Black Coffee

Chapter 8: How to Find the Perfect Gift

      "Ozzie, baby! How are you doing?"

      It had been a week since Alastor confided in you about the injustices he and his mother endured, and you had gone to work the very next day to procure your gifts. Unfortunately it was taking longer than expected, so you'd decided to give your old friend a call. It was time to expand your search network and you knew Ozzie would at least know who to ask for this particular information.

       "Vixy! I'm doing well! Hey Froggy! Vixy's on the phone!" You heard Ozzie calling to his partner and couldn't help your soft smile. Ever since Fizz got kidnapped the two had become far less concerned about others perception of their relationship. Hell, Ozzie even backed Fizz up when he quit working for Mammon. You wished you could have witnessed it live, but you had caught recordings of his epic two minutes notice.

       "Hey Vixy!" You heard Fizz in the background, hopefully not trying to cook- those sounded like pots and pans rattling.

       "What's up? It's not like you to be up before noon." Asmodeus, ever the observer.

       "Well darling, I need your help finding a couple of sinners. I thought you might know how I might find them."

       You explained the situation to the best of your ability without revealing details, simply giving the men's names and the fact that they hurt a friend of yours. No need to spread around Alastor's heartbreak unnecessarily.

      You had been able to get the names of your two targets out of Alastor as you'd talked the next day, before he left. You made sure to send most of your weed with him- the amount of emotion he'd expelled was something you doubted he was used to. The man seemed to bottle everything up and mask his pain, converting what he could into fury and sass. It was something you understood all too well.

       You finished your conversation with Ozzie and your grin grew wide; you knew exactly where to find your dear targets. And it should be easy to offer an exchange.

      You stopped by Rosie's on your way to Vee Tower and asked her to check in on Alastor, telling her he could use a friend, but leaving it at that. You had to assure her that your relationship was doing perfectly well, but that it wasn't your story to tell- she knew right away what you you were referring to. She gave you a strong hug and thanked you for telling her before shooing everybody out to close for the day.

      When you arrived at Valentino's floor you stepped into the bathroom to check your outfit. You knew Val was more into men, so you had worn a tight black suit and bow tie, hair tied into a loose braid. Granted, it did nothing to hide your feminine qualities but hey, you worked with what you had.

     You took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom and to his secretary's desk.

      "Vixen! Hi, um, Val is kinda busy right now. I don't know when-"

        You walked past her, giving her a wave and a smile before opening the door. You were expecting sex, but what you saw halted your steps, your blood  going cold.

        "Angel..." your voice came out as a whisper. Neither Val or Angel noticed you slinking forward, eyes flashing with predatory joy. It looked like you wouldn't need to worry about negotiating after all.

       Angel's teary eyes widened in disbelief as you stalked closer, your lips heating with poison before planting a soft kiss to Valentino's shoulder.

       The moth jolted before his body went limp. You pointed at him and vanished his body into a pocket dimension. You had plenty of time to convince him to let a few employees go. Right now, Angel needed help.