Chapter One: Angel's Betrayal
"Val… I wanna help ya… But I don' really know nothin' bout Charlie's daily schedule." Angel said. He expected Val to be angry, to yell at him or hit him or worse. Instead, he just smiled and stood up and walked over, pulling Angel onto his lap, stroking his chin lightly.
"Come on, Angel Cakes… I know that's not true. I can tell. Charlie trusts you. She confides in you, doesn't she? I bet you could tell me her favorite drink." Val said flatteringly.
"She likes cherry soda." Angel said. Val smirked.
"See? What about her favorite food?"
"She really likes Alastor's gumbo." Angel said eagerly. Charlie trusted him? That just meant even more that he couldn't betray her.
"So I'm sure that you know her favorite store."
"She likes goin' ta Finny's! She loves the performers th…" Angel slapped his hands over his mouth. Telling Val Charlie's favorite drinks or food was one thing. But Val was trying to get Charlie's schedule. Nothing good could come of that. He'd betrayed Charlie… He was just so desperate for Val to love him. He knew it was sick. Val couldn't love anyone but himself. But these little moments where Val was good to him made Angel forget himself sometimes.
"It's okay. I just wanna talk to Charlie. She's been taking good care of you, hasn't she?" Val asked.
"I want to thank her for being so good to you. You know I love you. I only want the best for you." Val said, stroking Angel's hair lightly. Angel hated himself, but he leaned in desperately to Val's touch.
"What time does she go to Finny's?"
"They usually go 'round 5. They get there in time for the evening performance."
"They?" Val asked, frowning.
"She goes wit' her girlfriend an' a bodyguard. Her father insists that she bring a bodyguard whenevah she leaves the Hotel." Angel said, giving up more and more to Val. He knew this was wrong. Charlie was the one who loved him. But Val… He couldn't deny Val.
"Alright, Angel Cakes. I gotta get going with some business I have to do today. You can have the rest of the day off if you want. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything to Charlie. Everyone likes surprises after all." Val said. Angel gulped, but nodded, heading out of Val's office, immediately feeling a cold sense of dread and guilt settling over him.
-0-
"Ooh! I'm so excited! I hear there's a new group performing at Finny's today! A Hellhound and Imp group." Charlie said eagerly, getting dressed in her casual outfit. She still wore a vest and bowtie. But she dressed down a little bit.
"Lysander… You ready?" Charlie asked. Lysander, Lucifer's top bodyguard nodded, putting his batons on his belt and heading out to the limo with them. There had been threats on the royal family lately and Lucifer was making sure everyone was safe. He even offered Vaggie some special training.
Vaggie was totally ready to accept it, but she hadn't started just yet.
"Let me check outside before we head out to the limo." He said calmly, going outside and looking around before nodding to Vaggie, who escorted Charlie out. He'd worked with Vaggie on security protocols and how Charlie always needed to have someone with her when she went out, even just a few steps outside.
They got in the limo and headed over to Finny's. It was only a few blocks away, but Charlie knew that Lysander got tense when they walked long distances in public.
As they got near the bar, Lysander saw that there was no parking in the bar lot. He cursed and drove around, looking. The only good parking was two streets over though.
"Your Highness, I'd really prefer that we go home and try to go another day." Lysander said.
"No, no! It's fine. My dad is too cautious about these things. I haven't received any threats and I have both you and Vaggie with me. I'm perfectly safe, I promise you." Charlie said reassuringly.
"Very well, Your Majesty." He said, parking and getting out of the car first. It was a bit of a skeevy area. So 'good parking' wasn't really the right word. It was just the closest to the bar that they could get. He looked around, making sure that there were ways to escape if they were attacked. Finally, he opened Vaggie's door first and then opened Charlie's door. That way, Charlie had two sources of protection in the event of a fight.
They walked down the street, passing by a homeless Sinner.
"Spare change, ma'am?" She asked, her eyes looking incredibly broken. Charlie nodded, taking out a 100 Pecunias bill and putting it in her hat.
"Satan bless you." She grinned, standing up alarmingly fast and jabbing Charlie in the neck with a syringe.
Charlie gasped, her legs buckling under her as she fell to the ground, still completely conscious and aware, but unable to move.
"Your Majesty!"
"Charlie!" Vaggie exclaimed, just as two darts stuck out of their necks, causing them to drop to the ground as well.
"Well, well, well… I didn't expect your security detail to be quite so… Incompetent. But it works well for us. Our boss has something he wants to chat with you about." Came a cool, calculating voice as he walked up to Charlie, stomping on Vaggie's hand as she made one last bid to move and push herself up.
"Wh-who?"
"You'll find out soon enough, hon." The man said calmly, snapping his fingers.
Shortly, a large Gorilla Demon picked Charlie up and put her in the trunk of their car.
"Good boy. Here, Lester. Your pay." The Salamander Demon said, putting 500 Pecunias in the homeless Demon's hand.
"Much obliged." The homeless Demon said, bowing mock deferentially, grinning wide.
-0-
"Hmmm… Who…" Charlie stammered, struggling to get to her feet. She was still paralyzed and her head was on fire.
"What did you poison me with?" Charlie breathed.
"Oh, just some of my natural venom. Alchemy allows me to turn it into a variety of fantastic little cocktails that can put people out for hours, even kill… As in the case of that Moth Demon Sinner and your little Hellhound servant." Valentino grinned, turning around.
Charlie gasped, tears filling her eyes. Vaggie and Lysander were dead?
"Why kill them? Why couldn't you just paralyze them like you did with me?" Charlie gasped.
"Well because I couldn't risk it. You're here now. You're not a threat. They on the other hand, the serum only lasts for about six hours… Though the Moth Demon might work it through faster because her venom might be similar to mine.
"And the Hellhound, well, he's been modified by Lucifer himself. Who knows how long some venom will keep him down? So unfortunately, I had to kill them. But you know… It really is your fault they're dead. If you'd just left my little Angel Cakes alone… If you hadn't meddled with my livelihood… Angel has gotten so uppity lately. He's getting stronger and resisting me. But still, he's my property and he knows it. That's why he told me where you'd be tonight. Told me everything. Told me who you'd be with." Valentino purred mockingly. Charlie whimpered lightly.
She knew Angel struggled with loyalty to Valentino. She knew she couldn't blame him for relapsing in a moment of stress, when he was being pressured to cooperate with the man who'd tormented him for decades.
"That's my girl… Don't worry. I'm not going to torture you… Much. I just need my little Angel Cakes to see who really owns him."
"Nobody owns Angel! He's a strong, kind, good person and he doesn't need you! He's strong enough to get back up, to rise up from the pit you threw him in!" Charlie exclaimed, losing her temper with Valentino.
"Is that so? Well… Perhaps you're right. That's why I'm going to give him the privilege of helping me. Angel Cakes, come on in." Valentino said. Angel came in, barely able to look at Charlie, tears of self-loathing and disgust in his eyes.
"Angel… Angel Cakes… Look at me…" Valentino ordered. Angel looked up. He looked up at Val, a defiant, but broken look in his eyes.
"You've done well, sweetums." Valentino cooed, stroking Angel's chin, kissing him in what would seem like a loving manner for anyone else.
"Angel Cakes. Smile… You're so much prettier when you smile." Valentino grinned, a venomous steam coming out as he breathed out.
"Yeah… There you go. Now, Charlie… I have one request of you. If you do this for me, he can leave me forever. You do want to help him, don't you?" Valentino asked. Charlie nearly threw up at the smile on his face. She couldn't remember ever being more tense and nervous.
"W-what… What do you want me to do?"
"Take Angel's place for me. Work for me until I can hire a replacement. Do that and Angel is free." Valentino said.
Angel gasped, feeling his stomach clench. Val was trying to force Charlie to be a whore. He was trying to humiliate her, force her to demean herself. And Angel knew that this was his fault.
"Come on. What's the hesitation for? Don't you want Angel to be free? This is his chance.
"I-I'll do it. But I won't have sex with anyone. I'll work in your club, but I won't be a prostitute." Charlie said. Val thought for a long moment.
"Good enough. Angel, you're free… Get out. Scram." Valentino said.
"Angel… It's okay… I don't blame you." Charlie said kindly, smiling at him. Somehow, that made Angel hate himself even more. He'd just betrayed someone who was still willing to forgive him after what he'd done. He turned around so she couldn't see him crying and went outside, spending the last of his Pecunias on some cocaine, snorting it hard so he didn't have to face his shame sober.
-0-
"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" Vaggie screamed in a mix of rage, fear, shame and anxiety. She'd let Charlie get captured. How had they gotten the drop on them so easily? How had they not known not to trust that homeless Demon? How had she not been faster on the uptake and destroyed that motherfucker before he could inject Charlie? This was all her fault. She was responsible for whatever happened to Charlie now.
"My dear… Why don't you tell me a bit about what happened?" Alastor asked, his grin still wide on his face.
"I-we were going to Finny's… We were hoping to park right next to the bar, but the only space available was two streets down. So we had to walk from there. As we were walking, Charlie stopped to give a homeless Demon some money and the Demon injected her with some kind of poison that paralyzed her. Whatever they injected her with, they did the same to us. We recovered after about an hour." Vaggie said.
"Some assholes robbed us, so we're broke now. They must have taken about 300 Pecunias between the two of us and some jewelry. I think Vaggie cares more about the jewelry they stole because it was a gift from Her Majesty. But overall, it's lucky we're in as good condition as we are." Lysander said.
"I see. I'll talk to some of my contacts. We'll see if we can track her down." Alastor said. He'd made a deal with Charlie that he would assist her as long as he felt like it. And still, he gave her great entertainment.
And on top of that, he had begun to genuinely respect her. While he didn't believe that Demons could be redeemed, he did respect how passionate she was about trying.
Fortunately, Angel came staggering into the hotel in the next few minutes, just as they were preparing to go out. He was high as a kite, screaming and ranting and raving about Valentino and Charlie, virtually out of his mind.
"Angel. Come here. Have you by any chance seen Her Majesty?" Lysander asked.
"Ghhhuuu… Fuck Charlie… Sheesh can go… Shuck my cock…" Angel breathed, throwing a bottle of liquor at the wall, smashing it.
Clearly, he'd been drinking as well as doing cocaine.
"Angel! Talk to me! NOW! Where is she!" Vaggie screamed at Angel.
"Shesshh ahht… Val's plashe… An ish my faulh… I did thish tuh her… I betrayed her to Valentino… An now shesh jush another oneeah is whores…" Angel breathed, collapsing and going unconscious.