Page 53 of Dear Mr. Vampire

“You love me?” Zand smiled with his caramel eyes.

“Yes, fine. I said it. I love you. I don’t want anything to happen to you because I care about you and I love you.”

“I love you too. I’m in love with you. That’s exactly the reason I can’t abandon you in your time of need. I could never abandon you. We have something special. We have love.”

Pleading with him was my only option. “If something happened to you because of me.”

“Nothing will happen to me or you.”

“Zand, listen, this is not the time to be a hero. My ex, he’s killed people.”

“Yes, it was two men and their sister. He murdered a rival gang member with a machete a few years back, but they didn’t have enough evidence to arrest him for that. He’s suspected of other crimes.”

“How do you know this?” His knowledge floored me.

“You told me his name. I looked into him.”

“Why?”

“Curiosity. Don’t worry. It could never be traced back to you or me.”

“How did you look into him?”

“Natasha is my head of security. She can get information on anybody. She has connections with certain people in important positions.”

His voice calmed me, but I still feared he didn’t really understand the type of man he was dealing with. Lonzo was a menace.

“Lonzo is the head of some Minnesota crime gang. He’s some big criminal that the police have been trying to get for years.” I added.

“He’s been too smart up until this point. They can’t seem to make any federal or criminal cases stick.”

“So you know he’s dangerous?”

“Uh, I’m sure he thinks so.”

“Zand, why aren’t you listening to me? You’re not taking this serious.”

“Believe me, I am. I just don’t scare easy.”

What did he mean by that?“Do you own a gun or something?”

“No, I don’t have any guns at the apartment, but there are guns in a safe at The Castle. My security team has concealed carry licenses, so they usually carry a gun on their person while at work. I just tell them to keep the weapons hidden from the public. Chanel, I will not leave you to deal with that bastard allby yourself. If he’s brave enough to come to my city and mess with my girl, I’m ready for him.”

I didn’t know what Zand meant. I’d never seen him raise his voice. How could he even think he could take on a gang lord? His bravery was nice, but Lonzo was a big, thick guy with tattoos all over his body.

“Chanel, I want you to feel safe. Whatever it takes. You can move in with me. Or I can move you to another property I own. I can take you to and from work. Or I can get one of my security guards to escort you. I need you to understand you’re safe with me.”

I was starting to believe him. I knew I was crazy for thinking a club owner and apartment landlord could protect me from a seasoned criminal. Could he, though? He could probably hide me. Lonzo got my cell phone number, but that doesn’t mean he could get any information on Zand.

“Zand, I don’t think my attack was random. Lonzo said to me, I heard you got into a scuffle. I don’t know if he sent someone to beat me up? Were they supposed to kill me? I don’t know.”

“Tell me exactly what he said to you on the phone. Did he threaten you?”

“No, he said— Hola, Coco. Mi pequena flor, como estas?”

“What did you say?”

“I was just quiet. As soon as I heard his voice, I froze.”

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