Somewhere in His Arms (80 page)

             
Lucy rifled through the shoeboxes and decided to leave the dress shoes and stuffed several pairs of expensive-looking sneakers into the bag. She added belts, jeans, shirts, and several leather jackets. Soon, the two bags were stuffed full. There was a bookcase next to the bed and she called out to Alec for another bag.  “Alec!”

             
“What?” he called back, his bag just as full of cooking utensils and plates. Where on earth did Gavin get all this junk? He was going to have to go back to the car for more bags. Alec got up, tied the bag, and hauled it to the door. Lucy came out, tugging her two very heavy bags full of clothes. “Here,” he said, and helped her drag them across the carpet to the door. He glanced down and laughed. “Is that it?”

             
“Nope,” she shook her head. “He’s got a small library in there. I need another bag at least.”

             
“All right,” he said, taking two bags and opening the door. “Let me take these to the car. I’ll be right back. Why don’t you have something to eat while you wait?”

             
“Want some help?”

             
“No, I’ll be back. I think there’s some ham in the fridge.”

             
“All right,” she said, and went to fix a sandwich. She raided the gigantic refrigerator for bread and cheese and plopped down onto the leather sofa, munching and watching reruns of
What’s Happening!!

             
It wasn’t long before her husband came huffing back. “Damn elevator!” he swore, heading to the refrigerator to grab a cold drink. “The thing stopped on the fourth floor and I had to climb the stairs!”

             
“Well, sit a while, dear and watch some TV with your wife.” Lucy patted the seat beside her and he flopped down, putting his feet up on the glass coffee table. “Ever see this show?”

             
“No, can’t say that I have.” Alec laughed at poor Rerun getting his head shaved to join a cult. “Why does he worship a head of lettuce?”

             
“Most people in the ‘70s did that sort of thing.”

             
“That explains a lot!”

             
They rested for a bit before finishing packing up for Gavin. Lucy went to retrieve the books and massive CD collection, while Alec took care of the electronics and DVDs. Soon Alec had everything piled into three large bags and went to see if his wife needed assistance. She was buried in a mountain of plastic jewel cases and hardcover books. Alec was a little surprised that Gavin was such a bibliophile. He may not have finished school, but that didn’t deter him from wanting to better his lot in life. Alec had renewed respect for the lad.

             
He sat down with Lucy and tried to organize the chaos. At this rate, they wouldn’t make it to Santa Monica until tomorrow. “I’m sorry, love, “ he apologized. “I didn’t know it would take this long.”

             
Lucy leaned forward to kiss him. “Don’t be. I haven’t had this much fun since Vivian cleaned out her closet.”

             
“It couldn’t have been that bad.” Alec grinned and wrapped a rubber band around a stack of Duran Duran’s greatest hits. “Gav sure is stuck on the ‘80s.”

             
“Isn’t he?” she giggled. “I found a Knight Rider lunch box hiding in the back of the closet!”

             
“No way!”

             
“Vintage 1982, if I’m not mistaken.”

             
“Nice.” Alec let out a low whistle of appreciation. “I used to a have one of that cartoon where the robots turned into cars.”

             
“And I used to have Smurfette.”

             
“You see?” he chuckled. “We were made for each other!”

             
She nodded happily, and moved on to a stack of books on the film industry. Lucy wondered if she couldn’t ask one of her father’s old friends to help Gavin out in his quest to break into special effects. They sat in companionable silence and were startled by men’s voices coming from the living room.

             
Lucy opened her mouth and Alec quickly shushed her. “Who is that?” she whispered.

             
“Stay here,” he ordered, and crept silently out to the hallway. It was that whale of a manager and the Tree. Alec winced, tiptoed back, and hid behind the door. He motioned for Lucy to go about her business and waited for them to pounce.

             
It didn’t take long for them to make their way to Gavin’s bedroom. “What are you doing here?” The Tree growled and made like wanted to rip Lucy off the floor. Harvey put out his arm and made him back off. The young woman looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her at the moment. She was pretty though. Her skin was like clotted cream and those lips! Harvey would have no trouble getting her a contract if she wanted one. But he wondered how she got into the apartment. Only he and Gavin had keys. Unless…

             
He waddled over to where she sat organizing Gavin’s extensive collection of books. “Who are you, miss?” Harvey asked politely. She glanced up with huge chocolate eyes, and Harvey knew where he’d seen her. The Halloween party! So, Gavin had gone and snatched her up.
Figures!
Harvey thought in disgust. “Maria,” he smiled lecherously. “We meet again.”

             
Lucy cringed inwardly, wishing Alec would stop playing James Bond and settle Harvey’s hash. “How’d you know it was me?” she asked, playing brainless sexpot once again.

             
“I’d know those… eyes anywhere, my dear,” he laughed and nudged Tree, who laughed along as if on cue. “So, where’s Gavin?”

             
“Um…” she said, pretending like she had to strain a few ounces of gray matter to figure it out. “He said I wasn’t supposed to tell!” Lucy burst into a fit of girlish giggles. “He’s so silly!”

             
Harvey took in the scene with the garbage bags and Gavin’s precious CD collection. Trying to escape, was he? Well, he’d put an end to that! “Come now, dear. Where’s my boy? He can’t have gotten off too far.”

             
“Don’t know.” She shrugged, and tossed a dictionary into the bag. “He doesn’t tell me anything. He just said to pick up his things.”

             
The Tree growled and Harvey gave him a signal to end this tomfoolery. Lucy gasped as Tree hauled her roughly to her feet and shook her. Her teeth threatened to rattle out of her skull when Alec stepped out from behind the door. “Put my wife down,” he said quietly. They turned and their eyes widened. Alec had his pistol aimed at both of their heads.
“Please,”
he added, cocking the trigger for emphasis.

             
Tree glanced at Harvey, who nodded and he set Lucy down. She fled to hide behind her husband. “You took your sweet time, “ she accused breathlessly. “I don’t have earthquake insurance!”

             
“Funny, wife,” Alec replied and glared at Harvey and his Tree. “What do you think I ought to do to them, dear?”

             
“Well, you never got a chance to thank the brute for breaking your leg,” Lucy offered. “I mean he does have it coming.”

             
“And the toady?”

             
“He needs a lesson in humility.”

             
“You’re so right, my love.” Alec loved watching them squirm. When the Tree’s hand went to his pocket, Alec ordered him to take his jacket off. “Strip,” he ordered.

             
“W-What?” Harvey cried in disbelief. He turned to his Tree. “You just gonna stand there like an idiot and take this shit?”

             
Tree shrugged lamely. “He’s got a gun.”

             
“So?” Harvey grumbled. “It’s not even real!” He made the mistake of moving toward Alec, who suddenly pointed the gun toward the closet and pulled the trigger. Lucy’s ears rang with with the sudden explosion, and she wondered if her husband had had his coffee that morning.

             
Alec inspected the barrel and trained it upon Harvey’s head once more. “It sounds real to me. Both of you, strip. I won’t ask again.”

             
The Tree and Harvey exchanged weary glances before reluctantly tugging off their garments. Lucy averted her eyes as Harvey’s blubbery body was laid bare. She began to wonder what Alec had in mind. “What are you up to?” she hissed, and stifled a giggle when Harvey nearly tripped over his pants.

             
“All will be revealed, wife. Get my phone.” She reached into his jean pocket and whipped it out. “See if you can find something to tie these two up.” Alec kicked the clothes away, while Lucy ran into the kitchen. All she could find was a roll of twine. She hurried back.

             
“This is all there was.”

             
“Great.” He pointed with the pistol. “Onto the bed.” When they hesitated, Alec growled and stepped towards them. “Not today, gentlemen. I’m not in the best of moods. Do be nice and climb up like good little boys.”

             
Harvey and Tree climbed onto the waterbed, bouncing up and down as Harvey’s weight threatened a tsunami of epic proportions. “You on the bottom,” Alec instructed the Tree. “Then you, fat boy.” Harvey glanced uncertainly at the handsome young man who bore a striking resemblance to Gavin.

             
“Are you by any chance related to Jimmy?”

             
Alec shrugged and winked at his wife, who giggled. “Who wants to know?”

             
“I-I just asked,” Harvey said, feeling vulnerable in his state of undress. It was one thing to observe a fool cavort naked on a bed for money that happily went into his pocket, it was quite another to be on the receiving end of it. “Can’t we talk about this?” he pleaded helplessly, not wanting to get on top of Beau. He wasn’t into that sort of thing. “You’re a handsome young boy,” he cajoled,  “I could make you famous!”

             
Alec sighed and shook his head at his wife. “Not interested, fat boy. I don’t think my wife would like that, would you, love?”

             
“No,” she said lightly. “I’m very selfish.”

             
“You could do it together!” Harvey offered foolishly. “The more the merrier I always say!”

             
Lucy and Alec actually seemed to ponder this, but they shook their heads and Harvey’s face fell. “No…?”

             
“Don’t think so, mate.” Alec told him gruffly. “We like our arrangement the way it is. There’s no room for anybody else.” He pointed the gun again and ordered Harvey: “Get on top.” Then he smiled at his wife. “Tie them up, love. Nice and tight.”

             
She did as he asked, trying not to stare at the two men entangled intimately on the waterbed. Harvey and Tree were grumbling about where to put their hands. And Lucy had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. At one point, she thought Harvey told Beau to stick it somewhere else. She tied their hands and feet together and hurried back to her husband. “What now?”

             
“Take a picture, love,” her husband instructed. “I want Gavin to see this.”

             
“Yes, dear.” She happily snapped away and got some pretty good pictures. “What if they go to the police?”

             
“You’re right, my love.” Alec stepped forward and grabbed Harvey by what was left of his hair. “You won’t go tattling on us will you, mate?”

             
“Huh?” Harvey mumbled and his eyes widened in horror. “Stop poking me with that yardstick, Beau!” he yelled and tried to close his legs. “I’ll tell everyone! You won’t get away with this!”

             
“Oh, yes we will!” Lucy grabbed a few of Gavin’s socks and stuffed them into his mouth. She stuffed one into Tree’s mouth too. “You’ll keep your mouth shut if you know what’s good for you, you horrible little man!”

             
“Hey,” Alec grinned down at his wife. “That’s pretty good. Take a few more snaps. We can upload them on Vine. I’ll bet we could even sell them to that TV show. People pay good money for this sort of thing, don’t they Harv?”

             
The only answer the two men could muster were muffled screams of rage. Lucy snapped a few more pictures before Alec decided it was time to leave. They tossed what they could into the bags and left Harvey and Beau on the waterbed. Then they turned the lights out and skedaddled, giggling like two naughty schoolchildren.

             
The landlord went up the next morning after some of the tenants had complained about an awful ruckus. He would later tell everyone he knew--which was everybody--what he’d found. Harvey didn’t emerge from his house for weeks. The footage of him and Beau on the bed found its way to several porn websites, and he was soon the laughing stock of Hollywood. He fled to his penthouse in Manhattan and forgot about Gavin.