulted at the winery—which no one had told Felip about apparently—and that he was relieved of duty. “I don’t know where he went from there, but I had to go to perform at Paolo Ferrer’s home, and it turned out it was supposed to be a fundraiser to help the legal fund of the separatist leaders.”
Felip cursed, and Cecilia raised her eyebrows at him.
“Please continue,” he said, all signs of jovial Felip gone. He was scowling, which made him look even more like Alonso. I was worried how he would react to the rest of the tale.
I exhaled and tried to shift in the chair a bit. It was getting close to time for my next pain medication. I felt better, but everything still hurt.
“Randall?” Cecilia asked. “Can I get you anything?”
I shook my head. “Thanks. I still don’t know everything that went down at Ferrer’s that night. I left, Alonso picked me up, and we tried to go to his place, but it was being watched. He took me to your uncle’s place, and we spent the night together there.” Still no recognition from Felip. I wasn’t going to come right out and tell him I’d had the best sex of my life with his brother.
“Anyway, he brought me back here the next morning, and the police were there because someone had broken into my apartment,” which caused Cecilia to gasp. “One of the parentsfrom the school called, told me to come to the school, he had kidnapped my friend Camille, or so I’d thought, and Mr. Ferrer’s son. Alonso came and?—”
I sucked in a breath, remembering my helplessness, stuck on the floor while the police arrested Alonso and his friends. “He and his friends saved us. But I don’t know what happened to him from there. There were Guardia Civil and la policía there. I don’t remember seeing the men from the task force, but Alonso said he didn’t trust them after he was relieved of duty.” I breathed in and winced as a sharp pain shot through my shoulder.
“Randall, you need to rest.”
I shook my head. “Felip, I’m sorry. He planned to tell you all about us, but I don’t know where he is or how to contact him.”
Felip was nodding as I spoke—and then he suddenly stopped and leaned forward.
“Perdó, Randall. Did you say ‘us’? What do you mean ‘us’?”
I sighed, and Cecilia chuckled, then pressed her lips together.
“By ‘us,’ I mean I’m in love with your brother, Felip. And I’m pretty sure he feels the same about me, unless…” But I didn’t even want to verbalize my worry for fear I might manifest it.
“In lo— Randall, my brother is not gay. I mean, he’s never said he was, but he’s never brought anyone home…I just assumed…My brother is gay?” He turned to Cecilia. “How is hegay?”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Do you need me to explain how it works?”
He rolled his eyes and grumbled something in Catalan, which made her laugh even harder.
Then he turned back to me and his expression was so pained. “How could I not know? I shared a room with him! We used to go out together. He never…”
“To be fair, Felip, he said he’s bisexual.”
“You were probably too busy with other things to notice, I’m sure,” Cecilia said, and she cracked up even harder.
Felip glanced between us and his mouth flopped open and closed like a land-trapped fish.
“I can’t believe it. I mean no offense, Randall. You are a very attractive man. It would not surprise me in the least that someone would want to be with you, butAlonso?”
“No offense taken?” I would have shrugged but I knew it would be excruciating. “I’m sure he would talk to you about it if he could. He…planned to.” Which sobered the conversation, as we still didn’t know where he was. The only thing that helped me not feel totally adrift was that he wasn’t just avoiding me.No onehad heard from him. He was missing. And I had no idea what to do.
Felip slapped his hands on his thighs. “I am counting on him explaining himself. I will find him. Thank you, Randall, for telling me all of this. I am deeply sorry for what has happened to you.”
“God, me too,” Cecilia said. “I feel responsible.” She cut off my attempted interruption. “No, I know I couldn’t have known what would happen at the school, but I just feel awful.”
She fussed over me for a while after that. I let her wash my hair, finally. I’d been ready to have Josette take the clippers to it, but she’d refused. She’d rinsed it as best she could, but Cecilia was able to get me over to the sink and really get it clean. She brushed it out and braided it to keep it out of my way. Then she fed me like a baby. At least she made it fun with airplanes and hangars.
“You know, someday this may be the other way around and I’ll have such fun messing with you.”
“I wouldn’t dream of any other outcome,” she said laughing, but her affectionate smile meant everything to me. She was never like a mom. No, she was too young for that, but she was mymentor and confidante. Her being here made all of this a little easier.
Felip spent the whole time on the phone. Fermín came back down, and the two of them spoke in heated Catalan. I knew they were trying to figure out which of their contacts could help. An hour and several phone calls later, they were exasperated.
