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The warm sun clung to the horizon, refusing to set. Growing up, Val had loved to run the beaches and around the Coconut Beach area of Miami he, his sister and his mom called home. Bright and beautiful, it hid the shadows at the heart of the city but the Brownsville race riot loomed large in his memory. His family had crap thrown at them from all sides, from all races since the Latinos were newest to the area so they had to be the cause of the problems, right?
Mama and Estrella ignored things best they could and Mama had made a real go of it with her little club. What choice did she have when the bastard ran out? Val refused to think of him as a father. Right now Mama was fluttering around because Joe Donato was coming to play at the club. Jazz sax, Val rolled his eyes. Who cared about jazz? Estrella was worse with her disco nights. Why couldn’t either of them book a rock and roll act?
He shouldn’t care. Jazz, disco, rock, all the clubbers bought their drugs from him. Others took their chances with his girls. Mama would cry herself to sleep if she knew what he got up to. She thought he was gonna be the next Picasso once he got his community college art degree, like it mattered. His art dreams were gonna die. He’d be rich anyhow. Everyone wanted whores and drugs and the people of Miami wanted it more than most.
“Mijito, come inside. The mofongo and picadillo are going to get cold,” his mother called, pushing open the club’s back door into the alley where Val had been smoking.
In this summer heat? Val doubted it but he snuffed out his cigarette against the brick wall and made his way inside and to their top floor apartment. He loved his mother’s cooking.
# # #
Val woke from dreams of that faraway club, wiping at his tearing eyes. What would Estrella and Mama think of him now? Had they learned the kind of man he’d been? Probably after he ended up getting gunned down in the big kind of club his mother could only aspire to owning. He sat up in bed, drawng his knees to his chest.
Next to him on the mattress, Vox shifted. Val hoped he would stay asleep until he got under control. No one should see him vulnerable like this, but better Vox than Angel Dust. Vox’s screen lit up, lending a soft glow to the room. He reached over and stroked Val’s arm.
“You okay?”
“Fine,” he huffed. “Just had a dream.”
“Nightmare?”
Val shook his head, squinting down at Vox’s face. He could barely see Vox’s eyes, let alone his expression - damn his vision. Vox continued to soothe him with the soft caresses. “Just thinking about Mama and Estrella.”
“Your sister, you dream of her a lot.”
Valentino rested back against the mattress, curling on his side so he could look at Vox more clearly. “It was me and her against the world growing up but then…I don’t know. Her dreams were just a lot smaller than mine.”
Vox caressed Valentino’s cheek. “You and I don’t know what it is to dream small.”
He smiled. “No, we don’t. But I miss her. She could still be alive. I’d like to think of her that way.” Truthfully, when he was awake, he rarely thought about Estrella or his old life. But she had been one of the few people to not judge him – though she didn’t know his sexual preferences and wanton ways and being a good Catholic girl, might have judged him. He’d like to think not.
Vox made a soft sound, his electronic brow beetling. He rubbed his forehead.
“You okay, papi?” Vox wasn’t overly fond of when Val spoke Spanish to him but he didn’t mind that term of endearment.
“Just a sudden headache.”
“I hate that.” He hadn’t known Vox could get headaches, not really. After all, he was capable of ripping off his own head and exchanging it as technology upgraded which was weird and cool. Sure, Vox claimed to have headaches but Val wasn’t sure they felt them in the same way. His crappy eyesight gave him headaches all the damn time.
“Just need more sleep.”
Val took that as a hint. He settled his head on Vox’s chest. He liked to feel him breathing. It was one of the few times – other than when luring someone into a contract – that he allowed himself to be ooey gooey and silly tender. When he fell back asleep no Florida sun awaited him.
# # #
He’d slipped on his best kicky heels because after the upsetting dream last night reminding him of things he actually missed, Val needed to feel sexy and in control. And it didn’t help that Vox had woken up headachy and in a bad mood. Val had fled their bedroom as quickly as he could while Vox was roaming around muttering threats under his breath.
Val’s heels clicked across the room as he approached Velvette’s photo shoot. She side eyed him, half expecting him to do something dramatic and mess up her models. He didn’t give a damn about them except one. Angel was looking petulant and hotter than the Miami sun in his bondage-please black leather ensemble. If he didn’t know he’d hear about it from Vox, he’d drag Angel off and fuck him good and hard before setting him loose in the studio. But Vox was in such a mood. Val usually did whatever he wanted. That was his and Vox’s understanding but today that seemed like it would be unnecessary drama.
“Fair warning,” he said to Velvette. “Vox has a bug up his ass.”
She made a disgusted noise. “Why now?”
“He was mumbling something about someone bothering him and a bunch of that techno babble.” Val shrugged. He didn’t mind when Vox went off on a tech ramble but he also couldn’t follow half of it. “So, he’s acting like I pissed in his coffee this morning.”
Velvette curled her lip. “He better not bring that bad mood around here. I’ve enough to worry about. What did you want? It wasn’t just to warn me about Vox.”
“Was wondering if I was getting Angel before lunch or not?”
“You said I can have him until lunch. But maybe.” She swept back some of her hair. This was a particularly pretty wig. “At least he’s hitting his marks unlike some people,” she added loudly making several models jump. “We’re trying to sell Valentino’s big blockbuster, you cunts. Why is it only Angel looks like he wants to be here? He doesn’t even like pussy.”
“Hard to play off someone who doesn’t approve of you,” Tiffany Titfucker said.
Val had gotten inspiration from an old Broadway show but instead of Jets and Sharks Angel and Tiffany ran rival brothels. Velvette was more interested in marketing the lesbian side of the movie at the moment.
“And some of us aren’t good actors,” Angel shot back.
“Dammit!” Vox stormed in, nearly blundering into a camera.
“Ugh, take twenty,” Velvette said and Valentino waved Angel over. He couldn’t resist running his fingers through that chest fluff, something Vox was decidedly missing. Vox eyed Val and Angel sourly and then his screen glitched, taking everyone by surprise.
“Vox, you okay?” Velvette asked.
“Some fucker is trying to hack into my system.”
Angel stifled a laugh and Vox glared daggers at him. “Someone must wanna double die,” Angel said.
“I will make it happen, if I catch whoever this is.”
“Ya ain’t gonna black out the whole city again, are ya? That was annoying.”
“Angel, baby, let’s not poke the shark.” Val put a restraining hand on Angel’s shoulder. He’d slap him into next week for Vox but he hadn’t ruled out a nooner and didn’t want to be tasting blood on Angel’s lips. “I need you in good shape for later.”
“It’s gonna be an easy shoot today.”
“Si pero esta noche quiero perrear,” Val said, though plans for going out dancing tonight might have to be changed. He wouldn’t leave Vox in this state.
Vox groaned. “Val, what have I told you about not understanding you when you talk like that?”
Angel’s eyebrows rose as Valentino made a face. “He don’t know Spanish, babe?”
“And the empty headed whore does?” Vox growled, his screen glitching worse this time.
“Vox, don’t start and amorcito, behave.” He tugged Angel’s chest hair. “Think you can go get me a coffee? You know type I like.”
Angel looked at Vox and said, “Esto en un mamey, corazoncito.”
“That’s you not behaving, Angel baby,” Val said, a little moth-squeak welling up. Satan fuck him, he hated that. At least Angel was willing to play fetch and carry.
“I don’t know why you keep him around. He’s such a pleasant person,” Vox growled, looking ready to slap Angel himself.
“At least he can learn Spanish.” Velvette laughed.
“He’s a Dago. Italian isn’t that different.” Vox waved her off.
“I’m gonna get that coffee,” Angel grumbled, his fists clenching at Vox’s slur. He knew better than to let loose with that temper of his. “You said twenty minutes, Velvette?”
“Fifteen now so you’re going to want to hurry that scrawny ass.”
“Fiiine.”
“Seriously, Val,” Vox said once Angel was underway. “Why do you keep that dumb prick around?”
“Do you want me to get bored? You know how I am.” Val couldn’t even contemplate monogamy. Could Vox? Didn’t matter, he knew what he had signed up for with Val. “Angel has very entertaining holes and he makes me a fortune.” He glanced at Vox. “And he learned some Spanish for me.”
Vox’s glower was cut off as his entire screen went back and he stumbled back. Both Velvette and Val lurched forward catching his arms, keeping him from falling. Val guided him to a chair and sat him down.
“Vox, is there anything I can do?”
Vox shook his head. “I have to track down whoever this is. I need to talk to the twins.”
Val made a face. He didn’t like the twins, didn’t understand them but the ladies had zero interest in him and all the interest in the world in how computers and phones worked. They were some of Vox’s best tech heads, according to Vox. If Vox wanted Angel gone, it was the twins Val wanted to see the back side of. He hated they might be able to help when he couldn’t. “Do you need help getting there?”
“I’m fine. I’ll have them meet me in my office.” Vox stood back up and walked out on shaky legs.
Velvette’s expression softened. “He’s going to black out the whole city again. When your pink twit comes back with the coffee, send him to me. Maybe I’ll get the shoot in before that happens.”
“I’m not going to be that lucky.” Valentino stared at the door Vox had gone through. “I’ve never seen this happen before.”
“Really?”
Sometimes it was easy to forget Velvette hadn’t been dead nearly as long as him or Vox. She shot to the top so fast. “Not like this, no.” He couldn’t quite keep the worry out of his tone but Vox was right. This was not something Val could help with.
She frowned, pushing her trailing hair back out of her eyes. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
Val absolutely hated it.
# # #
The power stayed on. Angel had brought back the coffee with extra pumps of chocolate and caramel and had gone the extra step of getting it swirled high with whipped cream and cinnamon sugar. It was his way of apologizing for being a prick to Vox as if he and Vox weren’t always pricks to each other. It’s what kept things lively as far as Val was concerned. Watching them rage fuck at Val’s instigation was a turn on. He doubted Angel or Vox saw it that way but since Vox got to humiliate someone he hated, he didn’t complain.
As a reward for the coffee, he let Angel do some of the topping in the scene they managed to shoot since whatever was going on with Vox hadn’t blacked out the city. Val hadn’t really expected Vox to drop by the studio – he rarely did – but him not answering Val’s texts was worrisome. Val texted the ladies who guarded the door to the penthouse only to find Vox hadn’t returned there to at least lie down and ride out his headache. He was probably still in the office trying to figure out who was trying to hack into him.
After giving over directing the minor scenes to Travis, Val went off in search of Vox. After not finding him that office, he checked in with Velvette. She was busy working on her potions. Whatever this one was, it smelled bad. He fanned his face, stepping inside.
“What is this piss?” he asked.
She shot him stink eye. “Lover’s Revenge. Your partner cheated on you? Did they hit you? Did they sell your private collection of junk you don’t really need? Did they gamble away the rent? Give them some of this. It’ll give them the shits and make them vomit for days.”
“So…poison.” He shrugged. “Don’t give any to Angel as a tester like you usually do.”
“Nah, he’s good for the lust potions and knock out drugs. If it can knock that crack whore out, it’ll take down anyone.” Velvette laughed. “And as if I’d stink the penthouse up with this.”
“Have you seen Vox? He’s not answering his texts.”
“I’ve noticed. He’s not here. You know where he probably is,” she replied.
“With the sharks.” Valentino sighed. He was not a huge fan. Maybe it had been growing up in Florida and having one of his best buddies lose an arm surfing in Jupiter Inlet that made him uneasy with sharks. “I’ll go check.”
“Give me five minutes and I’ll go with you.”
“I’ll be outside getting fresh air.”
“You mean you’re going to stand in the hall and smoke.”
“That too.”
Once Velvette had completed whatever critical step she needed to, they both headed for the Aquariums and found Vox there, making baby noises to Shok.Wave. Val rolled his eyes.
“Voxie, if you’re well enough to play kissy face with that…thing, you could have texted me back,” Val said.
“I needed time alone,” Vox replied, stepping away from the glass. He walked over to his chair and dropped into it so heavily that Val realized how weary Vox really was.
“Did the twins have answers?”
“It’s definitely someone trying to get inside my network, someone who wants to be pulled apart painfully.” Vox rubbed his screen.
“Could it be the twins?” Val hoped he didn’t sound too enthusiastic for that idea. That would be one way of eliminating the annoyance that was the twins.
“Why would they?”
“They know your system. Maybe they think they can take your empire away,” Val replied.
Vox raised a hand and started to reply but shut his mouth, thinking on what Val said.
“He has a point.” Velvette sat down at the desk. “If they didn’t find an answer to your problem, maybe it’s because they’re the problem.”
“I don’t think they have any interest in running an empire or pissing off you two,” Vox replied but he didn’t sound a hundred percent sure of himself.
Shok.Wave swam close to the glass and Vox waved at it, as proud as any pet daddy. Valentino doubted Angel Dust loved the pig he’d given him as much as Vox loved his dumb shark.
“Anyway you can backtrack this at all? Maybe ask someone other than the twins just in case?” Velvette interlocked her fingers and rested her elbows on the desk and her chin on her fingers. “I know how to use digital media but…I don’t really know that much about how computers work. I don’t know how you do since you died like a million years before they were a thing.”
Vox scowled at her. “I keep up with technology. It’s how I reached my…followers if you will.”
Val mouthed ‘cult’ to Velvette and then said, “Velvette has a point, Corazón.”
“If I can’t backtrack this person myself, I’ll-”
Whatever Vox was about to say was lost as his screen filled with multi-colored lines and then faded to the blue screen of death as he clawed at his face. Vox’s arms fell to his sides and he slumped over with a pain-filled moan.
“Vox!” Val and Velvette cried as one. Val raced to his side as Velvette crawled on top of the desk, reaching for him.
Vox sat back up, panting, his screen still not back. “I can’t see! The room is spinning.”
“Can he actually vomit?” Velvette asked worriedly.
“I’ve…never seen him do that. Do you need to lie down, Vox?” Val stroked Vox’s back.
“I need this prick’s head on a stick!” Vox’s fingernails cut ruts into the desk.
“And I’ll help you get it but I think you need to go rest. Is there another person who might help other than the twins?” Val tried to get him to stand up.
Vox did, swaying. He rested heavily against Val’s body. “Baxter.”
“Who?”
“The little fish prick of a mad scientist, the one who created Shok.Wave.”
Val made a face. Did he remember a fish prick?
“I know him,” Velvette said, surprising him. “You get Vox upstairs and I’ll round Baxter up.”
“Okay. Come on, Voxie.”
Val walked Vox to the elevator and into their penthouse. He tried to get him into bed but Vox balked. “You need to rest.”
“I’m not meeting with Baxter flat on my back. At least my vision’s back.”
Of course not. Vox was too proud. Val sighed and installed him on the couch. He gestured to Kitty. “Make him a mojito,” he told the robot who raced to obey. “The mint and rum always make me feel better. I know it can’t fix this problem but one can’t make it worse. Three maybe.”
“One is fine. Thanks Val.” Vox rested back on the couch cushions, exhausting written over his face.
Val put on some soft music, the old stuff Vox liked and he personally hated but it wasn’t about him right now. He sat next to Vox and took his hand. Sitting quietly was also something he didn’t excel at but sensed Vox needed the silence. The expression on his face said he was elsewhere, which might be the literal truth as he searched for the bastard causing him the technical difficulties and hurting him so.
Vox came back to himself a little as Kitty presented him the drink. He sipped the mojito, going more loose limbed on the couch. “Did you get your shoot done?”
“I did. It came out great, guess I’m going to have to let Angel top more often. He looks pretty while doing it.”
“Just so long as you don’t get ideas of him trying to top me,” Vox warned.
“Of course not, papi. I wish I could help you. I wouldn’t know where to start.” Val pouted. He wanted to be the good lover, the better partner, but in this he was lost.
Vox squeezed his hand. “You can help me destroy whoever is doing this.”
Vox gasped and Val steadied his hand so he wasn’t wearing his mojito. Vox’s screen flickered again and a vicious look flashed over his face when he came back to himself.
“Definitely help me destroy him.”
Val kissed the top of Vox’s head. “Slow and painfully. And then feed him to your shark.”
A vicious grin flicked across Vox’s face. “That’s the plan.”
The door to the penthouse opened and Velvette swept in with Baxter, looking almost tall next to him. He carried a laptop and wore an excited expression.
“Velvette said someone is trying to break in,” Baxter said without waiting to be addressed. “That is audacity at its finest.”
“Less praising the bastard and more helping Vox find him.” Velvette propelled Baxter forward.
He fussed with his goggles and put his laptop on the coffee table. He sat on the floor. “Let’s see what’s happening.”
Val didn’t do much with electronics, preferring to let postproduction in the hands of people who enjoyed that boring sort of thing. He had no idea what Baxter was doing, muttering under his breath as his fingers tapped on the keys. He and Vox made suggestions and inquiries back and forth that bored Val. He got up, stepped out onto their huge balcony, and smoked for a while. Velvette joined him.
“Do you trust the fish prick?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t know him. He’s far too ugly for porn and I wasn’t around watching how he made that dumb shark for Vox.”
“Yeah, I don’t trust him either,” she said as if that had been his answer. “But he seems to know what he’s doing.”
“I hope so. This can’t go on. Voxie doesn’t deserve to suffer like this,” Val said even knowing that probably he did. They all did but they were Pride’s elite. They deserved better.
“Son of a bitch!”
At Vox’s loud curse, they both ran back inside. Vox was on his feet and Baxter was nodding his head at his computer screen.
“It’s right here, a malicious bit of code and you know how hackers love to sign their coding.” Baxter tapped a nail to his screen. “I’d know Trinität’s handiwork anywhere. She is trying to take you down.”
“Who the hell is that?” Velvette asked.
“Trinität works for Neu. He’s my closet competitor.” Vox pressed his palms against his forehead. “They’re probably trying a hostile takeover.”
“Let’s go find the bitch,” Val growled.
“Trinität usually hangs out at The Battery,” Baxter said. “It’s on Neu’s territory.”
“Not for long.” Vox balled up his fists, took two steps toward the door, and stumbled back as he glitched again.
“You stay, Vox. Leave this to me and Val.” Velvette grinned viciously.
Reluctantly Vox nodded and sat back down. Val loaded up his pistols. He was going to enjoy this.
# # #
Val leaned back, kicking his heels up on Vox’s desk, his clothing a total loss. He’d ditch it shortly. Vox was busy watching the blood-clouded water.
“There’s another piece over there.” He tapped on the glass. “Go get it. Who’s the best sharky in the world?”
Val rolled his eyes and exchanged grins with Velvette. “You feeling better, Corazón?”
“I feel great. I’ll feel better when I put Neu on his knees for this stunt but for now watching what’s left of Trinität chum the water is enough.” Vox didn’t look away from the aquarium glass, pressing his face against it.
“Glad to hear it,” Velvette said and off Val’s look, she added, “I’m a mess and I can’t be seen like this. I’m going for a nice long hot bath and leave you two to your celebrating.”
Vox waved with a mumbled goodbye, grinning as Shok.Wave snapped up another piece of Trinität. Val stood and strolled over to Vox. He stroked Vox’s hip.
“Velvette has a good idea. Let’s take this to the hot tub and celebrate.” He tipped Vox’s head up to meet his gaze. “You look so much better.”
“I feel better. I’m going to have to see if I can patch that loophole better. I can’t go through this again.”
“I sure as fuck hope not. I felt miserable for you.” Val leaned down for a kiss. “And now I feel like celebrating.”
Vox locked fingers with him and they raced for the elevator. Val might not have been able to help his lover but he sure as hell could make him feel better now. He’d make Vox’s screen fritz out in all the best ways.