Private Detail

Private Detail is a romantic suspense novel and contains stalking, obsessive ex behavior, attempted kidnapping, gun violence, physical assault, injury, hospitalization, and the nonconsensual creation/distribution of AI-generated intimate images.

The romance is adult and consensual.

Nia Vale Does Not Need Saving — Nia

Nia Vale knew three things about gaming conventions: someone would cry, someone would ask about a line she barely remembered recording, and someone would test security before the day was done.

“To be honest, I ad-libbed that line with Leilianna.” Nia smirked. “The whole game, she’s looking for her brother, dealing with a meth head cousin, and we’re in the apocalypse. It stands to reason she was going to be sick of the shit sooner rather than later.”

The woman in front of her nearly cried. “It was the way you delivered it. I mean, every time I hear the conviction in your voice, I get goosebumps.”

Nia smiled widely, closing her eyes as she adjusted her position in the uncomfortable egg chair. “Thank you. I mean… I do this because, yeah, it’s fun, but more than that, I want to know how the audience was moved. Video games have a life of their own. The story has to sell. It has to be something bigger, suck you in, captivate you, and stay with you long after the credits roll.”

The room erupted into clapping, with a few people chanting Nia’s name.

Nineteen years. That was how long she’d been doing this. Nineteen long years, and nothing had dulled her love for premium voice acting.

As the mic was handed off, Nia sat back in her chair, ready to let her co-stars answer some questions. No luck there. The woman who grabbed the mic stood up quickly.

“I also have a question for Nia!”

“Everyone has a question for Nia.” Mark Evans, her co-star, laughed into his mic, but Nia knew that tone.

The girl ignored him and continued. “Last month, you had an interview in Gaming Weekly, and the interviewer basically told you that voice acting wasn’t real acting. That he doubted you could perform the same way on screen.”

A row of boos sounded across the room, and Nia pursed her lips, glancing off to her right to see her best friend and publicist, Imani, shaking her head no. What was the no for? Well… Nia knew, but she was about to ignore that.

“Now see…” She rubbed her forehead, and a few chuckles sounded off. “How do I say what I want to say, but nicely?”

Mark blew a raspberry. “When have you ever been known to temper your responses?”

“That part.” Nia chuckled. “I also don’t want to add fuel to the fire or sound haughty.”

“But you can be!” someone yelled.

Nia stuck her tongue out playfully, tapping her index finger and thumb together.

“If you ask me, and this is just my opinion, voice acting is harder because the audience doesn’t see my face to sell what I’m saying. The level of emphasis, tone, and pitch all correlate into how I’m believed as this character. Many games now use facial capture systems, and that helps, but when you think of your favorite movies… what’s the first thing you do?”

Nia waited, crossing one leg over the other as she looked at the woman.

“Your favorite line,” the girl answered.

“Exactly. You hear, ‘I am Marcus Decimus Meridius,’ and immediately, you get the goosebumps and feel the power and weight behind those lines. Great physical acting is one thing, but being able to deliver a line with conviction? That’s another.”

Clapping continued, and Nia went on.

“He can believe what he wants, but the fact that I’m sitting up here now, with multiple triple-A games under my belt and a fan following, says something.”

The girl nodded and sat, and thankfully, the next question was for Mark.

Nia tapped her fingers against her knee, purposefully looking away from the direction Imani stood. The hall was filled, people lined up against the back wall. Cameras stayed on her, pictures being taken every so often. This was normal. This was life for Nia Vale.

She started voice acting when she was sixteen with Eidolon Crown, an indie fantasy game that quickly rose to fame after just six months. Nia played a side character named Selie, an elf who was a romance option that could only be unlocked through very specific interactions and a side quest most players never picked up.

People loved her character, the facial expressions, and her witty lines, most of which Nia ad-libbed.

That led to Sovereign Zero, a sci-fi game that, to this day, sold incredibly well and had won Game of the Year. It also won Nia Voice Actress of the Year. She played the villain in that one, a lawful evil woman fanboys threw themselves at.

Voice acting led to body modeling, and here she was nineteen years later, the number one video game voice actress in the world. Six-time winner of the Best Performance award, two-time winner of the Industry Icon award, and last year, she’d even snagged an award for Best Esports Host.

Nia Vale was a titan. A myth. The woman to look up to. The woman to aspire to. If you wanted the game to sell? You got Nia. If you wanted awards for storytelling? You got Nia. It was that simple.

“I’ve been waiting to ask Nia this question all night.” An excited teenage boy stood up, his hands visibly shaking. “First, I want to say the first game I played with you in it was Eidolon Crown, and you were as old as I am now. You’re fucking amazing.”

The crowd laughed.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to cuss.” He chuckled. “Second, everyone knows Daichi Moriyama.” The crowd began to whisper. “He’s teased story bits… a little ten-second trailer… and a three-second clip with a voice we all know.”

Nia smiled widely, waiting for him to finish.

“Moriyama hasn’t made a game in ten years. He hasn’t had to. Throne of the Drowned Star still sells hundreds of thousands of copies, and there was a DLC released last month.” The boy’s voice was shaky. “I know your voice, and no one has said a thing… are you going to be in Moriyama’s new game?”

NDAs… they made things so difficult, even when presented with concrete evidence like this.

But she was a professional. Moriyama called her as soon as he fleshed out the story, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer. It was, “I need you to be the voice, or I can’t and won’t do the game.”

She’d been dying to work with the man… so the answer was always going to be yes.

“For Moriyama to choose anyone in his games is one of the highest honors anyone could receive. I’m sure everyone up here would agree.”

The murmurs and head nods confirmed it.

“If Moriyama asks me, the answer will be yes, but I also know he plays everything close to the chest. Long campaigns, so when he tells you something? And I know something?” Nia laughed. “I will say more, but as for now? I hope I get chosen.”

Before the boy could follow up, the mic was snatched away, and Nia blew out a soft breath as the host announced it was time to wind down.

Mark leaned over, covering his mic as he spoke. “So, you did get it?”

“I put in a bid. Who knows?”

“There are no bids with Moriyama.” He snorted. “Congratulations.”

To say thank you would be acknowledging him, so Nia winked. “Send me flowers when it actually happens.”

***

“Move back! Line to the left!” security yelled.

“Brilliant job on the Moriyama question.” Imani linked her arm with Nia’s. “Gaming Weekly is definitely going to call me about what you said, but such is life.”

Nia scrunched her nose playfully. “Like you don’t have that covered.”

“I do, but…” Imani stopped hard, jerking Nia with her. “Can we move the pole back, like, five feet? That is way too close, and I would like security standing here on the left and right, please.”

“Imani,” Nia sighed. “These are teenagers.”

“Ravenous things, and I don’t care. Remember Paris? I never want to be surrounded by that many hormonal, sweaty teen boys again. It was a nightmare. Why do they all smell like that?”

Nia placed her hand over her face. “Stop.”

“If you can afford the con, you can afford deodorant.” Imani sighed, watching as security fell into place before she sat down at the booth.

“How many today?” Nia lifted a hand and waved at the hundreds in line.

“The first fifty are VIP subscribers to your website, the next hundred are Moriyama Studios S-list crew, and the next seventy-five chose the Vale package for the con.” Imani shook her head. “How many do you want to take after that?”

Damn… she really was going to be here all day.

“Let’s stop after the Vale package. I’m going to be hungry.”

Imani nodded. “We’ll keep them moving, but…” She placed both hands on the table. “Miss ma’am, that means you need to be on your P’s and Q’s about not chatting.”

“I have to be friendly, Imani.”

“You ain’t got to ask about their life and their momma. Girl, please.” She sat up, pushing her Fulani braids behind her back. “I’ll be hungry too, damn.”

Nia chuckled. “I’ll do my best, boss lady.”

***

“And then in Eidolon Crown, once you possess the Reinhardt Quartz, the way your character says, ‘Do you have any idea what you’ve done?’ I get chills every time!” The young girl in front of Nia was bouncing from one foot to the other. “Do you really ad-lib lines?”

“Not unless I’m given permission.” Nia smirked. “I have to feel it, you know?”

“Hey, kid, you have to move along!” security yelled, making the fan wince.

Nia narrowed her eyes, placing her hand on top of the girl’s. “You’re good, and thank you for coming to see me today. It means a lot to me.”

It was the way the girl’s eyes melted, softening to a glisten as she nodded and tried to blink away tears.

“There aren’t many Black voice actors, and none of them are like you.” She sniffled. “I feel like you get me… and I’m so glad you made it.”

“Hey.” Nia enclosed her hand around the girl’s. “Do you play games? Got a channel?”

She gasped. “Yes.”

As Nia let go of her hand, the girl fumbled in her rabbit-shaped purse for her phone.

“Kid! Come on!”

“Just a second,” Nia called out. “Please.”

The girl held her phone up, and Nia pulled out her own, taking a quick picture. “I’ll follow you and leave some comments after I watch a few videos. You can do it too.”

The tears really started then. “Thank you! Thank you, Nia.”

***

As the day finally ended and Nia and Imani sat in the back of Nia’s security vehicle, she laid her head back on the cool leather seat.

“I am beat… we need tacos.”

“Hm, well, good thing we don’t have to go far.” Imani looked out the window at the myriad cosplayers. “Should I order something to meet us when we get back to your place?”

“Please? Steak and ground beef only. I’m ovulating, and I need the protein.”

“Bitch,” Imani laughed. “It is not that deep.”

“To you.”

Just then, Nia’s phone went off. The Imperial March played, meaning Daddy Dearest was calling.

“Are you on your way home?”

Nolan Vale was not a man to say hello, and he hardly ever said goodbye. He would finish his statement, ask for confirmation, and hang up the phone.

“Yes. Why?”

“How was it?”

Nia took a deep breath. She knew what was on his mind: the attempted kidnapping last year.

“Dad, I am fine. Imani is fine. Everything was great.”

She understood his need for security. She absolutely did. That wasn’t the problem. It was his overbearing nature and his inability to see past one mistake.

“Good. Come straight home. My office.”

Nia sat up. “Dad—”

“We need to talk.”Something Close to His Heart