Bit the Jackpot (Vegas Vampires #2)(43)
Author: Erin McCarthy

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."