chapter Eight
Waking up with Cara next to him was Seamus's new favorite part of the night. In her sleep, Cara didn't roll her eyes at him or make prisoner cracks. When she was sleeping the hard, intense sleep of a fledgling vampire, she always sought him out. She moved her body over and over on the bed, until she was touching him. And she even snaked her arm across his waist or chest on a daily basis.
It gave Seamus immense satisfaction, a pure happiness to wake and have her embracing him, giving him her trust in her sleep.
When she woke up, usually thirty minutes to an hour after him, she liked to talk. He liked to listen.
" Mmmm," she said on a yawn, leg still thrown over his. She let her eyes open briefly then closed them again. "I was dreaming and it was nice, but weird. My grandmother barely spoke English, and now that she's sort of lost her grip on reality, she only speaks
Korean, but in my dream she and I were shopping, like we used to do, every Sunday. We were on the bus going to the grocery store, and she was speaking English, like it was her first language. What do you think dreams mean, Seamus?"
"I think they're wishes and worries, churning through our unguarded brains while we sleep."
"I like that." She lifted her head and her hair fell over his chest as she smiled at him.
Seamus loved the feel of that satin cascade of hair tickling his bare skin. He loved Cara's femininity, the way she was all soft, everywhere, her skin, her body, her heart,her eyes.
"What did you dream about?"
Without hesitation, he told her the truth."You." He'd been dreaming about her every night, drinking his blood, tasting hers, their bodies intertwined, their minds open to each other. It made him ache, and for more than the physical release his body craved. He ached to have Cara in a way that was fuller, more complete and permanent than what he had now. It felt like they were playacting at living together, and that it could all go away at any second.
"You dreamt about me?" She smiled, her eyes darting down to his lips. "Which one am I?A wish or a worry?"
"Both."
Cara was winning. She was up sixteen thousand dollars on an initial investment of two thousand. She felt the adrenaline surging through her as the dealer set her hand out facedown. She was concentrating hard, ready to call it quits after this deal.
A small crowd had gathered around the table since she was winning heavily. Alexis and Kelsey flanked her, cheering her on.
Her opponents were three middle-aged men from Texas who were sure they could beat her. She was sure they were wrong.
"It's our game," one said in a slow drawl. " Texas Hold ' Em."
She ignored him and turned her card. Bets went around. The thickest of the three, who had to sit two feet out to accommodate his rounded belly, folded. The others met andraised .
It was going to be iffy. The one with the cowboy hat had to have three of a kind given the pair of jacks he was showing and the fact that he kept leaning forward eagerly.
She had a full house tens up.
And miraculously, the guy had nothing but the pair. When they showed their hands, the crowd burst into cheers and applause. Cara let out a victory yell. She had won twenty-two freaking thousand dollars. It was unbelievable. Just like that. When she gave Alexis Ethan's two grand back, she was going to have twenty thousand dollars.
"Oh, my God.You just killed him!" Alexis jumped up and down. "That was awesome."
Cara grabbed her chips from the dealer, heart racing, and stepped onto the rungs of her stool. " Yeehaw!" she yelled to the crowd gathered, grinning like crazy. Damn, this felt good. She'd been so cooped up in Seamus's apartment, doing nothing but decorating to annoy him, and while it was working, he didn't seem to have any intention of kicking her out. Because she had figured something out?Seamus was a really nice guy. He tolerated all her changes and demands with a stoic calm that amazed her.
It made her like him, damn it.
Meanwhile, she had discovered the horrible truth about herself. Not only did she like Seamus, but she liked being a housewife. It was just as she had always suspected, all those years of making dinner for her grandmother, and rearranging the furniture in their tiny apartment. She liked domestic tasks.
Which was scary.So she had run off to gamble, the perfect antidote to housekeeping urges. Winning was exhilarating. She gave Alexis a high five.
"Cara," Kelsey said.
"What?" Cara glanced over at Kelsey, who didn't sound nearly as excited as she should given that Cara had just won twenty thousand dollars.
"I think Seamus wants your attention. He's over there glaring at you."
Cara followed her finger and found Seamus and Ethan standing at the top of the casino floor stairs by the lobby. Ethan looked amused. Seamus looked pissed off.
Good. Alexis said Seamus didn't like exhibitionism. Since domestic nag wasn't working, maybe she'd gain her freedom this way. Which she was absolutely positive she still wanted.Truly, definitely positive. Staying with Seamus would be a bad, wrong, evil idea.
Cara stepped onto the seat of her stool and spoke to the crowd. "If you all catch me, I'll buy the next round of drinks."
And she swan-dived into the spectators, making a beautiful leaping arch.They caught her, though her right leg did torque a bit on the grab. She laughed. Hey, that had actually been kind of fun sailing through the air. She had two brawny guys with tattoos setting her back on her feet when Seamus moved in front of her.
"What the hell are you doing?" he said.
"Having fun."Pissing him off intentionally."I don't want to spend eternity being bored."
"So you leap into crowds of gamblers?" he said in exasperation.
"Yes." She raised her chin."Everyone, to the bar! This round's on me."
The crowd gave another cheer and the twenty or so people pushed forward to the bar. The woman next to Cara gave her a nudge. "Yourboyfriend don't look all that excited for you."
"He's not my boyfriend, he's my jailer." That was what was so incrediblyirritating, the real rub of what was bothering her. If Seamus would just let her make her own choices, she could say in all honesty she'd probably want to stay with him. At least long enough to explore the attraction between them. She liked Seamus, enjoyed his company, the way he was solid, reliable, loving with her pets. But knowing that she was trapped, knowing she couldn't leave, had to depend on Seamus, rubbed her wrong and then some. It was poisoning their potential relationship because she felt patronized.
What she really wanted was to go home to live in her own apartment, but date Seamus. Go to the movies, talk,get to know each other, fall in love. Like normal people. But he wouldn't let her go.
"Cara."
She ignored Seamus calling her and tossed a two-hundred-dollar chip at the bartender."Something for my friends here."
Alexis grabbed her hand. "Let's dance. They're playing Madonna."
So she, Alexis, and Kelsey hit the dance floor and moved to the funky beat, laughing and having fun while Seamus parked his butt in a chair and watched.Just watched.With a ticked-off look on his face. Ethan was working the room, talking to the bartender, the DJ, the waitresses.
Cara was actually having a hell of a lot of fun, despite the chill coming from Seamus. She hadn't realized how tense she'd been until she'd starting acting silly with Alexis and Kelsey. They were lip-syncing and laughing and talking. Kelsey had loosened up as well, and Cara was glad to see she was enjoying herself. These vampire girls' nights out were going to have to become a weekly deal.
When a sensual song came on, Cara couldn't help but slide into a few of her regular, nonsexual dance moves. This song was part of her routine and it was like second nature to her. She did a shallow cradle rock just to limber up. Her jeans were a bit restrictive, but she felt her hips loosening up.
Alexis imitated her move, stiffly, and soon they were all laughing, until Seamus touched her arm. She jumped, startled at how fast he'd moved from his table to her side. He didn't look happy. He looked capable of biting through steel.
"Hey, cutie," she said with a smile, which wiped the anger right off his face.
"Are you drunk?" he asked in astonishment.
"Can we get drunk?" she asked. That possibility had never occurred to her. "How do we do that?"
"Never mind."He took her hand, tugged a little. "Can I talk to you, please?"
"Since you said please."She let him lead her off the dance floor and to the table he'd been sitting at. "What's up?"
"Cara." He cleared his throat. "I'm glad you're having fun."
"Good. I won twenty thousand dollars." She was still a little floored by that. It meant that she had a serious nest egg. If her educational program could be altered to online classes, she could probably push and take eighteen or twenty-one credit hours and finish the following spring. Then she could intern in an all-night animal hospital. Her dreams could still be realized if she did a little creative maneuvering.
"But you have to understand our goal is to remain under the radar. If we draw attention to ourselves, we run the risk of exposure."
"Oh." That did make sense. "So you think I drew too much attention to myself tonight by winning?"
"That, and the diving into the crowd, and the sexy dance moves that had half a dozen guys salivating as they watched."
"Were you salivating?" She liked the thought of that. And she'd barely done anything out there on the floor. Wait until Seamus saw what she could do with water.
"Yes. I was definitely salivating." His hand fell on her knee.
"Okay."
He blinked. "Okay, what?"
"Okay, I'll try not to draw attention to myself. See, when you discuss it with me rationally, explain to me the importance of discretion instead of ordering me around, I completely understand. I'll chill with the dancing." She stood up. Time to revert back to her domestic plan, which she had to admit was more her style than crowd diving. She actually liked organizing Seamus's apartment and putting color into his gunmetal gray life. She kissed his forehead. "I'm going to go cash out,then I'll go upstairs. It's been a long night. Will you walk the dogs for me?"
Seamus looked puzzled. But he nodded. "Sure. Okay."
"Thanks, baby. I'm going to say good night to Kelsey and Alexis."
She gave him a little wave and left him sitting there, frowning slightly.
Alexis pounced on her when she cruised past the edge of the dance floor. "Well? What did he want?"
"He wants me to stop drawing attention to myself. I told him I'd be happy to stop dancing inappropriately and then I called him baby, kissed his forehead, and told him I was going to bed. He has no idea what to think."
Alexis snorted. "Perfect. Confuse the hell out of him." She glanced back over Cara's shoulders. "He's actually leaving."
"I asked him to walk my dogs."
A grin split Alexis's face. "You are brilliant. He'll be kicking you out before you know it."
Great.She couldn't wait.Really. Cara clamped down on her confusion and reached out to hug Alexis. "Thanks for everything. I'm so glad I have someone to talk to."
"Me, too.It's nice to have another girl vampire running around. The testosterone level in this hotel is pretty high."
Cara hugged Kelsey. "It's been so nice hanging out with you, Kelsey. Say we'll do this again."
"That's a great idea, Cara," Kelsey said, hugging her back. "I'd like that."
"I think we're already starting a tradition. We'll have to do a girls' night out like once a week." Cara considered Seamus's reaction to that. "Only next time maybe we should pick a casino where no one knows us."
"Good plan," Alexis said, even as her eyes darted over to her husband, still talking to the bartender.
"See you all later."
Cara left the bar and headed down the hall. She realized almost immediately one of the bodyguards was following her. Considering she was about to collect twenty thousand dollars, she didn't mind having the muscle backing her up.
Because of the size of her winnings, she had to go to the main box office, and she started down the hall, high heels sinking into the plush gray carpet. It was a nice hotel and casino, very classy and understated, at least by Vegas standards. It was still over the top, with a shiny forties glamour, but a classy glitz.Lots of glass, lots of sharp silver accessories.Which made her wonder about the supposed vampire aversion to silver. Given the abundance of polished silver in her bathroom alone, it seemed unlikely that the legends were true.
It did smell funny in the hallway, though. Cara wrinkled her nose, wondering if someone had gotten sick in an obscure corner and the hotel staff wasn't aware of it. She glanced around a little, but didn't see anything obvious that could be causing the smell.
The only other person in the hallway was her bodyguard following behind, and a man coming in the opposite direction. The smell grew stronger and Cara felt her stomach churn. She glanced back at the guard, who seemed to be walking faster now, closing the distance between them. He spoke into his little earpiece microphone.
Cara slowed down. There was something about the man heading toward her, something about the way he lumbered, the way his body was thick on top, spindly from the thigh down, that tugged at her memory. He was closernow, close enough that she could see he was watching her, staring. His hand slid into the inside pocket of his jacket, and Cara felt the sense of danger explode over her, like she had that night in the alley.
"Seamus?" she whispered out loud, grinding to a halt, terrified. This was the man who had been there. This was the man Seamus had been fighting. The one she'd thought of as stupid because of the slackness of his features, the dullness in his eyes. This was the one who'd thought she was pretty.
A knife emerged from his pocket. A wicked, long, sharp, jagged knife, that looked like it could gut a deer with one swift slice. Adeer, or her.
Cara panicked, feet rooted to the carpet, mind paralyzed with fear. She was considering what the hell she should do when the guy raised the knife. A whoosh of air went past Cara and she sucked in her breath, too frightened to scream. Her bodyguard was suddenly visible in front of her, and with one swift lift of his arm, he brought the other vampire to the ground.
A little shriek managed to escape her lips, and she clamped her hand over her mouth.
The bodyguard glanced over his shoulder. "You alright, miss?"
She nodded. He bent back down, handcuffed the vampire, tossed him over his shoulder, and started down the hall. "Come on," he said in a quiet, urgent voice.
"What what was he going to do?"
"Kill you."
Just checking.She'd thought so, but she'd wanted to make sure. Her knees buckled. "Why?"
He paused long enough to glance over at her. "I don't know."
His tone indicated it was a stupid question.
"Where are we going?" She hurried to keep up withhim, feeling like her Chihuahua must with theLabradors . Her legs moved back and forth at high speed, but she was still six paces behind him. And given the fear still thick in her throat, she did not want to be left behind.
"Mr. Carrick's office.We'll get you another escort to Mr. Fox's suite."
Cara wasn't sure what to say, so she shut up.
Maybe being with Seamus had more benefits than orgasmic feedings. It seemed she really did need protection.
These vampires were out for blood.
Who would have thought?
Seamus was watching Button, Cara's Lab, drop a bomb onto the sidewalk, and marveling that an undead Irish potato farmer turned soldier was now a glorified dog walker in Vegas.
It had been a mistake to take all three dogs out at the same time.
They crisscrossed leashes, walked at different speeds, and in three different directions. Satan bit at Button's hind legs, which caused a lot of angry barking back and forth, andFritz was obsessed with smelling every single bird dropping, piece of garbage, or dead insect they came across.
Seamus was rapidly concluding two things?that it was unnatural to domesticate dogs and bring them into human dwellings, and that he was a sucker. He'd fallen for that sweet forehead kiss and innocent smile from Cara and now he was whipped. Actually, he'd been whipped from the minute he met her. This was just visual confirmation.
Button finished doing his thing and bounded away, jerking back with a startled yeip when he reached the end of the leash's length. Meanwhile, Fritz and Satan enthusiastically ran over and sniffed Button's leavings.
" Aww, hell.Knock it off, guys. That's disgusting." He tugged them both back. They started down the sidewalk. At least it was a nice night. Clear and cool. There were the usual mobs of people out and about, and he'd chosen to stay on the Strip, though he was a half-block down from the serious crowds.
"Hey." A woman tapped his arm.
"Yes?"
Hostess for a restaurant with a nautical theme, the woman was wearing a mermaid-influenced skirt and breast shells. She crossed her arms over her shells. "You goingto pick that up?"
"Pick what up?"
She pointed to Button's mess. "We have laws about that, you know."
Glancing down at it, Seamus could see why. That was really damn disgusting, and he suddenly felt guilty for letting Button do it in the first place. But hell, where was he supposed to take the dog? Drive him out to the suburbs and let him do his thing? They lived in a casino, and the dog had his choice of gravel, sidewalk, or the grass by the pool. Somehow Seamus didn't think that would go over big either.
"What am I supposed to do with it?"
Rolling her eyes, she bent over her hostess stand, just inside the door of the restaurant. She pulled out a blue plastic grocery bag. "Here. Pick it up and throw it away in one of the street trash containers so it doesn't stink up anybody's restaurant or bar."
He took the bag, feeling less than delighted at the prospect of cleaning up dog shit. "How do I get it in the bag?" He wasn't touching that.
"You use the bag to pick it up, then turn the bag inside out and tie it closed." She petted Fritz's head when the dog rushed over to wag his tail at her.
Seamus was half tempted to use vampire persuasion and get her to do it, but his conscience pricked him. He rearranged the bag over his hand and leaned down, holding his breath so he didn't have to smell it.
"Why are you walking your dogs at two in the morning anyway?" she asked.
"It's a favor for someone." Seamus gripped the mess and picked it up.A big favor. He quickly turned the bag around and tied it off. Now he had a warm plastic bag dangling from his fingers.
And his cell phone was ringing. He pitched the bag in the trash and wondered if Cara was worth this kind of aggravation. Maybe he should just let her leave like she wanted to.
The caller was Ethan. He pushed the on button. "What's up?"
"Come to my office, please. Cara had a little run-in with your friends from the alley."
Seamus went stone cold. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine. Just a little shook up. I have two guards with her at your place."
"I'll be right up." Seamus shoved the phone in his pocket and tugged on all three leashes. The dogs tumbled all over, turning left and right and nudging each other.
An emotion he didn't quite understand clogged his throat, and Seamus lost his patience. "Line up, boys. Now," he said in a low, firm voice.
Miraculously, they all snapped their heads up at his tone and untangled themselves.
He jogged them back to the casino as fast as he could, letting the Labs go full retriever speed, the Chihuahua traveling in his arms, yipping with excitement. Seamus blew right past the twenty-third floor, where Ethan's offices were. He needed to check on Cara first.
When he opened the door to his place, she was pacing in the living room, looking pale and frightened, but uninjured. "Are you okay?"
She nodded and held out her arms. Seamus was moved that she wanted his comfort. He walked toward her, feeling his heart rate return to normal. Damn, she'd scared the hell out of him. He needed to feel her in his arms, too.
But instead of walking into an embrace, she reached out and plucked the dog out of his arms. She buried her mouth in the Chihuahua 's head and closed her eyes with a shudder.
Seamus stopped with his hand halfway to her shoulder. Okay, now he felt like an ass. She wanted the rat-faced dog, not him. And the bodyguards, Michael and Stanley, were unsuccessfully pretending they hadn't noticed.Wonderful.
They were standing on either side of the living room, one in front of the windows,the other by the door that led to the hotel hallway. They were busy studying the floor and ceiling respectively now.
"Can you wait outside, please?" he asked, jerking his thumb in that direction.
"Yes, Mr. Fox." They moved past him with a rustle of clothing and shoe squeaking.
Once they were gone, Seamus took a deep breath and tried to relax. Cara looked fine. That was what mattered. "What happened?"
She opened her eyes, and the fear there cut him deep. "I was just walking to cash out, and he was there in the hall. One of the guys from that night the one who told me I was pretty.That I would taste good."
Seamus remembered that sick tone to the vampire's voice that night and how it had infuriated him at the time, but he'd been unable to help her since he was battling the other vamp. "Did he say something to you tonight?"
"No. He reached in his coat and pulled out a knife. The bodyguard came from behind " She gestured with her arm behind her. "And then he knocked the guy down before I even realized what was happening. But the guard said the guy was going to kill me."
It took every conscious effort to keep from throwing his coffee table out through the back window. This seriously pissed him off. He wanted to know who the vampires were and what they wanted.And how he could kill them. No one was going to mess with Cara.
"Hi, Mr. Spockie-Wockie ," Cara crooned to the dog. "I missed you." She looked over at Seamus, her expression troubled. "That guy he smelled, Seamus. Like a sickly sweet sweat odor, but it was extreme.Like he hadn't bathed. It was almost a chemical scent."
She shuddered again and Seamus gave in to his urge and put his hands on her shoulders and drew her against his chest. She didn't resist. In fact, she sighed and laid her head on him, the dog resting between them.
"I'm damn glad you had a guard with you."
"Me, too."She glanced up at him. "I'm sorry I was so stubborn about wanting to leave and go home. I didn't understand."
Hugging her to him, Seamus ran his lips over the top of her hair. It was satin smooth. "It's my fault. I should have explained things better. I haven't exactly done a stellar job of initiating you to vampirism." Something about what she'd said pricked at him. "He smelled bad?"
"Yes. It was disgusting. Like sick room. Like when my mother died of cancer." She gave another shudder and moved farther into his touch.
Then it hit him."Drug blood. He's addicted to drugs. I've met a few over the centuries.Opium in the nineteenth century.Heroin and cocaine in the late twentieth century. I haven't met one in a while, but they all have that same medicinal smell to them." Sea- musabsently rubbed her back, wondering how hard it would be to track down information on this guy.
"That would definitely describe the way this guy smelled. So you mean he drinks blood that has drugs in it?"
"Yes. Now we just need to find him and see who sent him."
"Oh." Cara pulled away from him a little. "He's in Ethan's office. The guard handcuffed him and carried him in there."
"They have him now?" Seamus squeezed her waist and turned toward the door. He was looking forward to having a little talk with the man who had tried to harm Cara. His fists clenched in anticipation, "Stay inside. Michael and Stanley are outside your door. Don't let anyone but them in until I get back."
She grabbed his arm. "What are you going to do?"
"Just what I said.Find out who sent him."
"Be careful. Don't talk to him alone."
Seamus studied herface, saw the fear written plainly there. He felt a smile tugging at his lips. "Why, Cara, I almost think you care what happens to me."
Her mouth pursed. "I just wouldn't want to live with the guilt if you got decapitated."
Seamus laughed. "We'll talk when I get back. I think it's important you understand what's going on with the election and what happened to Kelsey."
"Okay. I'll be here."
Both Labs nuzzled against her knees and she held Satan tightly. She looked vulnerable and beautiful. Seamus leaned forward and kissed her lightly, just brushing his lips over hers. He moved back immediately so he wouldn't be tempted to take more. "Be safe."
Ringostepped into the dancers' dressing room at the club.
"You can't be back here," a woman said, assessing him over her shoulder as she pulled on spiky shoes. She was wearing little else but the shoes, and Ringo allowed himself an appreciative glance up and down.
"I'm just looking for a woman, she dances behind the screen. Will she be here tonight?"
"What do you want to know for?" Her forehead wrinkled in a frown.
Ringosmiled, probing into her mind. He wasn't that skilled at mind control, but this woman had wide-open thoughts. He caught concern and caring for her friend, suspicion of him.
She was an attractive woman, lush, but still thin, her blood flowing steady and calm. Not a panicker , this one. And since he'd had such a delicious taste of Donatelli's Katie, Ringo had a sudden urge to repeat the experience with the stripper in front of him.
But first he had to get the information he needed. "I'm looking for someone to do a private party and I saw her dance, thought she might be interested."
"Cara?Nah." She turned to the mirror, swirled on more lipstick. "Cara's kind of a prude for a stripper. She likes to hide behind that screen. Besides, she just got hit by a car and she hasn't been working all this week. She should be back next week, but I doubt she'll do it. Like I said, she's funny about shit like that."
So Cara was expected back at work in a week.
Ringostared at the stripper's backside, pointing enticingly toward him in a thong. Modesty didn't seem to be a concern for this woman. He stayed by the door, so the mirror wouldn't capture his lack of a reflection. "Know anyone else who might be interested? I'm offering five grand for two hours."
She dropped the lipstick. Her suspicion of him disappeared."Five thousand for two hours?For just dancing or for other stuff?"
"Just dancing."
"I'll do it. I'm Dawn, by the way."
"Pleasure to meet you, Dawn.Trustme, I'll make this worth your time." Ringo had no intention of hiring her for anything, but the offer had erased her reticence. "Though I'd offer triple if you and your friend Cara could dance together. Strip each other."
Her eyes lit up with greed in the mirror and, Ringo suspected, arousal. "I can call her.Won't hurt to ask."
"Not at all.Maybe if we stop over her house with a little cash advance, we can be even more persuasive." Staying to the left, away from the mirror, Ringo slid his hand over her bare ass displayed so prettily for him.
"We could do that."
He squeezed her flesh, attempted to exert control over her mentally. "But first, maybe we can do a little quick private viewing right now. Show me what you've got so I'm sure I want it."
To his amazement, it worked. She turned and, with a quick snap and pull, removed her panties and bra. Damn.Tear- aways. That's what he fucking liked to see. A stripper who was good at what she did.So many of these chicks in Vegas were sloppy amateurs.
Ringobent down in front of her, taking in her smooth shaven sex."Very nice." He teased and petted her for a moment, then sank his teeth into her plump lips.
Given her shudder of ecstasy, she liked it as much as Katie had.
Ringoliked it, too. As her hot blood rushed into his mouth, he marveled that he'd been stripped down to nothing but lust and hunger. He was more animal than human now, a selfish base creature, and he'd do whatever he had to to stay in Donatelli's good graces, keep his flow of drug blood coming.
He couldn't go into Carrick's casino, the Ava, himself because he had been captured on their security cameras a month earlier when he'd shot Carrick in the chest.
Smith was incapacitated at the moment, probably sniveling in agonized hunger in his room, something Ringo never wanted to experience. But since Smith wasn't available, and Ringo couldn't do surveillance, Williams had been left to head into the casino and watch Carrick and company.
Williams had the intelligence of bran flakes, but all he had to do was watch what was happening over there.
Ringowould find and take care of the girl.
He sucked harder, feeling the dancer's leg lock tighter around him, the first tremors of her orgasm rippling. Moving with vampire speed, he stood up and thrust inside her, setting her to screaming in pleasure.
He'd take care of Cara, but first he'd finish taking care of Dawn.
"Ethan, listen to this." Alexis stormed into her husband's office with her cell phone in hand. She had just listened to her voice mail and thick fear had wrapped around her stomach, her heart, her brain.
"Alexis, dearest, I'm in the middle of something." Ethan leaned back in his wide leather desk chair, giving the appearance of relaxation, but she could see the tension in his shoulders.
She was feeling pretty damn stressed herself, and she didn't really care that there were two bodyguards standing in front of Ethan. This was going to take two seconds.
"Just listen to this." She stuck the phone to his ear and pressed 4 to repeat the message. She knew what it said.Her sister Brittany uttering her name in a whispery raggedy voice.Then nothing.
Ethan's eyebrow went up. " Brittany ? When did this message come in?"
Alexis yanked the phone back and listened to it again, just to further her torture. Brittany sounded so frightened, so unlike her."An hour ago. My phone must have rung while I was in the bar. The music was loud and I guess I didn't hear the ring. But I'm going over there, Ethan. Something's not right."
She expected him to get up and accompany her to Brittany 's apartment. But he just nodded. "Zeke will go with you."
One of the two guards immediately moved toward the door and stood beside her. "You're not coming with me?" That both surprised and hurt her.
Ethan shook his head. "A vampire tried to kill Cara as she left the casino tonight. We have him in custody and I need to turn him over to the proper authorities."
Alexis gasped. "Is Cara okay?"
"She's fine. Just shook up. But we need to get this taken care of."
She should freaking hope so. "Who do you turn him over to? I didn't know there were vampire cops."
"More like a tribunal. Please call me when you get to Brittany 's so I know you're both all right."
Alexis recognized that look on his face. She stopped, walked over to the desk, and gave him a quick kiss. "It's damn hard to have to worry about someone other than yourself, isn't it?"
"Yes." He cupped her face and gave her a longer kiss. "Listen to Zeke."
Since Zeke never talked, that might be a problem, but Alexis had learned to compromise a little in her marriage. Sometimes it was easier to tell Ethan what he wanted to hear.
"Absolutely."
When Seamus walked in, Alexis was leaving, a worried look on her face. That didn't encourage Seamus. Alexis wasn't known to overreact.
"What's the matter with Alexis?" he asked Ethan the minute the office door closed behind him.
"She got a cryptic voice mail from Brittany and she's headed over to her sister's apartment to check on her. I know Alexis worries about Brittany quite a bit, but in this case I have to admit the message was odd. Brittany just said 'Alex,' then there wasnothing. "
"You're not going with her?"
"Zeke is. We have an issue in the other room that needs taking care of." He jerked his thumb to his windowless inner office. "We need to turn him over to the tribunal for attempted murder of a vampire."
The words made Seamus's temper flare. "Who is he? Did you recognize him?"
"No. But he's young, a half-century or so.Definitely American. He's not talking, but I suspect it's more because he doesn't know anything than due to loyalty. And he's an addict. Within a few hours I imagine he'll be going into withdrawal.'"
"Cara said he smelled medicinal. I was wondering if it was drugs."
"I'm almost positive it is. But what I don't understand is why they were targeting first you and Kelsey, now Cara."
Seamus had a bad feeling about the whole situation. "Do you think it has to do with the election?"
"It's possible."
"And how does Brittany fit into all of this?" Maybe it was time to head back to the club and see if he could find Brittany 's aunt. If he knew who Brittany 's father was, then maybe they could find some answers to the entire ream of questions they had.
"I don't know, but I don't like it. Maybe I should follow Alexis after all."
"Maybe."
The door to the inner office crashed open and the handcuffed vampire came plowing through, growling in anger and desperation.
"Looks like our friendis awake," Ethan said.
"Good." Seamus moved forward, standing over him as the man flopped around on the floor, trying to regain his balance. "I have a few questions for our friend about the night we met."
He was starting to wonder about the young vampire, the one who had walked off with Kelsey blithely following.
"Starting with this one."Seamus rolled the guy onto his back with the toe of his boot. "Who the hell was the third vamp with you, the one with darkhair. And why did he want Kelsey?"
"Do you have a friend named Dawn?" Kelsey asked Cara, after the guards had let her into Seamus's apartment.
Cara was startled. "Yes. She works at the club with me. Why? How do you know Dawn? Did you meet her the night you were there with Seamus?"
"I'm not sure." Kelsey pushed her bottom lip out.
It was a marvel how the girl could work a pout. Cara would look like a bullfrog if she did that.
Kelsey hadn't changed out of her evening dress. It clung to her supermodel figure like a purple body sock. Cara wished she could exchange breasts with Kelsey for a night. Just to feel what it was like to walk around with the ability to look down and actually see her feet.
"Well, she was there that night, in the dressing room with me. Maybe you met her after I went in the alley. Where did you go, any-way?" It had never occurred to Cara to wonder that before, but she did now. Kelsey had been with Seamus in the hallway when Dawn had been checking him out with Cara.
Then when she'd gone into the alley, Kelsey hadn't been there.
"He was there," Kelsey said."The one from before."
Well, that was helpful. "Um " Cara shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans. She'd kicked off her heels and stepped into flip-flops. The lacy camisole top had been traded in for a comfy T-shirt. "Doeshe know Dawn?" Sometimes she had a hard time following Kelsey's train of thought. It was like talking to her grandmother. They weren't speaking the same language.
Kelsey nodded. "Yes. He does.Which isn't good. Dawn needs to stay away from him, Cara. He's dark. He lets me into his mind, and there are dark, evil things in there. He's lost in his own bad feelings, which is sad because he could be good."
The way Kelsey spoke, so calm, so matter-of-fact, sent chills tripping down Cara's spine. "Is he a vampire?"
"Yes. And I think Dawn is with him now."
"Who is he?" Cara whispered, scared for Dawn. Had she brought him to Dawn inadvertently?
But Kelsey just shook her head.
"Should I call Dawn?"
Kelsey tipped her head like she was listening to someone talk in her mind. It completely freaked Cara out. Especially when Kelsey nodded, like she was answering.
Cara knew Seamus could talk to her like that, but it was still damn unnerving to watch someone else doing it. "Kelsey? What do you hear?"
Kelsey's dark hair fell over her shoulder. Her black eyes met Cara's. "He says what happened with Dawn was an accident. He lost control of himself."
A sick taste of blood bile rose up in Cara's mouth."Oh, my God. We have to go to her."
"Okay," Kelsey said with a shrug, like she hadn't just communed with a psychopathic vampire. "Can we stop for some blood on the way?"