Bit the Jackpot (Vegas Vampires #2)(60)
Author: Erin McCarthy

Seamus was thinking the same thing. "I know exactly what you mean. And when I have Cara safe again, I’m going to sit her down and propose."

The elevator opened on twenty. "Now, let’s go."

Cara had her eyes closed so she could block out Donatelli as she moved, her jeans off now. But she couldn’t ignore his voice, his insidious, hypnotic, amused voice. It was like a knife picking at her wounds, flicking at her over and over again.

"You remind me of Marie," he was saying." Seamus’slover from the eighteenth century. She was more petite, that’s true, but lush like you, with dark hair and fair skin. She was an actress, did you know that?"

Truthfully Cara hadn’t even known the woman’s name. Just that she had betrayed Seamus. She didn’t want to hear it now, when she was already on display, vulnerable, being mocked and humiliated.

"I can tell from your expression you didn’t know. That’s a shame, because really you have a lot in common, and I imagine you would have liked her. Quite intelligent and cunning for a mortal, our little Marie, and while her career was based on her looks and her br**sts, she was actually an astonishing actress. The whole time she had Seamus convinced she was in love with him, she was working for me. Fanciedherself something of a vampire slayer, you know. Saw me as a means to an end. There aren’t that many vampires who have the blood of an ancient one, and with Marie’s zealous help, I was able to eliminate a number of them on the guillotine. Fox escaped, but many didn’t."

Cara couldn’t escape either. That was obvious. He wanted her trappedthere, he wanted her to hear his vile braggings . He knew she wasn’t going to take off her bra and panties, and he was going to let this go on and on until she lost it and crumpled in front of him and begged, cried. She had to work up the courage to finish this. She shook her hair back, rolled her shoulders and her thighs.

"Yes, I like that move."

He was heading toward her. Cara’s eyes flew open when his hand touched her shoulder. God, he was going to kiss her. He was close enough to her that she could see the smoothness of his olive skin, smell his aftershave, register the lust in his eyes. She couldn’t let him kiss her. There was no way. She would throw up, all over his expensive suit.

His hair brushed against her cheek as he glanced over her shoulder. His fingers played along the clasp of her bra. "Let me help you."

Skin crawling, heart racing, she tried not to show her fear, tried not to panic, tried to think. She was not going to let him do this to her. When he popped the clasp on her bra open, Cara stroked along his pant leg, searching for his testicles. She was going to give them a squeeze with every ounce of her vampire strength and drop the bastard to the floor the way he had Alexis.

His breath hitched a little. "Now you’re being very agreeable. Isn’t this much nicer? To the left," he murmured along her earlobe, sliding her bra strap down her right arm.

Good. He was giving directions so she could find his package, and she could end this now before it went a second further. If his fingers had time to brush against her breast, she was going to give him the satisfaction he was looking for and beg him to stop.

Without warning, there was a loud crashing noise and she jerked, startled. Donatelli wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him, in what for a stupid second she thought what a protective gesture.

Then she heard Ethan’s voice. "What the f**k is going on here?"

And she knew Donatelli had no such thing as protection on his mind—he was clever enough and fast enough to make this look worse than it already did.

Seamus came up behind Ethan, terrified by the horror and anger in Ethan’s voice. But what he saw appalled him in ways he never could have imagined. His face went completely hot,then cold, and the room actually did a spin, like he was going to pass out.

Donatelli’sarms were around Cara, and she was only in her panties.Red thong panties. Her bra was still hanging on, but only because her chest was smashed against Donatelli’s . Otherwise it would have fallen to the floor, because it was unhooked and pulled down both her arms.

Her flesh was showing,everywhere, the flesh he had touched, made love to, and now Donatelli was touching it. Cara’s arm was crushed between their bodies, her hand pinned against his groin, like she’d been groping him.Like they were lovers. Donatelli looked satisfied, triumphant, and he placed his lips on the top of her head, gave her a kiss.Whispered in her ear, like he was reassuring her.

It was like roadkill . Seamus should look away, needed to look away, but he couldn’t. Not until he’d seen every gruesome detail, every inch of the damage.

"Are you okay?" Ethan was asking Alexis, who was on the floor clutching her wrist.

Alexis nodded and Seamus couldn’t register what he was seeing. Why was Alexis there while Cara betrayed him with Donatelli ? He spotted Kelsey on her knees as well, arms wrapped tightly aroundherself , tears staining her cheeks.

"Let her go," Ethan said. "And then I want to know what all this is about.Once and for all."

"Drunk wore off, Carrick? Damn. It was just too easy to overpower you before. I can’t tell you the satisfaction I received from having you chained up, though I am disappointed you managed to escape."

"Let her go," Ethan said again, his voice like steel. He stood up and moved toward Donatelli .

"Alright, fine." Donatelli let go of Cara, who stumbled back away from him, her hand holding her bra in place.

Seamus realized she looked terrified, and everything in him thawed, shifted horror from her to himself. What the hell was he thinking? Cara wasn’t half-naked willingly. Donatelli was at fault. When she came toward him, sobs started to wrack her shoulders, and Seamus reached for her, appalled athimself . Why had he just stood there and let Donatelli continue to paw her, scare her?

She curled up against him, hiding her face in his shirt.

"You’re outnumbered, Donatelli . So tell me what it is you want," Ethan said.

"I want to win the election, of course. Are you so stupid you haven’t figured that out yet? I want the power you have."

"And you’d kill me to get it?"

"I didn’t think that was going to be necessary, but if I had to, yes." He shrugged, hands in his pockets.

"Why hurt the women?"

"They came here on their own." Donatelli looked offended. "I was just being hospitable."

"By breaking my wife’s wrist?"

Alexis was on her feet now, some color restoring to her face.

"She attacked me. I was defending myself."

"And what did you do to Kelsey?"

Kelsey finally spoke. "He had a stake on me. He said if Cara didn’t dance for him and take off her clothes, he’d kill me with it."