Page 116 of Bloom: Part 1

“Because they hold several doctors and nurses hostage in the lunch room on the first floor, and they plan to kill one person every hour if you don’t hand yourself over unless the cops meet their demands for a helicopter to get them out of the town. They want to take you as a hostage. From what Crowe says, backup has arrived to support the Smoky Vale PD, and they’ll be making their move soon. The gang members are getting antsy. It’s going to get bloody.”

I stared at him, jaw slack. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’d never joke about anything concerning your life.”

“But we have a greater chance of escaping together. Remove the restraints.” I fought against the bonds, straining with theeffort, but Bloom shook his head and pressed a calming hand to my chest.

“I know you too well. The minute you find out another victim has died, you will want to give yourself in. I won’t allow it.”

But how could I know innocent people were being killed because of me and not do anything about it? “It’s the right thing to do. They’ve already killed too many. My life is one versus several doctors and nurses who—”

“But it’s your life!” He grabbed the front of my shirt. “It’s worth more than a hundred. Do you hear me, Logan? I wouldn’t sacrifice you to save a thousand. You staying alive is all that matters.”

I dragged heavy breaths into my lungs, his words lingering like a dense fog. This was all my fault. I’d enjoyed him putting me on a pedestal instead of showing him I was no different than him, than anyone else. My life was no more valuable than any of the other doctors. But from the determined angle of his jaw, I knew I couldn’t convince him.

If he died because of me, how would I forgive myself? This wasn’t his fight. My life was not his war zone, and I hadn’t meant to conscript him as a soldier to defend it.

“Bloom, don’t go. Stay here with me. Keep me tied up like this if you want. Just don’t go.”

“I have to.”

“You don’t!”

“If I stay here with you while they’re killing all those people, you’ll resent me. I don’t want you to hate me, Logan. I’d rather you see me as a hero. I don’t care about those people. I don’t even care if they survive, but I have to do what you would to try and save them.”

“I swear I won’t hate you. Just stay.”

Bloom slipped his fingers into my hair and kissed me. When he touched my face, his fingers trembled. He was afraid.

“Stay,” I said against his lips. “Stay, dammit! I can’t lose you.”

He pressed his forehead to mine and smiled. “Hey, I’m more capable than you think. I can take them out. The good thing is that they’re spread out. I can kill them off one by one.”

“Why won’t you let me help?”

“You will. You being here safe will help me to focus on getting business done.” Bloom rose to his feet. “Accept it, Logan, just as I have. I’m not afraid to die, but I am terrified at the thought of losing you.”

“Well…” My mind spun wildly, desperate to find anything to keep him with me. “If you die, I’ll kill myself too. Then what would be the point of you doing this?”

Bloom backed up toward the door, his smile sweet but sad. “You won’t. I’d do it for you without a doubt, but you don’t love me that much to physically be unable to exist without me.”

Numb, I watched him go, unable to find the right words to get him to stay. Only after he’d disappeared did it hit me. I never told him I loved him. What if he died, never knowing just how much he meant to me?

32

BLOOM

People thought killing didn’t bother me, and for the most part, it didn’t, but at a certain point, it had taken a toll on me. I’d lost track of the men I’d killed since leaving Logan. Thanks to Smoky Vale’s crappy economy, the hospital wasn’t that big, which helped as I navigated floors.

I had a task to do, but I stopped at the sound of a woman crying. I pushed open the door. Shit. One of those fuckers was assaulting her. A thought flashed through my mind.What would Logan do?So I blew a hole into the fucker, which alerted another one. Thankfully, none of the patients had been hit in the crossfire, but now they knew someone was in the building coming after them.

“Thank you! Thank you!” the woman cried, but her thanks meant nothing to me. If I hadn’t intervened, I might have gotten a few more before they became aware of my presence.

I looked at the dying man on the floor. All the men I’d killed had been wearing black. The only difference between them and me was the mask. I rolled the dead man over with my foot and forced the mask from his head. My stomach roiled at themorbidity of it all, but I clenched my teeth and slipped on the mask. It was a bit too big, but it would have to do.

The woman told me the patients weren’t being targeted. They would be spared if they stayed in their rooms. Good for them. Now I had to save the one person I cared most about. The man who’d been there for me through my episodes and stayed. The man who didn’t shun me when I peed his bed.

With the mask covering my face, I left the room and ventured to the first floor. Their new leader was with the hostages. According to the man I’d blinded, his name was Magnus and he was using the opportunity to get greedy. His demand wasn’t only for Logan’s surrender as a hostage to save the others but also to be guaranteed a safe passage out of town with a hefty sum of unmarked bills.

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