chapter Eleven
"She's a vampire," Ringo told Donatelli . "Fox must have turned her the night she got hit by the car."
"Interesting." Donatellisat back in his wrought-iron chair at a cafe inside the Venetian's shopping complex.
Ringowished his employer would have chosen a more private location. Generally speaking, Ringo liked to stay quietly in the shadows, a good habit for an assassin, and this hotel was always crammed with people rubbernecking at the fake sky and indoor gondola ride.
"It's just beautiful," he heard one woman say to her plump companion as they stared at the ceiling mural.
Ringohad to disagree. He also had to swallow hard and force himself to ignore the pounding rush of blood in the women's bodies.Always, always hungry. He fed, he just wanted more. Now that he had taken from both Katie and Dawn, the stripper, he was no longer satisfied with bagged blood. He yearned and ached to hold warm flesh close to him, to feel their shudder of pleasure when he sank into their veins and drew hot juicy blood up and out.
Both those feedings had been paired with sex, making it all that much more addictive. These tourist women didn't inspire sexual feelings in him, but the blood did. He was hard at the thought of feeding again. And on the other hand, the women were not unattractive. Even the curvier one waspretty, and big breasted. It would be damn satisfying to give them pleasure like they'd never known, to make them scream like Dawn had. He could take one then the other, back and forth
"Did you know Williams never came back?" Donatelli asked, stirring sugar into his coffee.
Ringolooked at him blankly, the women still stealing his attention as they bent over to inspect a vase in a shop window. He wondered briefly if Donatelli was going to drink the coffee, why older vampires could drink liquids besides blood, and how the Italian had gotten his status as major vampire player in the first place, before he became fully aware of what Donatelli had even said.
"He didn't come back? Where did he go? Is he dead?" Ringo was having a hard time concentrating on their conversation. It felt like he was under water, with everything trailing and cloudy.
"I don't know where he is. He went to Carrick's casino, and never returned. I can only assume he is dead or allowed himself to be caught by Carrick. With Smith still out of commission, I need you to retrieve Williams and bring him back to us."
"And the girl?"
"No need to do anything about her. We'll just let it be known in the Nation that Fox has a fledgling. His first ever, I believe. Excellent timing for me that he'd choose now to be a hypocrite." Donatelli smiled, but there was no warmth to it. "Maybe I should send him a thank-you gift."
Ringo'seyes wandered over to the women again. The petite one met his gaze. Her smile fell off her face and she shivered, gave a sharp intake of breath. The soccer mom was afraid of him. Ringo turned back to Donatelli . "A fruit basket?" he asked, letting his sarcastic thought slide out before he could debate whether that was wise or not.
But Donatelli actually laughed. "That's amusing. I like that."
Ringolit up a cigarette, and couldn't prevent a grin. He hadn't been serious, but why the hell not? It might be funny. "I can have one sent around right about the time I'm hauling Williams's ass out of there."
"Perfect." Donatelli tilted his head slightly to the left. "Now you're free to go. And I don't mind if you take a few minutes first and enjoy the desperate housewives over there."
His eyes locked on the two women, and Ringo knew Donatelli had picked up on his arousal, his desire to feed. Humiliation washed over him, stronger than the blood lust. Every step he took into vampirism, he walked farther and farther from himself. Not that he'd been a man of upstanding character before, but he had answered to no one but himself. Now he did whatever Donatelli and the blood lust wanted him to do. He wanted to rail against that, stand tall, and remind himself that he was still his own man, even as he swam frantically in the warm waters of addiction.
"I'm fine, but thanks," he said. "I'll go straight over to the Ava."
"Suit yourself." Donatelli ran a finger over the rim of his coffee cup. He gazed out over at the mall area.
Suddenly the two women stopped in front of the chocolate shop. Both turned around and smiled in their direction. The one bent down and whispered to the other and they gave girlish giggles.
"You're certain? It appears the ladies are coming in this direction."
They were. They were strolling back toward where Ringo and Donatelli sat, their hipsswaying, their bags carried artfully, their hair tossed back playfully. Ringo's mouth watered, his muscles tensed, his foot tapped, tapped, tapped under the table.
"No, I'm fine," he managed even as a sweat broke out all over his body.
Donatellistood up and tossed some money on the table. "Then I'll just go and enjoy them solo. Have a good evening."
The Italian walked over to the women and said something. They stopped, smiled, pointed, and we were soon deep in conversation, all three walking away together.
And Ringo realized this was how Donatelli had gotten to his position of importance in the Vampire Nation.
He was a ruthless bastard.
Seamus was half asleep, listening to the sound of the water as Cara took a shower, a dog on either side of him, a cat sitting behind his head. He felt delirious with pleasure, carefree and in love. Yep.The big L. He'd gone and done it.
Somewhere between that first moment he'd laid eyes on Cara and the first time they'd had sex, he'd fallen in love with her. It felt right, good,strong . He was in love and nothing could ruin his mood.
His cell phone rang and he dragged it out of his pants pocket and checked caller ID. It was Ethan, so he answered it."Yeah?"
"Are you guys done yet?"
"What do you mean?" Seamus propped himself against the headboard, disturbing Mimi, the black cat. She gave him a dirty look and pushed her paws into his gut, kneading him like dough. In his mellow mood he let her.
"I mean, are you and Caradone ? I need to talk to you about this whole mess."
Seamus didn't even want to know how or why Ethan knew what he and Cara were doing. Nor did he really want to talk about the political climate. But it wasn't going to disappear, and he and Carawere done, for at least the next hour or so. After that invigorating nap, he might be ready to go again, but he should let Cara recover. "Alright, why don't you come to my place in ten minutes? And can you have security send up that tape of the night you were shot? I think Cara and I have seen your assassin friend."
"Really?Interesting.By the way, I have a thought or two I want to discuss with you."
"See you in ten." Seamus hung up the phone and dropped it on his stomach next to the cat. Not even assassins and frustrating mysteries that seemed to dance around him and dart away before he could solve them could ruin his sense of bliss. He was one slap-happy vampire.
The water was off and Cara was softly humming in the bathroom. It was a song Seamus didn't recognize, cheerful and upbeat. She made a twang sound, and he picked up on the fact that it was a country tune. Unable to resist, he got out of bed and went to the bathroom naked.
Pushing the door open, he saw Cara drying herself off with one of the new pink towels, steam rising all around her. Her soft black hair was clinging to her head and back, and her skin was dewy, flushed a subtle red in the spots where the hot spray had hit repeatedly. When the towel slipped and Seamus caught a glimpse of her perky round backside, he slipped in behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
She jerked a little,then relaxed, "Hey. You move so damn quietly, like a mouse."
"Like a vampire." He nuzzled the back of her ear, her hot skin warming him up, her backside pressed against his rapidly growing erection. Running his palms over her abdomen, he asked, "Are you okay? Not too sore?"
She leaned back and kissed his cheek, "I'm fine. Good. You are mmm ." Turning, she wrapped her arms around his neck."Beyond my wildest dreams."
That was a compliment worth recording. Seamus kissed her forehead, pulled her body in close to his. "I thought it was amazing, too, but I was, well, rougher than I intended to be."
It didn't seem like she'd minded at the time, but he still felt a twinge of guilt now. He could have proceeded with a little more caution and finesse, but once he had let the horse out, he'd gone for a full gallop.
"Just remember paybacks are hell." She gave him a saucy look, a secret womanly smile that told him she was pleased, satisfied.
Which made him satisfied.And turned on."Cara " He bent to kiss her.
The doorbell rang.
"Shit."
"We can ignore it," she said, pressing her hips into his.
Seamus groaned in frustration. "No, it's Ethan. He's bringing up the tape of the would-be assassin."
Cara sighed and pulled back. "Which one?" she asked dryly."The one who tried to kill him or the one who tried to kill me?"
That made Seamus ill just thinking about Cara being in danger."The one who tried to kill him. The assholewho went after you is still in lock-up, detoxing . Once he's clean, we'll transport him for a trial by his vampire peers."
Cara shivered and reached for her clothes. "I guess we should get dressed."
"Ethan might prefer that." He went back into the bedroom for a pair of jeans, forgoing the boxer shorts.
Two minutes later he left Cara in the bedroom to call the hospital to see about Dawn's condition, and he went to let in Ethan, who was grinning.
"Hey, Fox."
"Carrick."Seamus didn't like the look on Ethan's face or the way he clapped him on the shoulder a little too hard.
"We'll try to make this quick. I know it's late. You're probably ready for bed." The grin grew wider."Again."
Ethan was about as subtle as a jalapeno. "Where's Alexis?"
"She's really worried about Brittany . She wanted to pop in on her again before she retires for the day."
"I thought Brittany just has the flu."
Ethan shrugged. "You know how Alexis is with Brittany ." He glanced around Seamus. "Hello, Cara, interesting night, wasn't it?"
Seamus turned and took her hand, worried about the somber look on Cara's face. "How's Dawn, babe?"
"They said she's fine. She'll be going home this afternoon then after a few days of rest and proper nutrition she'll be completely recovered." She rubbed Seamus's palm restlessly. "I talked toBryan . He says she doesn't really understand what happened to her. That she doesn't remember anything. But she told me she had sex, with that vampire. Why would he do that? Leave her like that?" Cara visibly shuddered.
Ethan tapped the tape in his hand. "Young vampires lose control. Conscience-lessvampires enjoy the power, the thrill. If we can catch him, we could censurehim, put him under a no-travel restriction. He would have to stay here so we could monitor him, sort of like the Frenchman."
"But first we have to figure out who he is, and what he has to do with Ethan. And you and I." Seamus held his hand out for the tape. "Let's see who this bastard is."
"I have to tell you what Alexis told me."
Ethan surrendered the tape, but his words gave Seamus pause. "What did she say?"
"That Kelsey told her the blood was better at the Venetian, but she won't go there because that's where they took her the night she was attacked."
"The Venetian?The only vampire I know who hangs out at the Venetian is " Seamus swore." Donatelli. Shit. You don't think he's responsible for all of this?" Anything was possible, but Seamus didn't really see the motivation. Why kill him? Cara?
"It's possible. Let's see this tape,then we need to have another conversation with Kelsey."
Donatelli.It boggled the mind. Was he so desperate to take office that he would kill his opponent?
The tape went into the machine sitting in a cabinet under Sea- mus'splasma TV. A man was stepping off the elevator, bent over talking to someone, presumably Kelsey, since they couldn't see her.
"That's him," Cara said before Seamus could really even get a good look at him. "The guy who was in Dawn's dressing room."
"You're sure?" Ethan asked.
"Positive." Cara shifted closer to Seamus. "What is he doing? Why is he unzipping oh, geez ."
"He was with Kelsey, babe." Seamus curled his lip as the assassin's eyes closed in ecstasy. Seamus really could have done without this one-sided oral sex clip. He grabbed the remote and turned it off before he tossed up his blood breakfast. "That's the guy who was in the alley, too.The one who walked off with Kelsey. Do you think he works for Donatelli ?"
"Let's get Kelsey down here and find out." Ethan pulled out his cell phone. "Yes, this is Mr. Carrick. Find my secretary Kelsey and send her to Mr. Fox's suite. Thank you."
Ethan turned back to them. "Security will find her and get her here in a few minutes. Sorry for interrupting your morning, Cara."
Cara waved her hand and sat down on the leather sofa. "No, it's fine. I want to know what the hell is going on. Why this happened to Dawn. I feel so bad he wouldn't have approached her if it wasn't for me, I'm sure of it."
"It's not your fault, Cara." Seamus sat next to her, stroked her knee. "It's mine. You know Donatelli and Ethan are in the middle of a heated presidential election. If this is the Italian's doing, then I led them right to you and to Dawn. Regardless of whether or not Donatelli called out a hit on any of us, we have to be prepared for him to use you against Ethan. He's going to point you out to the Nation as a sign of my hypocrisy, and Ethan's. You'll be scrutinized, questioned." Seamus sighed and turned to Ethan, his friend and mentor. "It's time for me to come clean. I should hold a press conference and explain about Cara, then resign."
Ethan had the unnerving ability to stand completely still, hand in pocket, and say nothing. He could just stare at someone, until they started babbling again out of nerves. He did that now and Seamus found himself blurting out an extended explanation. "I should have done that from the start.Damage control. I need to distance myself from you so it doesn't cloud the election."
"Don't be stupid," Ethan said.
Seamus would have called it smart. "Come on, you know I'm right. And since this is my fault, I should be the one to fix it."
Ethan looked prepared to argue when the door opened.
"Seamus? Do you need me for something?" Kelsey walked in, wearing a red bikini and a shawl-type thing that covered a one-inch strip across her pelvis. "I was just going for a swim before bed."
"I see that." Though Seamus had a hard time picturing Kelsey doing hard laps in the hotel pool at 5 a.m. in that decorative little bit-of-nothing bathing suit. Yet it wasn't like she'd be sunbathing.Which left him to conclude that Kelsey was never going to make sense to him and it wasn't worth it to try.
"Mr. Carrick. Cara. Hi." Kelsey smiled, lifting her arms to adjust her ponytail.
Seamus had never seen her wear her hair up like that. It made her look like she was sixteen, instead of a sixty-year-old vampire. "Come sit down, Kelsey. Mr. Carrick wants to talk to you."
Her face fell. "You're going to fire me, aren't you?"
It was tempting to laugh. Kelsey was always Kelsey, no concept of the bigger picture.
"No," Ethan said. "We just need to know everything you know about the man who shot me.The man who bled Cara's friend Dawn tonight at the club."
"Kyle?" she said nervously, like there might be more than oneguy running around attacking them. "What about him?"
"How do you know him?" Seamus asked.
"I met him here, in the casino. He was playing blackjack and chain smoking. I talked to him and we went upstairs to " She bit her lip."Talk. And then I left because he was going to kill Mr. Carrick."
"What happened the night you were drained of blood, Kelsey? Was Kyle there?"
Her eyes shuttered for a second. "I don't remember."
"You don't remember anything from that night?"
"Well " She wiggled her toes in her sandals.Worked her fingers through the holes in her cover-up. Bit her lip. "I was waiting for Kyle, to tell him that you had fallen off the roof of the building?remember that day??and that he could use that as an out with the Italian. That he could tell him he'd pushed you and the job was over, so he would let Kyle go. But when I followed Kyle to the Venetian, they grabbed me and then there was noise and pain, and when I woke up, Kyle made this horrible gurgling sound then I don't remember anything after that. Honest."
If she crossed her heart, Seamus was going to shake her. They could have used this info a little sooner. "So the Italian hired Kyle to kill Mr. Carrick?"
"Yes." She nodded, "He's not a nice man."
"Kyle?"
"The Italian."Kelsey rubbed her wrist. "He likes to hurt people." Her legs crossed and her arms wrapped around her nearly naked chest, like she could protect herself.
Ethan rubbed her upper arm. "It'sokay, Kelsey. We won't let him hurt you again. Do you know if he is the one who turned Kyle?"
"I'm not sure, but I think Kyle works for him now. And I really didn't remember anything before, I swear, Mr. Carrick."
"Alright, then," Ethan said, with a patience Seamus admired. Kelsey could turn a saint into a raging alcoholic. "But if you remember anything else make sure you tell us." She nodded. "Okay."
"Do you know where we could find Kyle? Does he live at the Venetian?"
"I'm not sure." Kelsey looked away from Ethan and Seamus and back again. "But he's here at the Ava if you want to talk to him."
Seamus started, instinctively moving Cara behind him. "He's here?Now?In the casino?"
"Yes." Kelsey shrugged. "He's here for the big ugly guy."
Ethan glanced over at him."The addict who went after Cara."
"How do you know, Kelsey?" Seamus asked.
"I can hear his thoughts. I'm good at that with him. He's here."
Right here, in their casino, the whole damn time she'd been talking.And Kelsey just strolling off for a dip in the pool.
"By the way," Kelsey added. "His name isn't really Kyle. It's Ringo . He just likes to be called Kyle."