Meanwhile, back at the manor, Alastor had finished his meal and was now walking around the tables, taking the time to socialize with his guests.
The evening was going well. The auction was about to begin. Everyone was in high spirits.
Except for Vaggie's disobedience and Angel's fit of rage, everything was going about as smoothly as it could go. And more importantly, Alastor managed to keep himself together when his emotions threatened to get the better of him. He couldn't have asked for a better evening.
Alastor made his way back to where Henroin and Arackniss were sitting when he saw them desperately looking around on the floor.
"What ever is the matter?" Alastor asked bemusedly.
Arackniss nervously looked at Alastor and said, "The keys are gone."
Alastor blinked for a moment in shock and replied, "What?"
"The keys are gone," Henroin answered more loudly.
"I heard you the first time," Alastor said, coolly holding onto his composure.
"We've looked everywhere we could think of," Henroin replied checking under the tablecloth for the umpteenth time.
Alastor cupped his chin and pondered, "When did the keys go missing? Do you remember when the last time you saw it was? They can't have gone far."
"The last time I saw them was about the time you dragged your broad away…" Arackniss remembered scratching his head.
"OH, MY GOD!" Vox practically screamed from the other side of the table while staring at his phone.
"What happened?" Velvet asked annoyedly swallowing her food.
Vox showed Velvet the message he was reading, and her jaw practically hit the floor.
"How the fuck could that happen?" Velvet asked in a shocked whisper. "Vox, we should…"
"You should what?" Alastor asked suspiciously.
"That is none of your business, Alastor," Vox snarled, getting up from his chair. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"
"I don't," Alastor replied teleporting in front of Vox and suspiciously looking at the empty chair. "Now, tell me, where is Valentino? He has been absent for a while. His food is cold and untouched. If Valentino meant to leave formally, he would have announced it somehow. Even if he didn't, Valentino surely wouldn't depart without telling his lover where he had gone…"
"What are you getting at, Radio Demon?" Vox asked getting as close to Alastor's face as he could without touching.
"Where is Valentino?" Alastor asked angrily without changing his smile.
Vox smirked and replied, "If you're expecting me to turn on my boyfriend, that isn't happening. If you think you know what's going on, you should be able to answer that question for yourself. Now, I suggest you back off me before I'm forced to make a scene in your home."
Alastor reluctantly backed down and kept his composure as he realized that the entire ballroom was watching.
"Very well," Alastor said backing away and summoning familiars with every step. "But you are not to leave this ballroom until I get to the bottom of this. Rosie?"
"Of course, Alastor," Rosie said as her penguin familiars were summoned around the ballroom's perimeter much to Vox and Velvet's chagrin.
"You can't do this!" Velvet protested.
"I can and I will," Alastor replied. "So, I advise you to sit down and enjoy your meals until the Spider Family and I figure out this mystery. Is that understood?"
Vox and Velvet reluctantly sat back down in their chairs.
Alastor smiled, turned on his heels, and strode quickly in between Arackniss and Henroin towards the backstage storage room.
"Gentlemen?" Alastor asked, signaling for Arackniss and Henroin to follow him.
Without wasting a moment, Henroin and Arackniss turned around and followed from behind while Alastor almost dashed ahead.
They all arrived backstage to find the cage empty and two of Angel's restraints and the keys lying on the floor.
Alastor froze, absolutely gobsmacked. The Spider Family, however, didn't waste any time.
Arackniss and Henroin dashed past him to investigate the cage more closely.
"That bastard did it," Henroin said, angrily gritting his teeth as he crouched down and picked up the keys to the cage. "He got Anthony and we never even…"
"Molly," Arackniss muttered fearfully.
"What was that?" Henroin asked.
"Valentino took Molly," Arackniss replied, looking around until he found the back exit and making a beeline straight for it.
Arackniss reached the door, pushed it open, and ran right into the cobblestone parking lot.
"Arackniss!" Henroin called after for him, dropping the keys and running after his son.
Meanwhile, Alastor awoke from his shock and swiftly followed him.
Arackniss had found the tire tracks from where Valentino's limo had left the parking lot in a hurry.
"Molly?!" Arackniss yelled, moving his eight eyes in every direction hoping to see any sign of his sister. "Molly?!"
"Arackniss?!" Henroin barked. "What the fuck are you going on about?!"
"Dad, Valentino took Molly!" Arackniss shouted back.
"What?!"
"The last time I saw her was when I left her in the backstage area with Anthony! Valentino must have taken Molly when he took Angel! How could I be so fucking stupid? I never saw her come back. I should have known something was wrong…"
"Whining about it ain't gonna do anything!" Henroin snapped. "Molly can turn invisible! She can get away from Valentino with no problem! Anthony can't! So, stop your bitching and help me come up with a solution!"
"What the fuck are we supposed to do, Dad?!" Arackniss snapped back. "No one in our family has the clout to make a deal with an overlord, and Valentino ain't gonna let Anthony out of his sight for at least a decade! You know that! There ain't no fuckin' way we're getting him back!"
"Goddammit!" Henroin screamed into the night, kicking over a garbage can by the backdoor to let out his frustration. "There goes our whole fuckin'…Alastor?"
Henroin looked back to the door to notice Alastor was not in the doorway where he last saw him. That caught Arackniss by surprise too.
The father and son looked around the lot until they spotted Alastor standing by the tire tracks leading to the road.
"Alastor?" Arackniss asked.
When Alastor did not respond, Henroin said, "Alastor, talk to us. What are you thinking?"
"It seems a pimp wishes to die tonight," Alastor replied, flashing an unseen sinister smile.
"Ya mean, you wanna go after them?" Henroin asked.
Alastor turned away, summoned his staff, and replied, "But, of course. We made a deal. Didn't we?"
Arackniss smirked, summoned his pistols, and said, "I'll get the limo."
"That won't be necessary. Your limo wouldn't be anywhere near fast enough to suit our purposes. We'll be taking one of my cars," Alastor said, before waving his staff and summoning a black 1930's styled, six-seater convertible.
"Hot damn," Henroin said, with an impressed smile flashing across his face. "I haven't seen any car like this for a long time. Was it custom made?"
"But, of course," Alastor said, opening the doors telekinetically and gesturing for Henroin and Arackniss to get in. "This car will have everything we need to suit our purposes, and you may drive it, my dear Henroin. Now, make yourselves comfortable while I prepare my broadcast…"
Alastor took the moment to set up his staff while Henroin and Arackniss climbed into the car.
As the staff glowed to indicate it was working, Alastor smiled and said, "I am going to enjoy this. It's been a long time since I've taken down an overlord."