Owned by Mr. Lan

Chapter 10

Xiao Zhan

My entire body bounces on the bed, and the force wakes me up.

“Yibo? Are you finally coming to bed?” I wish I could say I know what has gotten into me, but I want his presence. He’s terrifying, but it’s the last thing I feel when I’m with him. And if I’m ever afraid, it isn’t because I’m afraid of him.

I’m afraid of how good the bad in him makes me feel.
It’s addicting.

“Yibo?”
“Not Yibo.” Arms slide under me and bring me against a foreign
chest but I know the voice.

“Haoxuan? What’s going on?”

“I’ll explain later. We need to move. Now.”

There’s a stranger in my room, a guy closer to my age but he follows us out the door. A loud crack rings and I scream, ducking my head as the gunshot echoes.

“Yibo!” I scream for him, but he doesn’t answer.

“He’s fine. He has this under control.” Haoxuan enters what looks like a guest bedroom and rushes to the closet. He presses a button on the shelf and the back wall opens to a huge, steel room. He sets me down and I walk into the room, the stranger behind me and then Xuan Lu. Haoxuan enters last. He closes the door behind him, turning the silver wheel until 6 bars slide into place.

One wall is made of screens. Haoxuan presses a few buttons and the security footage pops up, showing the house from different angles. I can see the endless backyard, the miles of trees that would be great hiding places. The front gate isn’t open and the garden seems unbothered but gunshots crack the air, I can hear them through the steel.

Haoxuan points his gun at the door. “I want you all to stay behind me at all times.”

“What is going on?” my voice quakes. “Where is Yibo? Why isn’t he in here with us?”

“Because he is the boss and he never hides. The Wens are coming
back for their toy; no offense, kid,” Haoxuan says to the stranger next to me.

“Offense taken,” he mumbles. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know they would come for me. I didn’t think they cared. Maybe if I go with them, they’ll leave.”

“Not a chance. You’re worth more here. Sorry, Yubin.”

“I’m Xiao Zhan.” I introduce myself, not wanting to come across as rude when he’s obviously been through so much. “When we get out of here, I’d like to look at your eye. It’s swelling fast and I might need to decompress it.”

“How?” He flinches when he touches it. “How would you know how?”

“I’m studying to be a doctor,” I explain, watching the screen, looking for any sign of Yibo. I see a flash and my gaze drifts to where the garage is. Sparks flash white across the screen and I cover my mouth to hold back my gasp when I see someone go down then don’t move or get up again from the cement floor.

I press my hand against the screens and watch men run across the yard, Yibo leading the way. He lifts his gun, firing until the clip is empty, then reloads. Haoxuan presses a few buttons and the screens change to the cameras inside the house.

“What are you doing?” I yell. “We need to see if they’re okay. Switch it back!” I slap his shoulder.

He covers my mouth with his hand and points to the top right screen.

“Do you see that?” he whispers, showing me a broken window.

“Someone is in the house. Be quiet.” He flips through the angles of the cameras, trying to find the one that shows where the intruder is and when he finally lands on it, he stares at the door protecting us. Haoxuan lifts a finger to his mouth, telling us to be quiet. Yubin, the new guy, grips my hand without tearing his gaze from the screen.