Page 36 of My Mr. Vampire

“True, but they can hurt our humans.”

“You’re right.” Harlen’s eyes widened in realization.

“Chanel’s safety is at stake here, and I need all the help I can get.”

Harlen nodded. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe, Zand. Just tell me what you need me to do.”

“I need you to worry about Morgan, and I can worry about Chanel. Can you handle that?”

“Yes.”

“That means you can’t bite Morgan or drink her blood.”

“Why would you say that? I wasn’t planning on drinking her blood.”

I could tell Harlen was lying.“Seriously, these people have guns.”

“We’ve dealt with guns before.”

That much was true. Harlen could handle himself. I just hoped he had enough humanity left in him to care about the lives of the humans I let him be around. It would be a great help to me if he could look after Morgan. It would be odd for me to interfere with whatever they were doing together. Vampires weren’t savages. We all had the ability to control ourselves. I was going to have to discuss this with Chanel. If she was onboard with Harlen protecting Morgan, then this would work.

CHAPTER TEN

ZAND

As I stepped out of my Impala, I slammed my car door shut and trekked across the parking lot to the back-alley entrance of The Castle. Since the club took up the entire corner and an entire block, some considered the back-alley as the side of the building.

This was a busy night at my club. My eyes scanned the area, searching for any sign of trouble. My club had an hour before we were officially open. Nick was standing guard at the back door. He greeted me with a head nod as I entered.

Making my way to the private elevator to the upstairs office, that was more of a conference room. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was amiss.

“Alright, everyone,” I called out, gathering my security staff in the dimly lit room. “I needed to have an urgent meeting. I’m sure you’re wondering why.”

A tense atmosphere settled over the room like a heavy fog. Their faces were etched with concern as they took their seats around the large wooden table. I felt the weight of responsibilitysettle on my shoulders. I was the boss, and without me, things didn’t happen.

“Listen up,” I began, my voice low and steady. “Our vigilance is more important than ever. There’s a potential threat we need to be aware of. Her name is Marisol Lopez.”

I turned to face my staff; their eyes locked on me with an intensity that reflected the gravity of the situation. The word threat would do that for any vampire. “To give you all some context,” I began, my voice steady but impassioned, “For those of you that don’t know. Marisol Lopez is the sister of Alonzo Lopez, a dangerous man who has caused me trouble in the past. He is no longer a threat.” My eyes flickered around the room, gauging their reactions. They all knew what that meant.

My security staff exchanged intense glances. Some of them knew about Alonzo. They either helped clean up the mess in the apartment or wiped the security footage that I had him in it. Memories of her brother Alonzo and the chaos he’d caused was still fresh in my mind, and the thought of another Lopez causing trouble was unsettling, to say the least.

“Marisol Lopez has already been snooping around one of my apartment buildings,” I continued, my gaze sweeping over each person in the room. “We cannot afford to let our guard down. Not even for a moment. We will send photos of this woman to your cell phones. Be on the lookout. She will probably be armed.”

They all nodded. I trusted them to do what was necessary to keep our patrons and staff safe. Chanel and Morgan weren’t the only humans I had to worry about. I couldn’t have any violence at my club. Trouble brought the law and an investigation.

Marco spoke up. “This woman, is she human?”

“Yes. If you spot her, I want her brought to me.”

“Dead or alive?” Marco asked. He wasn’t just a bartender. He was one of the first people I met when I arrived in Chicago.

“Alive would be preferable. Thank you all. Any acts of violence should be handled discreetly,” I said. “Any questions?” I waited for a moment. “That is all.”

As the meeting adjourned, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of foreboding gnawing at the edges of my thoughts. Marisol’s presence at my apartment had stirred up a storm of dangerous emotions and memories. Her brother had made me turn into a monster. I didn’t want that to happen again.

This time, I wasn’t going to let the other Lopez sneak up on me. I was one step ahead of her. Marisol didn’t know I was supernatural and that I would do whatever it took to protect those under my care.

Everyone but Natasha, my head of security, left the room. “Boss.” She stepped forward then, her Chechen accent adding a hard edge to her words. “We have reason to believe she’s already been scoping out the club.” She glanced at me for confirmation, and I nodded, giving her the green light to proceed.

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