Page 106 of Bloom: Part 1

He fell silent.

“Bloom, you aren’t at the hospital, are you?”

“I am. With Logan.”

“Fuck!” Crowe growled. “Are you one of the hostages? What the hell’s going on there? The cops say they had a shootout with the Blue Boys earlier and injured their leader, who they brought to the hospital. How did you end up in this mess? We have nothing to do with the Blue Boys. We avoid each other.”

“I can’t explain now. For the moment, we’re safe. We’re in an abandoned wing of the hospital. We were trying to get out via the exit where the construction is happening, but they have that area barricaded. Can you offer backup?”

“I’m sorry, Bloom.”

My heart sank with the disappointment that appeared in Bloom’s eyes. “It’s okay. I’ll find a way to get Logan out.”

I gritted my teeth. There he went again, implying that I would get out, but what about him?

“Bloom, don’t do anything rash. The police are in negotiations with whoever is in charge. They’re stalling for backup assistance. You know Smoky Vale PD ain’t shit, but they’ve covered the perimeter of the hospital, so we can’t get in. But we’re here.We’re all here, and we’re not going anywhere until you’re safely out.”

Bloom stared directly at me. “Crowe.”

“What?”

“Promise me you won’t hate him, regardless of what happens tonight.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“Just promise me.”

I placed a hand on Bloom’s arm. “No.”

“I’m not making any such promise,” Crowe barked. “You ensure you get your ass out of there safely, and I mean it.”

Bloom ended the call and walked away, but I caught his arm and jerked him to a stop. “You listen to me, Bloom. There’s no way I’m leaving without you, so you stop acting like you’re a damn martyr. We’ll figure this out together.”

I cupped his face and placed my mouth over his stiff, unyielding lips. He was like stone, not responding, no emotion showing on his face. Just as I was about to release him, he grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me closer. His lips moved against mine hungrily, and a shudder ran through his body. And another one. They didn’t stop, and then I understood.

He was as scared as I was, but he’d been conditioned not to show it.

“Baby, we’ll get through this. We will.”

But even as I reassured him, doubts assailed me. How long did we have before they discovered us?

29

BLOOM

“Logan? Are you sleeping?”

Logan’s arms tightened around me. We lay on the cold tiles, wrapped in each other’s arms for warmth. If he felt anything like me, he would have been exhausted but afraid to close his eyes in case they never reopened. My priority was getting him out safely, but I didn’t want to die either. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.

“I’m awake.”

I linked our fingers. “I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“You were right. So was Crowe.”

“About what?”

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