Page 101 of Bloom: Part 1

Her assailant turned. No way could I close the gap between us in time. I flung the knife. It whistled through the air and embedded itself into the man’s throat. He dropped with a hoarse scream, clutching at the hilt. The second he yanked it free, blood spurted from the wound, and he collapsed, his life fading in gurgles and grunts.

The nurse stared at me with wide, horrified eyes, but she didn’t protest as I scooped up the man’s handgun, retrieved my knife, and grabbed an envelope from the desk. I dropped the knife inside and used another blade to cut her restraints.

“Thank you, thank you,” she sobbed.

“Where’s Dr. Collier?”

“I-he-in the OR. But they’ve taken over that area. I don’t know if he’s still alive.”

“He’s still alive!” I barked. “Where’s the OR?”

She gave me directions, her whole body trembling. “Be careful. There are so many of them. I don’t know where they came from. ”

She rushed the opposite way. She would be lucky if she didn’t run into another one of them. I took the gun with me. If I was caught with it, they would shoot me, no questions asked. I would have no option but to fight my way out. I didn’t mind fighting, but not until I knew Logan was safe.

If I were unarmed they might not see me as a threat.

The door of a storage closet was ajar, which gave me an idea. I hid the gun as well as the envelope with the knife under a pileof clean linens. If we got out, I could return for them. But first, I had to find the OR.

I hurried through the labyrinth of sterile corridors, the familiar odor of antiseptic growing stronger. Scuffling feet and muffled cries echoed through the walls, a grim reminder of what was at stake.

As I rounded a corner, I came face-to-face with a man dressed in black and wearing a ski mask, blond hair peeking out from the bottom. He aimed his gun at me, narrowing his beady eyes. “Who the hell are you? We control this area now.”

“I’m sorry. I-I got lost. Please don’t hurt me.”

I shrank against the wall, showing a vulnerability that wasn’t in my nature with strangers. His mouth curved into a grin.

“You’re pretty. I’ll let it slide if you do me a favor.”

I bit my bottom lip. “What kind of favor?”

“Come on over here and suck my cock.”

Suck his cock? It took everything out of me not to show my revulsion. Logan had taught me how to pleasehimwith my mouth. Not anyone else.

“I-I can’t.”

“Too bad. You don’t have a choice.” He lowered his gun, stormed over to me, and grabbed my hair. I pulled the knife from my waistband and shoved it into his belly to the hilt. The gun clattered to the ground. He released me and stumbled back, his eyes wide as he pressed his hand on the wound, blood seeping between his fingers.

“You bitch.” He tried to pull the knife out. I grabbed his gun.

“Don’t—”

I pulled the trigger twice, and his lifeless body crumpled to the floor. I retrieved my knife and wiped the blood off on his shirt. Shit, I couldn’t leave him here.

Gritting my teeth, I dragged the dead man over to the emergency stairwell and kicked him down it. “Pucker up for the devil, you son of a bitch.”

I felt no remorse for him. I had none to spare in this callous world of ours. I continued down the corridor, the nurse’s words echoing in my mind.

They’ve taken over that area.

Two cops lay bloodied and crumpled outside one of the operating rooms. I pressed my ear against the cold metal door. A distinct and clear voice rang out.

“This is a whole new level of stupidity when you threaten the lives of the very people who fight to keep you alive after engaging in these asinine decisions in the first place.”

I swallowed a groan. Of course Logan would be lecturing his captors even now, but I’d never been happier to hear him. I reached for the door handle.

A gun clicked behind me.

---