High Stakes (9 page)

Bad news, that's what EthanCarrickwas .

"Since you're staring so intently, can I assume you like the diamonds?"

"No. I was just trying to figure out which was more nouveau riche—the necklace or you."

He chuckled. "Cute.Very cute."

That was a word just made to irritate her. Cute was for puppies and bunnies and little things. So when his lips brushed the back of her neck, she cracked the side of his face with her knuckles.

"Knock it off, Carrick." She stepped away from him. "Now let's go downstairs and get this farce over with."

Ethan looked neither surprised nor upset by her backhand or her words. "You're quite skilled at this bossy girlfriend role."

"Don't you forgetit. "

Ethan smiled and greeted a South American dignitary whose title suddenly eluded him, and pressed the small of Alexis's back.

"I'm AlexisBaldizzi, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Raul-Fortunato. Did you have a pleasant flight toNevada ?"

"Absolutely."Mr. Raul-Fortunatobeamed.

They chatted for a minute, Alexis wearing a serene smile and murmuring platitudes like she'd been born a politician's wife.

Yet when Mr. Raul-Fortunatoleft them to join the other guests, Alexis muttered, "Freak."

And for J. P.Montmarte , the French engineer, she shot, "Chez psycho," at his retreating back.

"Stop it," Ethan told her. "Someone is going to hear you."

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"What?" She turned that faux innocence on him. "I'm beingPerfectly pleasant. Just be sure to wind me up again when the next guest arrives." Moving her arms like a robot, she tilted her head toward him. "See?

I'm a windup toy."

He struggled not to grin. "Better windup than blowup." This is where I smile at the room and call you an asshole under my breath. See? Doing that right now… smile at the pretty guests, Ethan's an asshole…

yes, I can multitask with the best of them."

An older gentleman Ethan didn't recognize gave Alexis a little wave as he caught her eye from across the room.

Alexis waved back with cheery enthusiasm as she said, "Hi there, Loon.Wacky-Willie.Crazy with a capital C, all of you. And I am, too, for being here with you."

Seamus was glaring at him from the head table, and yet Ethan wanted to laugh. "Alexis, I suggest you relax and enjoyyourself ." He couldn't stop himself from stroking his hand across her back. "You look beautiful tonight, by the way. I like the way your backside looks in this dress. My hand is itching to touch it."

Or smack it with a nice resounding slap on bare skin. Either way would work for him.

"Do it and youdie. "

"Oh, come on… admit you want me to, just a little."

She glanced up at him, eyebrows slightly raised."Nope. Sorry.Not at all."

It was a lie. It had to be. No woman had ever dismissed him so out of hand. It was starting to irritate him. Well, it had been irritating him since the moment they had met, but it was even worse now because he was wearing a tux, had given her a diamond necklace, and she still looked at him like he was bacterial slime.

"When is the food being served? I'm starving."

Time for her to accept some realities."There is no dinner. We're vampires. We don't need food to sustain us." Blood was what he needed, and he was starting to suspect he wouldn't be satisfied until he drew some straight from Alexis during a slow sexual mating.

"No food? That sucks." She gave him a sour look. "I'm going to faint if I don't eat something. I only had a yogurt at lunch because I thought this was a real dinner—I mean you called it a dinner—which would mean food to any normal human. You should have told me you all were eating before the party."

Clearly, sex wasn't the first thing on her mind.

Turning, she snatched champagne off a passing waiter's tray."Geez. No food. What a rip-off."

"I'm sorry. It didn't occur to me to tell you. I'm sure I can get you something sent up from one of the restaurants downstairs. What would you like?"

"I want Frank Sinatra's pepper steak.And a mixed-green salad. Am I going to have to sneak into the
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bathroom to eat it so I don't embarrass you?"

"The bathroom?"Ethan laughed."God, no. You can eat in the room down the hall designated for the serving staff to take breaks in. I'll tell everyone you're freshening up."

"While I scarf my food down.Great, just great, Carrick.Thanks for being such a fabulous host. Don't know why I thought I wouldn't enjoy myself."

That was sarcasm, obviously. "Would it make you feel better if I kissed you?" He tried to draw her closer to him.

"Get away from me, pimp." Alexis could turn glaring into an art form. She gave him an inspired look of hatred.

"I like the way your lips part when you're angry," he teased.

"You're a sick man. Go order my food." She left him standing there and went to mingle, which meant tilting her head and doing beauty pageant impersonations for anyone who would talk to her.

Realizing he was just standing there staring at her firm little bottom, Ethan pulled out his cell phone and ordered her food.Frank Sinatra's pepper steak. What a smart-ass.

He liked that about her.

Alexis was debating the rules of chess with a kooky Russian when Ethan reappeared at her side. "Look, Peter, with all due respect, you can't castle after moving your king."

He shrugged with that cool nonchalance all Russians seemed to have mastered. "Says who?"

"The rules!"

"What rules? Do you have these rules? Can you prove these rules to me?"

"I don't have them right this second up my dress, but I can prove it to you."

"That's a shame there are no rules up that dress, because now I can call you a liar."

Alexis laughed. Peter amused her. He was like an arrogant walrus.

Ethan took her elbow. "I have something to show you, my dear. Please excuse us, Peter."

"Yes, yes, young passion." Peter waved his arm in a grand sweep. "There is nothing like the firstflush of mutual sexual desire … you go show her your secret something, Carrick, this old Russian understands."

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Oh, that was subtle. "Did you pay him to say that?" Alexis asked Ethan. Somehow she wouldn't put it past him.

"No! And I'm quite shocked that he did say that." Ethan nudged Peter. "You're going to get me in trouble here, old chap."

Peter winked at Alexis. "Orlaid , which would be better."

"In his dreams," Alexis said before Ethan could reply.

But instead of laughing or getting annoyed with her, Ethan gave her a smoldering look, like the one he had when he'd pinned her on the floor. "Yes, that is definitely a dream of mine. Recurring frequently, I might add."

Damn it, she felt the beginning of a blush rising up her cheeks."Down, boy. Take me to my dinner." At Peter's smirk, she added, "Food.My pepper steak."

Ethan's shoulders were vibrating as they moved toward the door, like he was having trouble containing an obnoxious laugh. Alexis couldn't even reprimand him because she was having trouble not cracking a grin herself.

They stepped into the hall and a tall, skinny mass of long black hair and legs came at them in a blur.

"Kelsey!" Ethan put his hands up and stopped the blob. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

A gasp left Kelsey's mouth.

"Calm down," Ethan said. "What's wrong?"

Oh, great, there was going to be some scene with an ex-girlfriend.Just what she wanted to witness while her food was getting cold in some unknown break room.

The brunette gave a sob, than flipped her hair back, exposing her alabaster cheeks and red lips.Really red lips. Like bloody red lips. A wet sheen covered them, and she must not use color stay, because that lipstick had feathered out in the corners of her mouth and…

"Wipe your mouth, Kelsey." Ethan pulled out a handkerchief and gently cleaned her off, like she was a child.

"Oh!Sorry, Mr. Carrick." And she burst intotears, great big loud sobs that produced no actual moisture, but made her chest heave and her shoulders shake, and her cleavage come perilously close to bursting out of the tiny black dress that could have doubled as a hair ribbon.

Alexis glanced right and left, wondering where her dinner was and if it would be rude to ask Ethan. She really didn't want to hear whatever conversation was about to ensue.

"What's the matter, Kelsey?" Ethan returned his handkerchief to his pocket and squeezed her hand.

"Mr. Carrick, it's just so awful… I'm so glad I found you… I was with him and I was, um, eating, and then I heard it. He's go-ingto kill you!" This was capped off with another round of crying.

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Very dramatic.And bizarre.But Alexis wouldn't expect anything less from Ethan and Company."Kill Ethan? A man gave a verbal threat against Mr. Carrick? Does he have a weapon? We should call the cops."

'That isn't necessary," Ethan said, rubbing Kelsey's arms and staring at her.

Kelsey's brow furrowed, and she tipped her head like she was thinking hard or listening to something.

"Okay," she said. "I know I'm not supposed to, but he was… sorry, Mr., Carrick. I won't do it again."

She shuddered. "It was gross. It was Hike he was empty in there, you know what I mean?"

"Shh. Why don't you go get a drink in the reception room? Find Seamus and tell him what you told me.

How did you leave him?"

Kelsey flushed, her pale cheeks staining red. "I just left him.By my desk. I wasn't thinking…" She covered her face with her hands and groaned. "I'm so stupid!"

Alexis was getting impatient. "If someone threatened you, we need to call the police. People lose their whole life savings in these casinos sometimes, and then go nuts and shoot the owner or half the people on the floor. You can't dismiss this."

"I'm not dismissing it." Ethan let go of Kelsey and turned to Alexis. "I'll handle it myself with my own casino security. Go back into the reception room with Kelsey, please, and I'll be along shortly."

Without another word or waiting for any response, Ethan headed to the elevators, already flipping open his cell phone and punching in a number.

Alexis looked at Kelsey, still a little confused and uneasy about the whole thing. "Hey, aren't you the chick who sits at the front desk? I remember you from yesterday."

Kelsey nodded. "I'm Kelsey."

"Hi, Kelsey, I'm Alexis. Where did you leave the guy? By your desk, you said? Did you tie him up or what?"

Kelsey bit her lip and shook her head slowly.

Alexis watched the elevator numbers go from twenty-six to twenty-two in a smooth thirty seconds. It stopped at twenty-two. Ethan was going to confront the man himself, the dumb ass.

"You going to stay here, Kelsey the receptionist, or are you going down with me?Because I'm following Ethan."

So she didn't really like Ethan all that much—that didn't mean she wanted him to get beat up or killed or anything. He could use Alexis "Ball Buster"Baldizzi covering his back with a few quick maneuvers. She had been trained to deflect an attacker, and while she knew Ethan was strong, the odds would be better if she went with him.

"Mr. Carrick told me to go get Mr. Fox. I have to do what he says or I'll get fired. Besides, I don't want to see him again… that man."

Alexis pushed the down button on the elevator. "Who is he?"

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"I don't know. He didn't tell me his name. I met him down in the casino at the blackjack table and we came up to the office to, uh…" Kelsey had the grace to blush.

Putting her hand up, Alexis said, "I don't need details. I know what you mean." She got in the elevator.

"Sure you're not coming?"

Kelsey shook her head violently. "I'll get Mr. Fox."

"Suit yourself. See you in five." Alexis waved as the door shut. She slipped her high heels off, leaving one on the floor and wield-ingthe other as a weapon.

Twenty-two was quiet when the door whooshed open, and at the last second, self-preservation made her hang back. Maybe she should leave this to the experts. Then when she glanced out of the elevator, she saw Ethan lying on the floor in front of the reception desk.

"Shit!" Dropping the shoe, she sprinted the twenty feet and fell to her knees. "Ethan? Are you okay?"

The room was dim, the office overnight spots on, but not the regular fluorescent day lights.

She crouched over him, heart in her throat. His eyes were closed, and he was very, very still. There was a strange smell in the air that seemed familiar before her brain told her what it was.Blood. Oh, God, that was blood. Patting his head, she didn't see any injury, so she moved down his shoulders and peeled back his black jacket.

"Oh, Jesus."Her stomach rolled over as her hand touched his sopping wet dress shirt. "Ethan?"

He'd been shot. Right near the heart, if the rip in his shirt and the growing circle of blood were any indication. Maybe two times, because it looked like there was another hole slightly right of center and raised. Covering him back up with his jacket, Alexis pushed down on the fabric to stop all that blood from gushing out.

A hot, panicked taste filled her mouth. She didn't have her cell phone. But the reception desk was right behind her. "Hang in there, Ethan, I'm calling 911."

Scrambling up, she tripped on the hem of her dress and hit the desk. Grabbing the phone, she picked it up and hit the buttons. A squawking sounded in her ear. "Damn it!" Maybe she had to dial nine for an outside line or something. It didn't work. The phone yelled at her again. The third try dialing nine plus the number, she got through and breathlessly explained the situation and her location in the casino to the operator.

"Does he have a pulse? I don't know." Stretching the phone cord, she picked up Ethan's wrist and felt around. "I don't feel any thing." She didn't feel anything. That was bad.