A/N:

Hi everyone! I hope you're having nice holidays! Just wanted to get one more chapter of this story up before the end of the year :) I hope you enjoy!

Partners

Chapter 67:

Calibrating for a Reckoning

Angel woke up early the next morning when his phone buzzed in the pocket of his pajamas. Eyes closed, he reached down and hit a button to silence it. With a sigh he blinked a couple of times, and his eyes took in the unusual (if not unfamiliar) surroundings.

A dim room, a warm bed, red blankets…Alastor at his side.

Angel smiled. The deer demon's head rested on the same pillow as Angel's, facing him, practically close enough to kiss. Alastor's smile was gone, along with his glow, but his brow was relaxed and easy. His ears twitched a few times, probably from the phone buzzing. Angel also realized they were still holding hands beneath the blankets as Alastor gave his a light squeeze before sighing in his sleep; his ears returned to their normal steady positions.

The spider smiled completely. Alastor was so cute and beautiful and sweet. After this mob mess was taken care of, Angel decided he really needed to bring up the subject of spending more than just the occasional night together. He wanted to wake up every day side by side with the deer, if possible. Being in love with him was so perfect.

Angel's phone gave another buzz from a new message. Just in case it was an emergency, he reached down with one of his hands and pulled up the device and checked the screen.

The first message (the one he had silenced) was from Molly.

'Tony! If you're up, come to the roof. Archie and I are up there. He snuck back here at dawn to get past Pops' men during their shift change. And he picked up fresh bagels! And coffee! It's all still warm! It smelled so good, I tucked in Husky and left him to rest."

The next message was from Niss.

'Tony — I got black and sweet for me, extra cream with light sugar for Molly, and extra sugar light cream for you. Some things a big brother never forgets, heh. Couldn't find cappuccino at this hour, but dark roast'll do in a pinch. If you're asleep and don't see this 'til later, don't worry about it. Or if you and Alastor are up, he's welcome to come along too. Either way, I'll save you bagels.'

Angel smiled. He wanted to let Alastor continue resting, and he sort of wanted some time alone with this brother and sister again anyway. He tucked away the phone. Then he carefully unwound his hand from Alastor's, replacing it with the corner of a pillow. Alastor cuddled close to the object as Angel suppressed a giggle and snuck over to their secret door and quietly went through.

Once in his room, Angel pulled out his phone again and pressed the little heart transmitter on the back — the one Alastor had given them so they could communicate through his microphone. If the deer woke up before Angel returned and made the microphone appear, the message would play for him instantly. "Hey Smiles — sorry if I'm not with ya for waking up. Needed to talk to the siblings. Thanks for the nice night. I love you so damn much." He pressed the button to end the transmission and tucked the phone away once more, still remembering the warmth of Alastor's bed and embrace.

Clearing his head with a dreamy sigh, Angel went to his closet and grabbed his usual robe and a couple of extras (because he knew Molly had probably forgotten to grab one of Husk's in her excitement about bagels, and he knew Niss would be stubborn and insist he liked the cold). Then he went out to the hall and headed up the stairs to meet them.

Angel opened the roof door and pulled the robe tightly around himself immediately as the cold morning air hit him. The sun was barely up and hell was pretty quiet — demons either hadn't started their days yet, or they had already ended their nights. He glanced around, wary about spies. Then a pink and white hand reached out from a small alcove between the tv antenna and some of the chimneys — Molly's hand. Angel snuck over, keeping low and to the ground. Once he reached the spot, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into their little hiding place.

Molly and Niss were sitting on the rooftop, protected by the chimneys from the wind and from view. Three paper cups with lids a bag of bagels were set between them.

Angel grinned but raised an eyebrow as he sat down too. "Morning! Uh, why are we out here exactly? It's freezing!"

"Eh, I like the cold, it's bracing. Keeps a man sharp," Niss remarked, puffing out his chest a little despite the slight chatter of his teeth — his suit jacket over his pajamas clearly wasn't cutting it for protection from the wind.

"And I just needed some fresh air after bein' stuck in the hotel these last few days, even if the fresh air feels like ice." Molly pulled in her knees, hugging herself close to keep warm.

Angel sighed. "Yeah, well, to make sure no one dies ironically from frostbite in hell, here ya go." He handed out the robes. Molly dove for hers eagerly, and Niss 'casually' did the same. They both sighed in relief from the warmth, and Angel did the same a moment later when he was sipping the hot coffee with half a scone in his mouth. "No decaf, right?"

"For us three? Never." Niss grinned.

The siblings raised their cups and made a little toast.

Between the chimneys they could see the pale red sky overhead.

Angel lowered his cup, smiling a little. "This is kinda nice actually. Reminds me of when we used to sneak around Pops' warehouses as kids, finding hiding spots."

"Hey, yeah!" Niss nodded, smiling too. "He'd tell me to watch you two, and all you wanted was to climb up into the rafters and jump out and surprise each other. And I'd climb after you cuz I was worried about you falling."

Molly nodded, her smile weak. "Then Pops would get so mad when we he finally came to get us. Saying we were gonna worry Mama doing things like that." Her eyes were far away as she added, "He never said HE was worried about us though."

Angel shrugged, looking away. "He ain't exactly good at admitting to emotions."

Niss rubbed the back of his neck. "And Ma was always…important to him."

Molly sighed and set her cup down. She looked from one brother to the next. "I know back then he seemed like somethin' special to us — so important and powerful, larger than life. And we thought if we tried our hardest, we'd be good enough for him. We thought that was love. But we were wrong." She frowned. "Maybe he ain't good at admitting emotions, but he didn't exactly have many nice feelings about us in the first place. And Mama was most important to him for proving himself as 'a man' and keeping up appearances. But he was not kind to her like how she deserved." She wiped at a tear.

"Molly?" Angel moved closer, frowning in concern. "Hey, sorry, we didn't mean to upset you."

"Ya don't deserve to relive the pain of everything like this," Niss offered, frowning too.

"I'm upset and remembering it anyway though cuz I need you both to understand that you can't trust him. Ever." Molly's gaze was firm. "We were never people to him, just a means to an end. Pieces of a legacy he decided we all owed him. Please, just trust me… And don't give him the benefit of the doubt today."

Angel bit his lip. "I mean…I couldn't, even if I wanted to, considering what he thinks of me…" He pulled in his knees.

Niss's brow furrowed in thought. "Molly, I don't want to go into today's meeting like we're planning an assassination attempt. Pops probably won't want to be close with us, but…maybe we can work things out enough to agree to disagree. Leave each other be in peace. And leave the future open?" He bit his lip. "After all, we got a long time down here, and people change…"

There was a tired look in her eyes as she took each of her brother's hands in her own. "Not him. He doesn't change." She swallowed, looking away. "You two…you weren't there the last few years we had on earth. Things happened." She squeezed their hands tightly. "He's not right. Just don't let him pull you even a little closer, because he will use it to hurt you. We got each other. We don't need him. We're enough on our own. Okay?"

Angel and Niss shared a concerned look.

Niss looked to their sister. "Molly…those years when it was just you without us…what happened?"

Angel swallowed. "Yeah. You never did explain how you died. With Pops and Ma, we just figured he finally got taken out by another crime family and she caught something a doc couldn't fix up. But you…"

She let go of their hands, eyes too wide. "I don't wanna talk about all that right now. I'm not ready." One of her hands rested on her chest, over where they knew her death mark was.

The boys shared another concerned look but then nodded.

"You don't have to," Angel assured, placing his hand lightly over hers on her heart. "You don't ever have to 'til you're ready."

"And we'll be prepared for Pops," Niss promised, taking up her other hand again and holding it gently. "So you don't have to worry about us."

She let out a sigh of relief and finally smiled again. "I'm real happy we're back together. I missed both of you so much, Tony, Archie."

"We missed you too, Molly," the boys said at once. Angel leaned his head on Molly's shoulder and Niss placed his hand on the opposite one. They all smiled peacefully, savoring each other's company.

A gust of wind passed through, making them all shiver. They separated, and all three took up their warm cups again and drank eagerly.

Angel sighed in satisfaction then glanced over at Niss, who had just pulled his hat down lower over his ears "So, Niss, did you actually leave and sneak off to see your squeeze last night? Ballsy considering the watch we're under. I'm impressed." He grinned.

Niss chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Hey, that's what you do for…you know, love or whatever."

Molly gasped, all brightness again. "Archie, are you really in love? I mean, I knew you two were gonna date but…"

"We still ain't said the words yet!" He held up his hands, blushing awkwardly. "I just…you know…it looks like we're heading in that direction." He tugged at his collar shyly. "I-I'm falling all the way for them, definitely. And I really think the feeling's mutual…" He was all red in his features, practically hiding in the robe with a shy smile.

"This is really damn adorable, Niss," Angel chuckled. "I can't wait to meet whoever did this to ya. Our triple date is going to be fucking precious."

Niss rolled his eyes but managed to regain some of his composure as he grabbed another bagel. "With your shy, super powered cervino boyfriend, and Molly's sweet gatito fella, how could it not?"

They snorted in some laughter.

Then they noticed Molly blush as she twirled a piece of her hair. "Ya know, speakin' of love…things between me and Husky, uh…already went in that direction. Just a few days ago." She giggled. "We finally said the words to each other and everything."

"Wait…you told Husk you love him?! And he said he loves you back!" Angel leaned in close, eyes starry with excitement. "Oh my god, you have brought out the most adorable side of that man, I swear!"

"Congratulations!" Niss grinned at her. "It's nice to see all that flirting and those clandestine dates between the two of you pay off." His eyes hazed. "For real, he's great, Molly."

"Yeah, you got a good one, sis." Angel winked. "I'm happy you're in love together. And Niss, I'm happy you and your girl are falling in love together. And me and Alastor, are… well, you know…gettin' there, mutually, I guess…" His smile faded slightly, then he blushed a little he looked down at his cup.

Molly noticed. She smiled gently, and shifted closer to him. "You love Alastor, Tony. And we can tell he cares a whole lot about you. We're all findin' in love, in our own ways and our own times. And it's good."

Angel nodded, smiling a little more as he glanced at her. "Yeah… It's good.

Molly nodded in return and kissed his cheek. She took another bagel as he grinned. "Speakin' of which, did everyone have nice nights?"

Angel blushed and giggled. "Yeah — I held Alastor's hand." When Molly and Niss raised an eyebrow, he explained with a grin. "Hey, I know I talk a big game in the bedroom but believe me, holding hands for us…means a lot. We slept that way all night. I loved it." His look became dreamy.

"Aww…" Molly cooed. She looked to NIss. "How about you, Archie? If you don't mind answering…" she quickly added.

Niss's smile quirked up on one side. "Actually, I got a kiss. Our first one. It was…amazing." He sighed, and there was a giddy look on his face.

"You kissed?!" Molly squealed. "Ah, I'm so happy you finally found the right time!"

"Hey, first kiss, congrats!" Angel raised his cup. "Very romantic, happening the night before a big battle." He nudged him as Niss just blushed and smiled more.

Finally Niss cleared his throat and took a swig from his cup, managing to move the conversation along. "Er…and how about you Molly?"

"Yeah, how was your night?" Angel asked, sipping his coffee too.

She held her head high. "Oh, I got felt up."

Both boys did spit takes.

"Molly! I am shocked and impressed!" Angel announced. He held up a hand and they shared a high five.

Niss just shook his head, trying not to laugh. "You always were the bold one of us, Molly. Did you at least leave Husk in one piece? He's gotta fight today, you know."

Molly nudged him, rolling her eyes. "Oh I didn't overwhelm a hair on his precious gato head." Then she blushed a little and added, "But…ya know…Husky and I haven't had many moments alone since we started goin' together. So gettin' the chance to spend the night with each other was really nice. He made me feel pretty. I like makin' him feel pretty too." Then she blinked, beaming. "Oh, and he helped me figure out how to do THIS!" Her second set of arms shot out.

"Hey, look at that!" Niss smiled.

"A natural born spider demon!" Angel grinned proudly.

She laughed and made the second set disappear again. "It's kind of fun. Still can't make the second set of legs go away, but…I think I kinda like having 'em. Makes me feel stable. Just gotta make sure to get all my shoes in double pairs."

"I hear ya — I gotta buy all my gloves in triples."Angel sipped his coffee.

"I had to learn to shoot with each set of hands at once. Handling gun recoil without shoulder support on the lower ones is a pain in the ass." Niss shook his head.

Angel nodded in agreement. Then his look brightened more and he turned to Molly again. "Hey, after this is all over, wanna go shopping and get extra shoes and new gloves and makeovers so we can make our men's jaws drop?"

She clapped her hands together, nodding eagerly. "Yeah, I'd love a shoppin' and salon trip! And I'd extra love the chance to surprise Husky!"

Niss smirked. "You two have fun! I'll keep your fellas entertained… and of course make sure they both got honorable intentions and everything. Gotta do my duty as your big brother, after all."

Both Angel and Molly elbowed him with blushes and grins.

"Hey, don't go making marriage and family cracks around Alastor, he'll short circuit!"

"And Husky'll take ya too seriously and propose just to be proper. If we get hitched, I want it ta come from the heart!"

"Okay, okay," Niss laughed. "I'll take it easy on 'em."

Angel took another deep sip of his coffee, finishing his cup. "Hey, maybe when your girl comes around she can join me and Molly on our little shopping trip while you hang with the fellas?"

"Yeah…maybe." Niss rubbed the back of his neck, looking down awkwardly into his own empty cup. "One step at a time."

"Fair enough," Angel shrugged, not pushing him.

Molly could see the bit of guilt on Niss's face and the awkward look on Angel's face, and she decided to move along the conversation. She quickly downed the last of her own cup. "Er, ya know, the coffee's getting cold and so are we. Why don't we head in? Angel and I can help ya get some pastries going for everyone for breakfast, Archie. What do ya say?"

Niss nodded right away. "Sounds good, I could use the help, and we could all use a solid breakfast today."

Angel stretched and sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm game. Can you make those anise biscotti? With the almonds? Ugh, I've missed those."

"You got it." Niss smiled at him then peeked out from their hiding spot. "Okay, coast is clear, let's go!"

The spiders snuck over to the roof door and headed quietly inside, ready to make breakfast and start their day and to face everything it would bring.

The spider siblings weren't the only ones waking up early on this fine day in hell.

A certain moth pimp overlord had just come to as well.

Valentino, of course, had no way to know it was morning time since he was currently on the floor in a dim room, bound and gagged, with a sack over his head.

The moment he opened his eyes only to see the coarse fabric all around him, he struggled in a rage. Immediately, he also became aware of the gag and the ropes (and the fact that all of these had been tied impressively well — he was used to bondage situations, and these were top-tier knots). Valentino flipped over a few times on the ground until he finally managed to wriggle his head out of the bag. He blinked his eyes behind the cracked lenses of his glasses.

The moth looked around, breathing heavily. The room was wide and tall with wooden walls and a concrete floor and no windows — just a single crappy lightbulb high overhead in the rafters. The air was damp, and there were dusty crates stacked everywhere. Basically it screamed 'basement', and not in the 'kinky sex dungeon' kind of way.

Rage building again, he sat up and tried to remember what had happened. Instantly though, a strong shot of pain passed through the back of his head and shut down his thoughts.

"What the hell hit me…?" Wait, he remembered now. Someone had bashed him in the head in his office back at the studio… He had read a message on his phone from that deranged mob spider, and then he'd been whacked and seen stars, and then nothing.

If not for the gag, Valentino's jaw would have fallen as he realized that he had been kidnapped.

Oh, he was going to fuck someone up big time for this one.

After a ridiculous amount of struggling that left his coat torn and sore body aching, Valentino finally managed to sit up, leaning against one of the crates. He sighed and accepted that he could be pissed off later — right now he had to calm down, lay out his situation, and consider his options.

He was trapped, he was tied up, and no one knew where he was. And he had no way to communicate with anyone, and no one to communicated with even if he managed to send some kind of message.

Well, all of that just left him rightly and truly fucked in the worst way possible.

He grumbled under his breath. On top of everything else, he was hungry. He mentally kicked himself for not eating Velvet's cookies back at the studio and felt like he would have given half his territory for a greasy chicken burger with fries and a cola right now.

How the fuck was he supposed to get out of this one?

"Good, you're awake."

Valentino nearly toppled over in surprise at being spoken to. He turned to see that a door had opened in the dark, and a familiar figure with red eyes was approaching him now. The moth tried to steel himself as the figure came under the light to reveal himself as Henroin…carrying a pocket knife.

Valentino's eyes widened a little, and something twisted in his stomach. For a moment, memories came back to him of his own early days in hell and the pimps he'd worked for and all the things they had done to him, and all the ways they had taught him to hurt others by hurting him themselves.

Henroin just walked forward though, almost bored, brought the knife to Valentino's face…and then cut the gag away with a single tear.

Valentino breathed heavily as Henroin took a few steps back and pocketed the knife. "Take it easy, Mister Valentino. You're in one of my warehouses. Rules of hospitality still apply, even here… as long as you don't try anything funny, of course."

"Hospitality…HOSPITALITY?!" Valentino thrust himself forward, looking up into the mob boss's unfazed red eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?! We had a deal! I still had 24 hours to make it work! And you go and double cross me, Mister 'High and Mighty Mobster'?"

All of Henroin's eyes narrowed, and Valentino swore he felt the room get a little colder. The spider's gravelly voice spoke. "A few corrections, Mister Valentino. First, we still have a deal — because I still don't have my son back. There remains a chance I might help you with your little Radio Demon problem…even if I'll definitely be taking care of our problem with Angel on my own terms. Second, with only 24 hours left, you still hadn't made any progress on holding up your end of the bargain… That's a very poor way to do business. So, consider your presence here as a kind of collateral. No one screws me over ever because I handle them BEFORE they can do it instead of AFTER. And third, you were not double crossed — I merely rearranged some of the terms of our arrangement to my benefit as the party holding most of the cards."

Valentino just watched him for a moment, eyes wide. Then his mouth twitched up on one side. A small laugh left him, and another, and another. "Wow. You really are some kind of twisted, gaslighting, manipulative piece of work, aren't you? And I thought I was the king of fucking with people, but you — shit, you've got balls." He shook his head. "No wonder both your kids ran off."

Henroin lurched forward. "I tossed one away, and the other one…got his head turned. He'll come back. And the third one never ran."

Valentino raised an eyebrow. "Wait, there's a third one? Three fucking spider brothers? Damn, that marketing practically writes itself. I'm guessing number three was straight just like number two since you didn't kick him to the curb, huh? Eh, I can work with that though. Anyone's willing to go gay if the pay is good enough."

A wet crack sounded through the warehouse as Henroin slapped Valentino across the face, twisting the moth's head in nearly the opposite direction. Valentino's ears rang as Henroin seethed and leaned in close, "The third one is my little girl, and somehow she's far away from the likes of this pit. And you will not talk about her like she's filth ever again."

Valentino slowly turned his head back around. His mouth was wet and he tasted salt and copper; he knew he was bleeding. He swallowed, the shock of the moment settling over him.

Henroin sighed and straightened up again. "See now, this is what I was talking about. We're happy to show you hospitality here…until you step out of line. Please don't make me do something like that again, it's very unbecoming for men of our station."

Some of the instincts of his early days of being submissive just to survive came back to Valentino now. And some part of him that still had common sense decided to take Velvet's advice from earlier and not let himself get killed all for the sake of maintaining his pride. He looked up at the spider. "Sure. Whatever you say. No mention of the girl ever again. In fact, let's not talk about any of your kids. Let's be cool… I just want to know what's gonna happen now."

"Hmm…" The spider's poise returned. He walked around Valentino, a hand to his chin. "Well, I've arranged to meet up with my former son not far from the hotel tonight, and I gave him an ultimatum — bring Niss or else. They're together, I can feel it. So if Angel knows what's good for him, he'll take the coward's way out and bring me Niss. Of course, the boy never did know what was good for him — he ended up with the likes you, after all, right?" He smiled a little while Valentino's blood boiled. "The much more likely outcome is that he'll show up without his brother…and possibly with a reinforcement or two; say, the Radio Demon."

Valentino nodded, acting like he was hanging on every word as he attempted to keep the spider talking so he could get every bit of info possible to prepare for how the hell he was going to escape as soon as he got the chance.

"Now, that outcome is where you come into play." Henroin put his arms behind his back, eyeing Valentino. "You're like a poker chip I can bluff with — I can twist Angel's arm by threatening to either hurt ya or help ya, whatever he likes or doesn't like. And if the Radio Demon does get involved before Angel gives up where Niss is… well, you'll certainly make a nice distraction for baiting him until my men can take him down."

Valentino just wanted to grab this guy and shake him. How dare he treat him like he was just a pawn… He was Valentino, overlord of lust!

Henroin shrugged and went on. "Either way, tonight is when this all ends, and then we can all part ways on good terms. And whatever's left of Angel after I knock some sense back into him is yours for the taking. That boy made his unnatural bed, let him lie in it."

Valentino scowled, bristling. He didn't give a shit what this guy had to say about Angel, but Henroin was staring at him now like HE was unnatural too. Valentino had always hated people who looked at him like that. He fucked whoever he wanted to fuck, and no stuck up straight suit was going to demean him for it. Not giving a damn about who slept with who was actually how he attracted a lot of his best performers when they first arrived in hell. All whores were equal in his book. And so many souls were willing to do anything for a change of pace from the judgment they got on earth. "Okay, well, glad you've got that all worked out for yourself. In the meantime, I'm guessing we've got a while before the big meeting. Does your hospitality mean I get something to eat and maybe a chance to clean off this blood?" He spit a red blob of spit onto the floor.

Henroin gave him a small smile again. "Some of my men will bring you towels and water, and a plate and a glass of wine. They'll untie you for a bit so you can stretch and clean yourself up. If you try anything, there are four dozen other men located throughout this warehouse, each with orders to fill you full of bullets on sight — enough to keep even an overlord down for weeks. I would not recommend trying anything. Capiche?"

Valentino took a deep breath in and out of his nose and just barely made himself nod.

"Good, good — smart man." Henroin straightened his tie. "Bongiorno, Signor Valentino. See you in ten hours when we leave." He strolled across the room and left, locking the door behind him in the dark.

Valentino instantly slumped back against the crates, breathing heavily, antennae slumped. "This is gonna be a shit ten hours, isn't it? At least if Vox was here I could watch some tv, heh. And Vel could provide the snacks." He almost laughed at the joke but couldn't muster more than an awkward smile.

He rested his head back against the crate and freely admitted to himself that being alone kind of sucked…and maybe if fate or whatever got him out of this one, he'd…think about not being alone anymore…by maybe shooting Vox a text saying 'Hey'. Maybe.

For now though, Valentino just wanted to rest while he had the chance. He would need all his strength and wits ready for whatever was coming later during this meeting. At this point he was just as okay with the possibility that Radio Freak would kill Henroin as he was with the possibility that Henroin would kill Radio Freak. As long as he could get out of this mess in one piece and could book a spa day (weekend…full week?) as soon as possible, Valentino would take whatever happened next and roll with it.

Vox was up pretty early today too, thanks to the alarm clock that was Vark. Barely after sunup the little shark liked to hop on Vox and start licking his face and growling playfully and gnawing the corner of his pillow until the overlord finally smiled and patted his head and sat up with a yawn.

Vox got himself dressed and ready for the day, then took care of some business calls as he straightened the bed and set out Vark's breakfast and put on some coffee. He wanted to get as much of his overlord shit taken care of as early as possible so he would be free later for whatever came up at Angel's meeting with his mob father. Vox just knew Valentino was going to be there and that Valentino was going to do something stupid. At least by going he could make sure Valentino's bad choices were maybe not lethal too.

Once he was caught up on all of his affairs and had a fresh cup of coffee in hand, Vox finally texted Velvet.

'Hey. When you wake up and see this, remember, I'm on Val duty tonight and you're on Vark duty. And on emergency duty, in case things get really bad and I fuck up and need saving too. kind of have things to live for now, and I really don't want to get bumped off by the embodiment of Angel's daddy issues.'

Vark came bounding into the kitchen now and lifted his head up right under Vox's hand. Vox patted and scratched him, kneeling down. "Hey — Auntie Velvet's gonna watch you tonight. But if she has to go out, are you gonna be super good?"

The blissfully unaware little shark just tilted his head, panting.

Vox sighed. "Look, I've essentially baby proofed this place by covering all the wires and putting padding on all the sharp objects and hiding any choking hazards in locked drawers, so at least you won't be in danger. But you also need to try and not chew up everything just because you're bored. Just for a few hours tonight, at least. I promise, I'm working on getting you a sitter or into some kind of daycare."

The little shark looked into Vox's eyes and then gave his screen face a big lick.

Vox coughed in surprise and then couldn't help smiling as he wiped off the drool. "Well, just do your best. And if you get lonely, even with Auntie Vel here, go sleep in Daddy's bed. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Purring, the little shark snuggled up against Vox's leg as the overlord straightened up and grabbed his coffee. The two of them went over to Vox's desk in the living room, where the overlord opened the window a few inches before sitting down. He picked up a round silver device the size of a marble, give it a zap with a wire from his shirt sleeve, and smiled as it hovered up into the air. He turned on the computer — on the screen appeared his apartment. The little device was a small flying drone camera.

His phone rang. Vox glanced at the screen then tapped a button.

Velvet's voice came through with a big yawn to start. "Vox…your text woke me up."

"Good morning to you too, Vel."

She sighed. "Also, fine, I'm on Vark duty and emergency duty. But if I have to save you, I'm not gonna be subtle. I plan to stab and pastry bomb everyone. Those are my terms."

Vox sighed. "Accepted. Just no angel shards ever again. I don't ever wanna relieve that radio tower fiasco."

"Sold." She yawned again.

Vark barked and put his front legs up on the desk to look at the phone.

"Hi Varky!" Velvet called out from the receiver. "Who loves you? Auntie Velvet does! Such a good boy!"

"Yes, he loves you too, Vel." Vox rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'm gonna keep an eye on the studio for now to see if and when Val heads out for this rendezvous tonight. I'm sending a drone camera into his office now."

"Oh my god, this is classic stalker boyfriend behavior. Maybe you two really should just fuck to get it out of your system? If you haven't already, I mean… I feel like something happened between you guys though — like a sappy, sexy kiss or something"

"Velvet, please don't talk about me sex and Val while I'm working — or ever." Vox ignored the blush in his screen and typed at his computer to program the drone. The little device flew out the window and headed over the porn studio. Vox watched the camera feed, and carefully navigated the drone around the side of the building to Valentino's office window. He knew there was a small crack in the corner of the glass from one night when Val had gotten a little too dramatic and tossed a lamp at the ledge. "Perfect…" The crack was in sight. The drone headed closer. "And…it's in!" Vox smiled as the drone passed into the office and hovered higher in the air.

Velvet sighed. "Let me guess, Val's sleeping at his desk surrounded by chicken sandwich takeout bags?" There was silence as she waited a moment for Vox to reply. "Vox?"

Vox's jaw had fallen open at the sight before him. The office was trashed (and not in a 'Val had a tantrum way'). All the furniture was toppled over, the desk drawers were open, papers were scattered everywhere, and on the rug was a small pool blood.

And no Valentino in sight.

But Valentino's cell phone was on his desk, smashed to pieces.

"Voxxy? What?" Velvet tried again.

Vox snapped out of his shock and grabbed the phone. "Vel, he's been nabbed! And hurt. Probably by that mob spider and his goons. It looks like they must have beat him down and dragged him away."

"Well, fuck — embarrassing Val THAT badly is OUR job!" Velvet huffed. "Okay, I'm getting out of bed and getting my coffee, and I'll be at your place in half an hour so we can strategize. Want any donuts?…Vox?"

In a very surprising turn of events, Vox had just found himself…blinking back tears. And he realized that his hand was clutching his suit over his heart. He shook his head to clear it and ignore whatever wave of emotion had come over him just now. "Yeah, uh…sorry, just…looking for any clues. These guys were thorough. But they didn't clean up — guess they want someone to know he's hurt and gone."

"Oh don't worry, Vox, Val's fine — you know he's too stubborn to die. Plus they would have left his corpse in the office if they were really going to kill him. Just hug Vark and I'll be there soon. With the donuts! Bye!" With that cheerful sendoff, Velvet hung up..

Vox sighed deeply and indeed started petting Vark. And he did feel better after a moment.

Then he stood up tall, jaw clenched into a jagged neon line. He shut down the drone, and turned off the computer. He put his arms behind his back, staring out the window, gaze cold, voice menacing. "Vark, boy, Daddy might be out a little later than he expected. Now he has to take care of some PERSONAL business." He grinned wickedly as his eyes and face glowed and sparking live wires snaked out from under his shirt.

Vark watched the display in awe then barked and hopped around with a smile, excited for whatever new game this was.

But this was no game, at least not to Vox. He was an overlord above all else. And he was about to bring the full weight and power and lethal quality of his electronic empire to bear.

The mob was going to be in for a shock — literally.

A/N:

That's all for now! Next two chapters are the big mob confrontation with a lot of drama and revelations and action — I hope you enjoy it! I'm sick at the moment and need some time to reset myself a bit so I'm going to be taking a longer break than usual with this story, but I'll be back in a few weeks once I'm well again. Thank you for your patience and understanding! I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

Thanks for your support!

-Azure129