You've Made Your Bed, Now Hide Under It
Author's Note: This story is set in the days following Utopia Now.
Chapter 1: "Happy to Be Stuck With You"
"Lee, tell me again what we're looking for?" Amanda asked, meticulously moving items on the dresser and placing them carefully in their original spots. No matter how many times she found herself digging through a suspect's belongings, she never felt comfortable doing it.
Lee dug through a suitcase, haphazardly searching its contents, not caring at all about where the items inside belonged. "You'll know it when you see it," he answered distractedly. He unzipped a toiletry case and rummaged around. "You know - something suspicious."
She rolled her eyes at his back and scrunched her face in frustration. "Oooh, I hate it when you say that," she moaned, resuming her fruitless search.
"Okay. We received a tip from one of the family that Vladmir Valovsky had intercepted the plans for the KJ1013 nuclear weapons missile that they've nicknamed 'The Mammoth'. If he takes those plans behind the Iron Curtain, it could be the start of World War III for sure."
"Ahh, got it," she replied, shaking her head slightly. Under her breath, she added, "Well, that certainly narrows it down some."
He lifted his head to look at her. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, nothing," she answered quickly, dropping to her knees to reach under the bed. Blindly, she searched for something - anything - suspicious. Suddenly, she touched something furry, recoiled with a squeal, flinging the furry object over her shoulder. She sat back on her knees, panting. "Oh my gosh, is that alive?"
Lee walked over to where the object landed. He gingerly held up a pair of fuzzy black handcuffs. "Nope, I think you killed it." He grinned mischievously. "Something you want to tell me, Mrs. King?" He teased, twirling them around his fingers.
"Oh, please," she retorted. Then she paused, thoughtfully. "You said to look for something suspicious. Do they qualify as suspicious?"
"Depends on who is wearing them," he joked, playfully swatting them against her wrist. With a soft click, the cuff snapped closed, trapping her.
"Lee, they're just a toy, right?"
Lee waved his hands around casually. "Of course they are!" He clicked the other cuff around his own wrist. "Trust me. Do you think I'd mess around with real handcuffs after the crazy time we had in the woods the other night?" He flashed his most charming smile. "Come on, Amanda. Was it that awful being chained up to me then?" He winked. He took her hand.
She blushed and smiled slightly at the recent memory. She looked down at their joined hands.
He turned his wrist. "See? You just push this little button on the side here…" He rocked his hand slowly back and forth. "Uh… it must be on yours." He reached for her wrist and rolled her hand over as well. Then, in a panic, he looked at her, puzzled. To himself, he muttered, "There's no button."
She wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. "Lee…"
"There's no button."
"Lee…"
Before either of them could react, a key rattled in the door. Lee locked eyes with Amanda and hissed, "Under the bed!"
Amanda obeyed, silently diving below the bedskirt as he wriggled in beside her.
Amanda moaned inwardly and swatted at him with their joined hands. "Not again!"
He held a warning finger to his lips. She nodded helplessly, settling wordlessly beside him. They both gulped deeply, trying to swallow their breathless adrenaline due to the change in their predicament.
Valovsky shoved open the door and stumbled inside the room. He flipped on the dilapidated television set, found the channel with the best signal, and impatiently adjusted the rabbit ears. Soon the room was filled with the wallop of cowboys and the roars of dinosaurs. He sank down heavily onto the mattress.
The bed sagged under his weight. A shower of dust rained down onto Lee and Amanda. Amanda grimaced as Lee stifled a sneeze. Using their free hands, they wiped the dust from their faces in disgust.
"Cowboys and dinosaurs? Wasn't that what Douglas Harriman was watching when he died? That's a weird coincidence that it's on again." Lee whispered incredulously.
Amanda's mind raced. "What does it really matter what ridiculous movie was on when Harriman died?" Then she rambled softly. "l'm not worried, Lee. I know you have a plan. What do you want me to do? Do you think he's armed? Should I tell him that the place surrounded? Do you have a handkerchief? We could use it like a white flag. A truce. It worked with Russians before, you know. Should I create a diversion? Should we take him by surprise? I mean, you could knock him out while I run out to call for backup. So. I'm ready. Tell me, what's the plan?"
Lee shook his head as he tried to sort through the jumble of her ideas. "I need a minute to think," he interrupted. "We can't do anything right now." He held up their joined wrists. "So, we may be here for a while, Amanda."
Amanda sighed.
Lee nodded, trying to be reassuring, but at that moment, he wasn't sure what they were going to do. They were handcuffed together under the bed of an international terrorist. He started running scenarios in his head. However, none of them seemed plausible given that they were attached to each other. He could feel her body trembling beside his. He laced his fingers with hers and smiled at her. She believed he could get them out of there. Her total faith in him always touched him. Maybe being cuffed to Amanda wasn't so bad after all.
To Be Continued…
