Bit the Jackpot (Vegas Vampires #2)(32)
Author: Erin McCarthy

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 br**sts 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?"

Chapter Nine

If Alexis could wet her pants still, she would have done it in relief when she found her sister asleep in bed.

Pressing her hand to her heart, she allowed herself to relax a little. "Jesus," she whispered in the dark room. "Good thing I can’t die because I think I had a heart attack tonight."