Page 41 of Bloom: Part 2

The weight of the knife in my boot was a comforting reminder that I wasn’t without a weapon I could use if needed. Just wished I had access to a gun too. My preference was for slicing into flesh with a blade, but in the event we were outmatched, a gun was more handy.

I’d been in enough situations with Crowe and the others to know what worked best. The most infuriating thing was the waiting. The parking lot was still for a crowded mall. No one coming or going. The silence felt eerie.

“You okay?” Logan asked.

“Yeah, you?”

He nodded. “As long as we stay here, we should be fine.”

Was it my imagination, or had Logan known that man? He hadn’t answered my question about whether he knew the stranger. Why would anyone want to take photos of us unless it was like he said? Some relative of those I’d killed coming after us to take revenge.

It’s probably time to dust off my cut and wear it more often so the people of Smoky Vale recognize who I am.

“This is so weird,” I said. “What’s taking them so long if they’re parked across from the mall?”

Logan listened to the voice speaking on the phone, then turned to me. “Dispatch says they’re heading toward us now.”

He repeatedly brushed his fingers across my cheek. The tenderness in his eyes was reassuring, but it didn’t ease the urge to confront and fight. Which was the biker way when we felt threatened. We didn’t sit around, not doing anything and waiting for the police to rescue us. But Logan was a civilian—a doctor. He didn’t understand those of us who preferred to handle our affairs with fists, knives, and guns.

Footsteps pounding on the concrete caught our attention. Two cops, guns drawn, ran toward us.

“I can see them,” Logan said into the phone. “Thank you.” He ended the call, put his phone back into his pocket, and stepped out into the clearing, bringing me along with him. I would have been just as happy staying behind that column.

Not only was I not accustomed to cops, but one was the reason I’d spent the past weeks in the hospital.

“Dr. Collier.” The cop at the front holstered his gun while the other swept the area. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

I raised my eyebrow. I felt like I’d walked into another conversation after an intermission. What was I missing?

“I’d like nothing more than not to have to take up your time, Officer Roberts. As you can see, this is the car.”

Officer Roberts and his partner exchanged an interesting look and a nod that sent the partner inspecting the car.

“And you said someone was following you inside the mall?” He took out a notebook and a pen.

“Not exactly following, but he was taking photos of my boyfriend.”

The cop turned to me, passing a sweeping look over my attire. With a raised eyebrow, he focused his attention back on Logan. “It’s not illegal to take photos in public space. Maybe he saw something he liked.”

“This was different,” Logan said. “He was still snapping photos when we were walking out. It felt targeted, and now that someone slashed the tires of my car, I can’t help but wonder.”

Why was he doing the cops’ thinking for them? They were useless, just like I’d thought.

“Well, we got a note here.” The other officer held a sheet of paper with words scribbled on it. I squinted to read them.

You won’t get away with what you did.

13

LOGAN

The note found on the rental car could have meant anything. I must have pissed off a dozen people since I started working at Smoky Vale Gen. Then there was the incident, the theory I’d foisted on both Bloom and the cops. Retaliation for what had gone down at the hospital. In my head, a warning bell went off, making it difficult to follow what the cops were saying.

The Agostis.

My family.

What if they were the ones behind this? And I’d exposed Bloom to them. While I didn’t recognize the man with the camera, he definitely looked like the type who worked for my father. My stomach knotted, and I bit the inside of my cheek. Weeks had passed since my face was plastered all over the television. The only people to contact me were the US Marshals to let me know my cover was blown, and they were ready to relocate me and provide a new identity if I gave the word. I would have expected my family to be in Smoky Vale already.

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