How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake #1)

"Tell me you found Shanna Whelan." Ivan Petrovsky glared at four of the best thugs the Russian mafia had to offer.

They avoided looking him in the eye. Cowards, all of them. Ivan had insisted on staying close to the dental clinic in case Shanna Whelan was hiding nearby. These four men had completed their search of nearby alleys and come up empty-handed.

Three blocks away, police cars screeched to a halt in front of the ransacked clinic. Their flashing lights bounced off nearby buildings, waking the inhabitants. Mortals ventured onto the street, hoping to see something exciting. Like a dead body.

It was a thrill Ivan was usually happy to supply, but tonight, Stesha's thugs had screwed up. Incompetent cowards.

Ivan strode toward the two black sedans they had moved away from the crime scene before the police could arrive. "She couldn't have just disappeared. She's only a mortal."

The four thugs followed him. A blond giant with a square jaw replied, "We didn't see her go out the front or the back."

Ivan breathed in the blond Neanderthal's scent. O positive. Too bland. Too damned stupid. "So, you think she did disappear?"

No answer. They watched their feet as they shuffled along.

"We did see the back door swing open," a thug finally confessed, his face stippled with acne scars.

"And?" Ivan waited impatiently.

"I thought I saw two people." Acne Face frowned. "But when we ran to the door, there was no one there."

"I thought I heard something. Like a swoosh," a third thug offered.

"A swoosh?" Ivan clenched his fists. "Is that all you can tell me?" Tension coursed through him, zeroing in on the muscles in his upper spine. With a sudden tilt of his head, he snapped his neck and felt a small measure of relief.

The four mortals winced.

Stesha Bratsk, the local Russian mafia boss, had insisted his own men take part in the Shanna Whelan assignment. A big mistake. Ivan's fingers itched to encircle their thick bull necks and squeeze the life out of them. If only he had used his own vampires. Then the Whelan girl would be dead, and he'd be receiving the bounty money of two hundred and fifty grand.

He was going to get that money one way or another. He thought back, recalling the interior of the dental clinic. No sign of the girl anywhere. The only interesting thing he had found was an uneaten pizza with the name of a deli emblazoned on the box in red and green letters. "Where is Carlo's Deli?"

"Little Italy," the blond thug replied. "Great pizza."

"I like their lasagna better," Acne Face said.

"You idiots!" Ivan glowered at them. "How will you explain your failure to Stesha tonight? His cousin in Boston is serving a life sentence, all because that little bitch testified against him in court."

They shifted from one foot to another.

Ivan took a deep breath. He didn't care what happened to Stesha or his family. They were mortals, after all. But these guys worked for them, so they needed to show more loyalty. And less stupidity. "From now on, I use my own men at night. During the day, you watch the deli and the Whelan girl's apartment. If you find her, follow her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," they mumbled in unison.

Unfortunately, Ivan didn't have much hope for their success. His own vampires would prove much more capable at finding the missing Shanna Whelan. The only problem was they could work only at night. He needed these damned mortals to carry on the mission during the day.

A third black sedan pulled up beside the other two cars, and two more of Stesha's employees got out.

"Well? Did you find her?" Ivan asked.

A bearded thug with a shaved head came forward. "We spotted another car a block north of here. A green Honda. Two men. Pavel thinks he saw a woman."

"I did," Pavel insisted. "They were sticking her in the trunk."

Ivan raised his eyebrows. Had someone else captured the Whelan girl before him? Crap. Someone else wanted the reward money. His reward money. "Where did they go?"

Pavel cursed and kicked a car tire. "We lost them."

Ivan snapped his head once more to relieve the building pressure in his neck. "Doesn't anyone train you people? Or does Stesha hire you right off the boat?"

The bald one's face turned red. Red and fully flushed with blood. Ivan's nostrils flared. AB Negative. God, he was hungry. He had planned to feast on the Whelan girl, but now he would have to look elsewhere.

"We did get the license plate number," Pavel offered. "We'll find out who owns the car."

"You do that. And report to me in two hours. I'll be at my home in Brooklyn."

Pavel's face turned pale. "Yes, sir."

No doubt he'd heard the rumors. Sometimes people who entered the home of the Russian coven at night were never seen again. Ivan stepped closer to the six men and stared at each of them in the eye. "If you find her, you will not kill her. That is my job. Don't even think about earning the reward money for yourself. You won't live long enough to enjoy it. Understand?"

There was a series of gulps and nods.

"Leave me now. Stesha is waiting to hear from you."

The six thugs climbed into the black sedans and drove away.

Ivan strolled toward the crime scene. Neighbors stood about, huddled in groups while they watched the police. A pretty blond in a pink bathrobe caught his eye. He stared at her. Come to me.

She turned and looked him over. Slowly, she smiled. Foolish woman, she thought she was seducing him. He gestured toward a dark alley. She sauntered toward him, swaying her hips, stroking her fluffy pink bathrobe with long pink fingernails.

He stepped into the darkness and waited.

She sailed into her doom as dumbly as a pink poodle bouncing into a grooming parlor, eager to be admired and petted. "Are you new in the neighborhood? I don't recall seeing you before."

Come closer. "Are you wearing anything under that robe?"

She giggled. "Shame on you. Don't you know the police are just a few feet away?"

"Makes it more exciting, doesn't it?"

She laughed again, her voice taking on a huskier tone. "You are a bad boy, aren't you?"

He took her by the shoulders. "You have no idea." In an instant, his fangs sprang out.

She gasped, but before she could react further, his fangs were deep in her neck. Blood flooded his mouth¡ªrich, hot, and with the added risk of the nearby police, it was extra spicy.

At least the evening had not been a complete failure. Not only was he getting a delicious meal, but this girl's dead body would serve to distract the police from the missing dentist.

Ivan just loved mixing business with pleasure.

Shanna paced the kitchen floor. She wasn't going to do it. No way was she sticking a wolf's canine into that man's mouth. Laszlo had just left with the information she'd reluctantly given him, and now, she was alone in the kitchen of Roman Draganesti's house. True, he had saved her life. Also true, he was generously offering her asylum. But she had to wonder why. Was he so determined to have an animal tooth implanted in his mouth that he wanted her in his debt?

She paused at the table for another sip of diet cola. The turkey sandwich that Connor had made for her was still uneaten. She was just too nervous to eat right now. She'd come so close to being murdered. The full impact of that fact was only now sinking in. She owed Roman her life. But that didn't mean she was going to implant his stupid wolf tooth.

Who was this Roman Draganesti, anyway? Sure, he was about the most handsome man she'd ever met, but that didn't guarantee he was sane. He seemed genuinely concerned about protecting her, but why? And why did he have a small army of kilted Highlanders? Where on earth did a person acquire such an army? Did he place an ad in the paper¡ªWanted: small army of kilted Highlanders?

If he needed this much protection, he must have made some bad enemies. Could she trust someone like that? Well, maybe. She had some bad enemies herself, and through no fault of her own.

With a sigh, Shanna stopped at the table for another drink. The more she tried to understand Roman, the more confused she became. And adding to the confusion was the fact that she'd come darn close to kissing the man. What on earth was she thinking?

Well, duh. She wasn't thinking at all. The car ride had turned her on. Escaping the Russians and bouncing into Roman's swollen manhood had combined to give her one powerful adrenaline rush. It was a mixture of excitement and lust. That was all.

The door swooshed open, and Connor rushed in. He glanced around the room. "Are ye all right, lass?"

"Yeah. Did you tell Roman that I refuse to put that animal tooth in his mouth?"

Connor smiled. "Doona worry yerself. I'm sure Laszlo will be telling Mr. Draganesti how ye feel."

"For all the good that'll do." Shanna sat at the table and dragged the plate holding the sandwich toward her. According to Laszlo, Mr. Draganesti had insisted on her cooperation, and whatever Mr. Draganesti wanted, he was sure to get. What arrogance! The man was obviously used to being in charge.

Romatech. That's where he said he worked. Romatech. Roman. "Oh my God." She sat back in her chair.

Connor raised his eyebrows.

"Roman's the owner of Romatech, isn't he?"

Connor shifted his weight from one foot to another. He watched her with a wary look. "Aye. That he is."

"Then, he's the one who invented the formula for synthetic blood."

"Aye, he did."

"That's amazing!" Shanna stood. "He must be the most gifted scientist alive."

Connor winced. "I wouldna say that exactly, but he's a verra intelligent man."

"He's a genius!" Shanna raised both hands in the air. My God, she'd been rescued by a scientific genius. A man who was responsible for saving millions of lives around the world. And now he'd saved her. She sat down, dazed.

Roman Draganesti. Gorgeous, strong, sexy, mysterious, and possessing one of the most intelligent minds in the world today. Wow. He was perfect.

Too perfect. "I guess he's married."

"Nay." Connor's blue eyes twinkled. "Are ye saying ye like him, lass?"

She shrugged. "Maybe." Her turkey sandwich suddenly looked very appealing, and she picked it up for a big bite. The most incredible, available bachelor had entered her life tonight. As exciting as that was, she had to remind herself of his bizarre reason for coming to the dental clinic. She swallowed. "I'm still not implanting that tooth."

Connor smiled. "Roman is accustomed to getting his way."

"Yeah. Reminds me of my father." That was another point against him. She downed the last of her diet cola. "Do you mind if I have some more? I can get it." She rose.

"No, no, I'll do it." Connor hurried to the fridge and retrieved a two-liter bottle from the bottom shelf. He brought the bottle to the table.

"The sandwich is great. Are you sure you won't join me?"

He filled her glass. "I already ate, but thank ye for asking."

"So, why did Roman hire a bunch of Scotsmen to guard his house? No offense, but it seems kinda unusual."

"I suppose it does." Connor screwed the top back on the diet cola bottle. "We all do what we're best suited for. I'm an old warrior, ye might say. So, working for the MacKay is the best job for me."

"MacKay?" Shanna took a bite of her sandwich and hoped Connor would elaborate.

"MacKay Security and Investigation." Connor sat across from her at the table. " 'Tis a large company based in Edinburgh. Run by Angus MacKay himself. Ye havena heard of it?"

She shook her head no, since her mouth was still full.

'"Tis the premier company of its kind in the world," Connor announced proudly. "Ye see, Angus and Roman are old friends. Angus does all the security work for Roman, here and at the corporate office."

A beep sounded at the back door, and Connor jumped to his feet. Next to the door, Shanna spotted a light switch with two indicator lights protruding from it¡ªone red and one green. The red one was lit. Connor whipped the short sword from the sheath on his belt and paced silently toward the door.

Shanna gulped. "What's going on?"

"Doona be alarmed, lass. If the person outside is one of our guards, he'll swipe his ID card and the light will turn green." Just as Connor spoke, the red light went off and the green one came on. Connor eased to the far side of the door, his blade still drawn, his stance like a tiger ready to pounce.

"Then why are you¡ª"

"If an enemy attacks a guard, he could steal the ID card." Connor put a finger to his lips to warn Shanna to remain quiet.

Quiet? Jeez, she was giving considerable thought to getting the hell out of there.

The door slowly opened. "Connor? It's me, Ian."

"Och, good. Come on in." Connor sheathed his sword.

Ian was yet another kilted Highlander, though Shanna thought he seemed incredibly young for security work. He couldn't be a day over sixteen.

He slipped his ID card back into the leather pouch at his waist, then gave her a shy smile. "Good evening, miss."

"Nice to meet you, Ian." Oh, he was definitely young. The poor boy should be in school, not up all night guarding people from the Russian mob.

Ian turned back to Connor. "We conducted a full surveillance sweep. Everything is clear, sir."

Connor nodded. "Good. Ye should return to yer post."

"Aye. If ye doona mind, sir, after all the running aboot, me and the lads are thirsty. Verra thirsty." Ian glanced nervously at Shanna. "We were hoping for a.. a wee drink."

"A drink?" Connor glanced at Shanna, a worried look furrowing his brow. "Ye'll need to do yer drinking outside."

It seemed to Shanna that for some reason they were suddenly uncomfortable around her. So she tried her best to appear friendly. With a smile, she grabbed the cola bottle off the table. "Would you like this, Ian? I really don't need any more."

He grimaced with a look of disgust.

She set the bottle down. "Okay. It's diet. But it's not that bad, really."

Ian gave her an apologetic look. "I¡ªI'm sure it's perfectly fine, but the lads and I, we prefer a different sort of drink."

"A protein drink," Connor blurted out.

"Aye." Ian nodded. " 'Tis a protein drink, to be sure."

Connor hurried to the fridge, motioning for Ian to follow. With whispered voices, they huddled in front of the open fridge, removing something. They stepped back to let the refrigerator door close. Then they sidestepped together, their backs turned to Shanna and their shoulders connected like Siamese twins as they shuffled over to the microwave on the counter.

Whatever they were doing, it was obvious they didn't want her to see it. How strange was that? Oh well, it was a night for strangeness. Shanna munched on her sandwich and observed the two Scotsmen. It sounded like they were opening bottles. Click. Probably the microwave door shutting. A series of little beeps, then sure enough, she heard the whirring sound of the microwave.

The two Scotsmen turned toward her, their backs to the counter and their shoulders pressed together to keep her from seeing behind them. She smiled at them. They smiled back.

"We.. uh, like our protein drinks warm," Connor said as if he wanted to break the silence.

She nodded. "That's nice."

"So, ye're the lass the Russians are hunting?" Ian asked.

"Afraid so." She pushed back her empty plate. "I'm sorry about dragging you guys into this. You know, I have a contact at the U.S. marshal's office. I could let him handle this. Then you wouldn't have to concern yourselves with me anymore."

"Nay, lass," Connor said. "Ye're to stay here."

"Aye. Roman's orders," Ian added.

Sheesh. The mighty Roman has spoken and all must obey. Well, if he expected her to implant that tooth in his mouth, he was in for a surprise. Thanks to her father, she had become an expert in rebelling against domineering men.

The microwave dinged and the two men whirled around and busied themselves at the counter. They appeared to be screwing the tops back onto the protein drinks and shaking them. Then they stopped and looked at each other. Connor glanced back at Shanna, then rushed over to a cabinet and pulled out an old paper sack. Ian remained huddled over the bottles. When Connor returned, there was a flurry of activity that Shanna couldn't see, accompanied by the crunchy noise of paper.

Then Ian turned with the paper sack in his arms. The top had been rolled down. Inside, no doubt, were the mysterious protein drinks. He walked toward the door, the glass bottles clinking together inside the bag. "I'll be going now."

Connor unlocked the door. "Report again in thirty minutes."

"Aye, sir." Ian glanced at Shanna. "Good evening, miss."

"Bye, Ian. Be careful," she called after him. After Connor locked the door, she smiled at him. "Connor, you rascal. I know what you were doing. Protein drink, my ass."

His eyes widened. "I.. you canna¡ª"

"You should be ashamed of yourself. Isn't that boy under age?"

"Ian?" Connor looked confused. "Under age for what?"

"Drinking beer. Isn't that what you gave him? Though why anyone would want a warm six-pack is beyond me."

"Beer?" In Connor's shocked voice, the final r seemed to roll for a full thirty seconds. "We have no beer, ma'am. And the guards wouldna ever get drunk while on duty, I assure you."

He looked so offended, Shanna decided her conclusion must have been faulty. "Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to infer that you weren't doing your job well."

He nodded, somewhat mollified.

"In fact, I'm terribly grateful for your protection." She just couldn't leave well enough alone, though. "But I do have to object to using guards as young as Ian. That boy should in bed and going to school in the morning."

Connor frowned. "He's a wee older than he looks."

"What, seventeen?"

Connor folded his arms across his chest. "Older."

"Ninety-two?" Sarcasm crept into her voice, but Connor didn't appear amused. He looked about the kitchen as if he was genuinely stumped on how to answer.

The door to the hallway swung open and a large figure entered the room.

"Thank God " Connor muttered. Roman Draganesti was back.