SAUL

by Claire St. Rose

“Rough night last night?” Bradley asked with a grin as he stepped up beside Saul.

  “Had trouble sleeping,” he said as he took a sip of the surprisingly good coffee. “You?”

  Bradley smiled. “Like a fucking baby. I want to thank you again for your hospitality yesterday.”

  “You enjoyed yourself?” Saul asked with a smile as he blew into his coffee.

  Bradley’s grin became mischievous. “Alicia was fucking amazing, man. Like nothing I’ve experienced before.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Saul said as he took another sip.

  “As soon as I’m done with this turd of a movie, I’m going to do a pitch for that motorcycle movie. There are stories to be told there.”

  “You don’t like this one?”

  Bradley shrugged. “It’s fine, just a little too touchy feely for me. My agent thought it would be a good project for me to take so I don’t get typecast, so I did. The main draw for me is getting to fuck Angela.”

  Saul chuckled. “Really? She’s a little stuck-up for my taste.”

  Bradley nodded as he drew himself a cup of coffee from the large urn. “Well, I won’t really be fucking her, of course, but it never hurts to be seen in bed with a gorgeous woman. My publicist is working to gin up a bit of a shomance buzz.”

  “Shomance?”

  Bradley chuckled. “It’s nothing, just something to get the tongues wagging in the trades. It’s all part of the game. Having our pictures taken together as we gaze into each other’s eyes, all smiles and giggles, holding hands, that sort of thing. It creates buzz, which helps sell the movie, which leads to more parts.”

  Saul nodded. “I see,” he said, though he didn’t truly understand it. It was all shallow frippery as far as he was concerned. Bradley clearly didn’t understand what it was like being able to trust and depend on a brother to have your back if he was concerned with creating buzz by pretending he and Angela were an item. Of course, that’s his job…pretending, he reminded himself.

  “Mr. Houston? Would you like a Danish?” the woman behind the table asked as she approached, setting a huge pastry on a plate with a pair of tongs and offering it to him.

  He looked at the woman and returned her smile. “It’s Saul, please. I’m surprised you’re talking to me after yesterday.”

  The woman glanced around to make sure no one was close and acted as if she wanted to say something but was holding her tongue. Bradley chuckled and slapped Saul on the shoulder as he stepped away. “I was just leaving.”

  As soon as Bradley was out of hearing, the woman smiled broadly. “If you say anything I will deny it because I need this job, but I thought what you did was awesome. You’re the first person I’ve seen stand up to her.”

  Saul tipped his cup to her with a smile and took the Danish. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”

  The woman’s smile spread even wider. “Enjoy your pastry.”

  ***

  They were shooting at an abandoned convenience store that the production crew had redressed. They’d done such a good job they had a driver pull in, thinking the place was open. To prevent things like that from happening while the cameras were rolling, the Pagans were closing off Jacaman Road and routing traffic around the location during takes. Technically they weren’t allowed to do it, but until the police showed up to stop them, they were going to continue.

  “Saul, we can’t close the road,” Ryan said as he approached. “We don’t have the permits for that.”

  Saul looked at him in mock confusion as cars whizzed by. “The road is open. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Aren’t you closing off the road when we’re shooting?”

  Saul grinned. “Not as far as you know.”

  Ryan stared at him a moment then nodded. “Don’t let me see you doing it.”

  “Where are you going to be?”

  Ryan smiled. “Over with the crew.”

  “No problem, then.”

  Ryan started to turn away then turned back. “You know, I should have hired you the first time.”

  Saul chuckled. “Yes you should have.”

  ***

  “Prepare to lock it down,” Jeff, the Assistant Director, called.

  Patricia repeated the phrase into the walkie on her shoulder, relaying the message to the four Pagans so they could drag a couple of barricades across the road to begin sending traffic around the location.

  “We’re ready,” she said.

  “Lock it down!” Jeff cried.

  “Speed!” the guy on the camera called.

  Johnny paused a moment. “Action!”

  Angela drove up in the Los Rio cruiser and stepped out.

  “Cut! Let’s set up for the reverse!”

  Saul shook his head. The more he watched the movie being made, the more he realized how labor intensive it was. He took a sip of water and decided tonight he was going to watch a movie and pay attention to all the cuts and changes in scenes and angles, trying to get some sense of what all this effort was about.

  “Angela! Angela Moncrief! Angela! Over here!” Saul looked around, trying to determine who was yelling. It was coming from somewhere in the crowd. They were between takes, waiting while the crew setup to shoot the reverse shot, so it wasn’t disrupting anything, but the Pagans had realized the first night it was easier to keep the crowd quiet than to get them to quiet down once they got loud.

  The crowd had been cooperative all day and this was the first outburst. Saul began to work his way along the barricade toward the sound.

  “If you don’t shut your mouth I’m going to make you wish you had,” Nelson growled as he stared menacingly at the man shouting.

  “You! I remember you. Charlie something, isn’t it?” Saul said as he recognized the troublemaker.

  “Yeah. Did you give Angela my message?”

  “What message?”

  “That I was her biggest fan?”

  “Oh, yeah. I let her know. You’re going to have to keep your voice down or we’ll escort you away.”

  “This is a free country. I can stand here and there is nothing you can do about it. If these other people are allowed to be here, so am I.”

  Saul pursed his lips in annoyance then sucked on his teeth. “Let me explain something to you, Chuck. These other people are being quiet and respectful and you’re not. Now, you can either shut your pie hole and stay and watch, or you can leave. You won’t like the other option. Do I make myself clear?”

  Charlie blinked at him behind his glasses for a moment. “What are you going to do, beat me up?”

  “Try me and find out.”

  “You don’t scare me,” Charlie said after a pause.

  “I should.”

  Charlie continued to gaze at him a moment. “If you touch me I’ll report you to the cops.”

  “You do what you have to.”

  “Angela!” Charlie yelled as Angela moved into her start position.

  Saul quickly stepped around the barricade and grabbed Charlie by the arm and started pushing him out through the crowd. Most people were at work, so the people were only two or three deep.

  “Let go of me, you gorilla!” Charlie hissed as he tried to free his arm. Saul changed his grip and twisted Charlie’s arm up behind him. “Ow! That hurts!” he yelled. “Assault! This goon is assaulting me! Someone call the—”

  Saul turned Charlie toward him and delivered a quick jab to his soft stomach. He pulled the punch, a lot, but Charlie woofed out air and went to his knees as he held his stomach. Saul reached down and picked him up by the arm and started him walking again.

  “You wanted it the hard way. You got it.”

  “I’m fucking reporting you,” Charlie gasped as he stumbled along.

  “The cops know where to find me.” Saul continued to drag the gasping Charlie until he was two blocks from the barricades. “Don’t let me see you here again,” Saul said as he shoved Charlie away from him.

  “I’m going to have your ass
thrown in jail for this.”

  “Charlie, let me explain something to you. This is Texas. Your pantywaist complaint isn’t going to carry a lot of weight after they find out we warned you what would happen if you kept being disruptive. My advice to you is to get back into your car and drive back to wherever the fuck it is you came from.”

  “This is a free country! You can’t order me around like this!”

  Saul rubbed his mouth, wondering if satisfaction of kicking the shit out of this weasel would be worth spending a couple of nights in jail. He decided it wouldn’t. “Don’t let me see you around again,” he warned, pointing his finger at him as if scolding a child, then turned and began to walk back to the location.

  “Hey! Fuck you! I’m calling the cops!” Charlie yelled to his retreating back.

  “If you see that guy again, you explain to him he’s not welcome,” Saul said to Nelson as he passed.

  “Like you did?”

  “At least that much.”

  Nelson chuckled. “Got it.”

  ***

  Saul was standing under a giant umbrella, sipping a water, when Bradley approached. “I love filming in Texas. That was fucking awesome. You can’t do shit like that in LA.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The way you handled that guy. They way you’ve handled all this crap. I may move to Texas!”

  “Some people don’t have any manners and have to learn them the hard way.”

  Bradley chuckled and gave him slap on the shoulder before moving off. As he did, Saul noticed Angela watching. He raised his bottle in salute and gave her a smile, just to annoy her, but to his surprise, she smiled back and nodded her head in acknowledgement.

  ***

  “Cut! That’s a wrap, people!” Johnny called as he stepped back from the display. “Patricia, go find Saul.”

  A few moments later, Patricia arrived with Saul in tow. “You wanted to see me?” Saul asked.

  “Yes. Were done here for the day. Another day we finished early. It’s like you’re our good luck charm.” Johnny grinned. “Tomorrow we’re doing another night shoot, this time at the Mall del Norte. We won’t be needing you since we’ll be shooting inside, so you get a day off.”

  Saul nodded. “Okay. You’ll need us back day after tomorrow?”

  “Yeah. We were planning to go down to the river and it’s going to be a bitch of a shoot down there. Second unit is actually going to start the step tomorrow.” Johnny smiled. “We’ll see how good you are because we are going to be spread out all over hell’s half-acre down there. We’re going to try to grab scenes in three locations.”

  “You just let us know what you need and we’ll make it happen.”

  “Bus is here,” Patricia said as she stepped up.

  “Thank you, Patricia. I’ll be right there.” Johnny turned his attention back to Saul. “That’s what I like about you. No bitching, no arguing, just ‘tell me what you want’ and it happens. You might have a future in this.”

  Saul grinned. “I gave you my guarantee.”

  “And you’ve kept—”

  “Fuck!” Saul barked and belted away before Johnny could finish speaking, running toward the bus as members of the cast and crew began to board for the ride back to the hotel. “Hey, stop!” he yelled as he ran.

  Charlie turned, and seeing Saul running toward him, dashed toward the bus, carrying something in a small knapsack. Saul adjusted his path, hitting Charlie and taking him hard to ground just as he reached the bus.

  Saul jumped to his feet, winded from his run and the impact with Charlie. He hauled the other man up from the dirt and weeds of the empty lot as the cast and crew backed away. “What’s in the sack?” Saul demanded, hauling Charlie toward the sack.

  “Nothing,” Charlie gasped, favoring his left arm. “I think you broke my arm!”

  “I’m going to break your fucking neck! What’s in the sack!” He scooped the bag off the ground from where it landed when Saul hit him, and shoved into Charlie’s chest. “Open it!”

  Charlie fumbled and began to open the sack and pulled out an eight-inch-tall replica of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards statue. The golden statue was broken from its base. “You ruined it!” Charlie snarled as he held the Oscar replica out, shaking it in Saul’s face. “I just wanted to give it to Angela because I thought she was snubbed when she didn’t get a nomination for her role in Fallen Petals, and you ruined it!”

  “You stupid shit! I thought you had a bomb or something!” Saul snarled as he began dragging Charlie away.

  Charlie cried out in pain. “My arm!”

  “You’re lucky the only thing hurt is your arm! I should break your fucking neck!” he rumbled as he hustled Charlie along.

  There were plenty of stories of crazed fans stalking famous people, and he was still coming down from the surge of adrenaline that had been dumped into his system. When he saw Charlie with the knapsack gripped to his chest as he ran for the bus, he’d really thought he was carrying a bomb or gun.

  He reached the parameter and shoved Charlie through, snatching the lanyard from his neck with the pass on it.

  “That’s mine!”

  “Not anymore. You’re starting to piss me off, and trust me, you don’t want to do that. If I see you on the other side of the barricade again, or if you cause any more problems, you’re going to be eating through a straw. Have I made myself perfectly clear?”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “No. I’m making you a fucking promise.”

  “I’m going to write about this on my blog!”

  “You go right ahead. It’s the Pagans Motorcycle Club. Make sure you spell it right. Now get the fuck out of here. Now!” he barked when Charlie didn’t move. Saul glared at him until Charlie slowly turned and began to limp away. “Stupid fuck,” he muttered as he turned and started back toward the production crew.

  Johnny intercepted him. “How did he get through?”

  Saul held out the lanyard. The pass was obviously homemade, but it was good enough to pass a cursory glance. “One of your people probably passed him right through.”

  “Where did he get this?” Johnny asked, taking the pass and examining.

  “Probably took a picture of it with his cell phone or something.” Saul took the pass and turned it over. “See, there’s no writing on the back.”

  Johnny huffed out a breath. “Damnit. Okay, change of plans. I’d like a few of your guys on set tomorrow. Beginning tomorrow, you have total control over security. I’ll clear it with Ryan. I’m glad it turned out to be nothing, but when you ran after that guy, I knew exactly what you were thinking, and it scared the shit out of me. I’ve been doing this for almost fifty years, and I never used to have to worry about bombs, crazy gunmen, or shit like that. Now?” He shrugged.

  “We’ll make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.” He paused as Angela and Bradley walked up.

  “How the hell did he get through security?” Angela demanded.

  “He had a fake pass,” Johnny said, fanning the plastic holder.

  “Where’d he get that?”

  “Looks like he made it.”

  Angela and Bradley looked at each other. “What are you doing to make sure it doesn’t happen again?” Bradley asked.

  “Saul is taking over location security.”

  “He was already location security, and he got through,” Angela sneered. “What if that guy had a gun? You remember what happened a couple years ago when that crazy guy came on set and killed Jade Ning. What about John Hinckley? He shot the fucking President to impress Jodi Foster. People are crazy, and you just let him walk onto the set? Isn’t that twice he slipped past you? And wasn’t he the one who was making all the noise earlier? You must have really impressed him.”

  “Angela, it wasn’t Saul’s fault. One of our people let him pass. Saul’s taking that over so it—”

  “I don’t care whose fucking fault it is! If you can’t keep
the location secure you should shut this production down until you can! I’m not willing to die for your fucking movie!”

  “Angela, calm down. These things happen,” Bradley said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Nobody got hurt and Johnny and Ryan are making sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  “Don’t touch me!” she said, shrugging his hand off. “Things like this shouldn’t happen at all, not with all the crazy people out there. We’re in fucking Texas, for Christ sake, where every kid old enough to walk is carrying a gun! If something like this happens again, I’m outta here!”