Page 118 of Bloom: Part 1

Cree jumped to his feet, leaving his gun on the table next to the other two men. Now the odds were more even. I only had to take out two before I focused on Magnus and Cree in that order. As much as I would like to save Magnus for last and torture the fucker until he begged me for mercy, he had a weapon; Cree didn’t.

Taking a deep breath, I approached the table under the pretense of taking the seat where Cree had sat. Cree was standing a few away from the scene, his phone held high. The fucker was streaming it live. The nurse was sobbing and begging, and many of the others had turned their faces away.

“This is barbaric.” A short man with sharp cheekbones rose to his feet. “You can’t keep killing us for something we have no control over. Dr. Collier won’t turn himself in. Why don’t you—”

Magnus shot the man in the leg. “Your time will come soon enough. Are you so eager to die?”

Face pale, the doctor crumpled to the ground, groaning. The woman closest to him took off her jacket and pressed it against the wound.

“Now where were we?” Magnus turned slowly to face the phone Cree was using to record. “Another hour has passed, andDr. Collier has yet to show up. Normally, I would take one life, but reports are that the cops have entered the hospital despite my warnings to stay away. To show you how serious I am, I will take two lives instead, and the police department has no one to blame but themselves. Remember, you had a choice of bringing me what I needed to get out of this hospital.”

Fucking idiot. Did he expect to get what he wanted? He was as good as dead. If not at my hands, then at one of those sharpshooters who would be on the scene if they weren’t already. How could he not know this whole fiasco would wind up in history as the most nonsense attack on a hospital? Or did he already know and think he could be immortalized? I’d watched enough documentaries about serial killers and mass shooters to know that some chased fame rather than escape.

“Look at the camera, sweetheart.” Magnus jerked the nurse’s head up by the hair. “Tell us your name.”

I’d had enough. With them all so invested in the livestream, this was my chance. The two onlookers died without seeing me raise my gun, but the loud explosion echoed in the room. People screamed, lying flat on the ground.

Magnus and Cree spun around, eyes wide. “Drop it,” I said.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Magnus said. “You’re betraying me? Did Luthor put you up to this?”

“I don’t know any Luthor.” Slowly I approached. “I’m the shadow who protects the man you want to kill. To get to him, you have to go through me.”

Magnus frowned. “You? Have you been the one killing my men?”

“Bingo. Slowly put the gun down.”

He didn’t move. “Impressive. You sure you don’t want to join my side? With your kind of raw talent, we could rule Smoky Vale, get rid of those bikers once and for all.”

“You don’t know when to quit, do you? I am a Blood Hound, you fucking idiot. Put the gun down.”

“All right, all right.” He stooped slowly to do what I asked. But at the last minute, he shifted the gun to point straight. I pulled the trigger three times. He cried out, falling to the ground in a lifeless heap.

I tuned him out. Cree was on the move, ducking low and reaching for his gun. My first shot went wide. The second hit his arm, and the third slammed into his gut just as the heat of a bullet seared my temple. A surge of pain clouded my vision, but I fought it down, refocusing on the threat before me.

Cree groaned, his face contorted in agony as he clutched his wounded arm. His gun had skidded away on the blood-slick floor. I took two big strides, kicked his gun farther away, and planted a boot firmly on his chest.

And shot him in the head.

Silence cloaked the room. The surviving hostages rose to their feet. Some sobbed quietly while others clung to each other, dazed and trembling. They watched me nervously, not sure if I was friend or foe.

Better for them not to see my face after what they’d witnessed me do.

A loud crash sounded as the door was kicked in. I spun around, raising my gun, prepared to battle. Flashes of blue and red danced across the walls. The police were finally here.

“I see one!” someone shouted. My chest was on fire. The world dimmed around me, and the ground seemed to tilt beneath my feet. Someone screamed.

“Nooo! He’s not the bad guy!”

I touched a hand to my chest, where the fire was spreading, then brought it up to eye level, even as my vision blurred. Blood. So this was it. This was how I was going to die, not for the badthings I had done but for the one good deed I’d ever done in my life.

I fell to my knees.

“You shot the wrong man.”

Someone caught me before I face-planted. Gentle hands lowered me to my back. Why was everything white? I couldn’t be going to heaven. I knew better than that. A face hovered over mine.

“Hang in there. By god, you’re not going to die. Not after everything you’ve done.”

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