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CHAPTER SIX

ZAND

M y rage burned cold as I slipped my Cripo Glock into my shoulder holster. The weapon’s lightweight against my ribs felt comfortable. I existed for a few decades without the need for weapons. Times had changed.

Teresa crossed a line when she murdered Morgan.

Harlen turning Morgan didn’t erase the loss of life.

Nothing could erase Teresa’s sins now. I didn’t think she would go this far.

I will never underestimate a rival again.

This was my lesson learned. Morgan was the only family Chanel had left, and Teresa took her life.

Payback was so near I could feel it, see it, and taste it.

I adjusted my suit jacket, guaranteeing the gun remained invisible beneath the tailored fabric.

Tonight, I was hunting my ex-wife. If I would’ve known what she did to Morgan, I would’ve confronted her sooner.

Harlen should’ve reported Morgan’s death immediately.

This time, I overlooked his behavior. It was clear he had genuine feelings for Morgan.

I left my office and walked down the hall to the Castle’s private conference room.

I entered and noticed Natasha standing at the head of the table.

Marco bent to slide his weapon into his ankle holster.

Matt checked the clip on his Glock. He was a good shot.

Matt was a hunter before he was made a vampire.

Josh stood silently by the door. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were always alert.

Each of them had served me faithfully for years.

Harlen entered the conference room last. The recent events with Morgan had changed him. There was a new focus in his eyes.It was nice to see he cared about someone other than himself.

“You sure this is the play?” Harlen asked, accepting his weapon from Natasha. “Confronting Teresa in a public place?”

I addressed his concerns. “We need to see how many people she has with her that are vampires. We need our people to walk around so we can get some kind of head count. When the shit goes down, I don’t want to be outnumbered.

Teresa thrives on chaos. We’re not giving her what she wants. We’re dictating the terms now.”

“Harlen, do you remember how to use your weapon?” Natasha asked.

He looked down at his own personal gun. “Yes. Point and shoot.”

I advised Natasha to give Harlen a Cripo Glock. There was nothing I could see that made me believe he would go against me. He wanted to be here. We wouldn’t know Marisol was a vamp without his intel.

“Listen up everybody!” I called out. “As you know, the weapon is personalized only for you. Get used to carrying it, concealing it, and wearing it on your body. This tech is something we can’t let get out into the world.”

“Why are we bringing them if we can’t use it to take these assholes down?”Harlen asked.

“This isn’t what we’re there for. Using our weapons are last resort. We are not there to get civilians killed and caught in our vampire business. Natasha and I have never tested the serum on humans. One stray bullet might kill them, and that’s not what we’re there for.”

“Club Bailar Caliente has a VIP section that’s relatively isolated.” Natasha said while pulling up the club’s floor plan on the screen on the wall behind the head of the table. “Our goal is to isolate Teresa and Marisol and identify any other vampires in the establishment.”

“Every entrance and exit needs to be covered as soon as we step inside. We can’t have any vampires leaving without a head count and description.

” I instructed. “I know everyone is ready to use the Cripos and have this over with, but we can’t show them our hand this early.

If they see our secret weapon coming, they can run and hide and then we are right back where we started.

I don’t want to go back to looking over our shoulders.

I’m going in there to stir shit up! So, we can take them out completely! ”

The team absorbed my instructions. These weren’t just my employees. They were my soldiers in a war most humans didn’t even know existed. A war Teresa started when she created her own vampire and targeted Chanel. I just hoped Marisol was the only vampire she created.

“If we all are there at the club, who is with Chanel and Morgan?” Harlen asked.

“Donté and Viktor are with them.” I replied. “Donté and Viktor have been issued weapons. Morgan is a vampire now. As far as we know, Teresa doesn’t know that you turned her. The instructions are clear. Time to get the information.”

The ride to Club Bailar Caliente was hauntingly silent. We took two black SUVs, with window tints beyond legal limits. We cut through Chicago’s night traffic in route to our destination. I sat in the lead vehicle with Natasha beside me and Harlen in the back.

We pulled up a half a block from the club entrance. The line stretched down the sidewalk, humans blissfully unaware they were in queue alongside predators. Bass pulsed from within the walls and leaked out into the street.

Natasha approached the bouncer who was a mountain of a man with neck tattoos and hands like sledgehammers. She smiled and slipped him an envelope from her leather jacket. The bouncer’s eyes widened slightly as she placed it in his palm.

“Three thousand.” She murmured. “Me and my friends don’t like waiting or being searched.”

He hesitated only briefly before pocketing the cash and unhooking the velvet rope. “Go right in.” He grunted, avoiding eye contact with the rest of us.

We entered the club. Harlen took the lead because he’d been there before. The club interior was colorful and very different from my decor at The Castle. The dance floor was full of bodies pressed together under strobe lights moving to Latin music.

I scanned the crowd methodically. Josh and Marco positioned themselves near the main exit. Matt drifted toward the emergency exit. Natasha remained at my flank. Harlen moved to the other emergency exit by the bar that led to the kitchen.

Then I saw that bitch!

Teresa provocatively danced in the center of the dance floor. Her body gyrated to Mi Gente by J. Balvin and Willy William. She was wearing a black leather dress that clung to her form like a second skin. It was the skin of a snake that needed their head cut off.

Beside her were the faces of humans, oblivious to the predator in their midst. How many of them would she feed on tonight? How many more Chanel Taylor’s would die if I didn’t end this soon?

As if sensing my predatory gaze, Teresa turned in my direction. Our eyes locked across the crowded floor. Surprise flickered across her face. It was quickly replaced by delight. Her lips curved into a smile that held no warmth. Was she happy to see me?

She beckoned me with a single finger, inviting me to join her on the dance floor. The gesture carried all the arrogance I remembered about her. She thought with absolute certainty that she could control any situation, manipulate any person. Even me. Especially me.

I felt Harlen tense beside me, his hand reflexively moving toward his concealed weapon.

“Be cool.” I murmured.

“That bitch killed Morgan!”

I looked my brother in his eyes. “Harlen, we’re going to get her. But not here. Not now.”

He conceded with a head nod. I removed my Cripo Glock, discreetly passing it to Natasha with a look that communicated more than words could. She took it with a nearly imperceptible motion.

“Cover me. Don’t intervene unless I give the signal.” I told Natasha and Harlen. “This needs to play out a certain way.”

Harlen’s jaw clenched. “Be careful, brother. If she kills humans so freely, vampires are next.”

“We’re not going to lose any of our people. Don’t even think it.” I sternly replied.

I straighten my suit jacket and stepped forward, moving toward Teresa with long strides. The crowd parted instinctively before me. I’m tall, and humans subconsciously recognize me as a predator. Teresa watched my approach. Her smile widened. Her thin body was still moving to the beat of the music.

I glided into Teresa’s space. My hands found her waist. We’ve danced this dance before, in a different place, at a different time.

It was our wedding day when the steps were romantic rather than hostile.

I gripped her tighter than necessary, my fingers digging into the fabric of her dress.

It wasn’t made of real leather. The fabric was cheap, just like the bar I picked her up in, just a few years ago.

“Zand.” She purred my name from her lips. “This time you came to me. I’m flattered.”

The Latin beat drove our movements. I danced in my own controlled way just to fit in and not look suspicious. I guided her roughly, my steps aggressive and forceful. There was nothing seductive about the way we move together. This was a fierce battle choreographed to music.

Teresa leaned in, pressing her breasts into my chest. Her hair brushed against my cheek. The high heels lifted her just a few inches below me.

“Stop being so rough with me. Save that for the bedroom.” She whispered up to my ear.

“You think this is rough?” I clawed at her shoulder, causing her to stumble.

“I do. Stop it now, or I’ll start killing random people on this goddamn dance floor.”

“You’re bluffing.” My jaw clenched, but I eased my grip on her shoulder and back. I refused to give her an excuse to spill innocent blood. “Always the same threats, Teresa. You haven’t changed.”

She laughed. It was a delightful sound to anyone who didn’t know the darkness behind it. We turned in perfect synchronization.

“Turning Marisol crossed the line.” I said, keeping my voice low enough that only she could hear. “And killing innocent women named Chanel Taylor is diabolical.”

Teresa’s eyes flashed with amusement. All around us, humans continued to dance, unaware of the predators in their midst.