Page 93 of Tumbling Hearts

His mind has been running wild, so jumbled that he didn’t even think of how writing a song for Toshiko would annoy Ray. But it makes perfect sense. Ray doesn’t exactly hide his jealousy. But it is a bit embarrassing to have Toshiko witness all that. At least she didn’t seem too bothered by it all, taking everything thrown at her with a smile. To her, Gene and Ray are really just good friends.

Yet the guilt still plagues him, giving him a headache. I’m going to need a smoke.

Gene joins her in the main room, walking out of the recording booth with the rest of the band. The song is mostly recorded but not completely finished, still needing vocals and an overdub of piano. Nicky still hasn’t shown up, so Santiago may have to fill that part in himself.

Why the hell is Nicky not here…?

The door to the secretary’s office opens, and a young brunette woman peeks her head out.

“Dennis Perks?” she asks, eyeing around the crowded room for him.

“Yes?” Dennis says, walking toward her.

“You have a call waiting for you, if you could please come in.”

“Oh, sure. What’s this about?”

But Gene can’t hear her response as Dennis walks into the office, closing the door behind him.

“It can’t be about Carol, can it?” Ray asks, standing next to Gene.

“I don’t think so,” Gene says. “She just got picked up not too long ago.”

“She has her own room key, so it can’t be about needing mine to get into the room and grab her suitcase,” Ray says.

“Wait, what if it’s Nicky?” Santiago gasps. “Maybe he’s calling to explain why he’s not here yet.”

“Oh, maybe,” Gene says. “I’ve been wondering where he is…”

“He didn’t spend the night at the Chateau Marmont, did he?” Ray asks Maurice, since normally he rooms with Nicky.

Yet Maurice shakes his head. “No, he didn’t. He said he had contacts here in LA that he was gonna stay with instead. I wonder if something happened with them?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Ray says. “I remember a few months ago, something went down with his old friends in Ohio.”

Gene remembers too, how Nicky stayed with them in Michigan during the summer because his friends’ house in Ohio was raided by the police. He didn’t want the cops on his own trail, either. But what if…

Gene doesn’t want to answer that question yet, at least not until Dennis comes out of the room.

But the longer they wait, the more restless they all become. The minutes go by, ticking away, Gene fidgeting with his blazer, unable to return his focus to music. Everyone is in a standstill until Dennis comes out, whenever that may be. It may not even be anything important, but just the mention of Nicky has Gene on edge, and apparently the same goes for the rest of the band.

“He’s been in there for a while,” Santi remarks. “What if it’s not Nicky—what if it’s good news? Oh, what if it’s the label or something?”

“He already told us about the international pressings,” Pat says. “So I don’t think it’s that. Unless they want to give us a bonus for selling so many tickets on this tour. That’d be cool.”

“Yeah, some of our venues were nearly sold out,” Ray comments.

They get an answer, finally, as Dennis opens the door and steps back into the main room.

“I just got off the phone with one of our lawyers,” Dennis says, closing the door behind him.

“A lawyer?” Gene exclaims.

“One of them?” Ray gasps. “We have more than one?”

“Have to be prepared for the unexpected,” Dennis says, adjusting his sunglasses on his face. “But yes. I’ve got some bad news. Nicky has been arrested.”

“Arrested?” Gene’s heart rate ramps up. It beats so hard, his chest feels ridiculously tight. “Oh my god, I was worried…”