Page 74 of Bloom: Part 2

Grimm took a step back, shaking his head. He wiped his cheek, which was cut from where Bloom must have slashed him with the knife. Fuck. Things could have ended so much worse tonight. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, then let out the breath slowly.

“I’ll explain to everyone in a second. Just let me hold him for a minute, please.”

He shuddered so hard against me his racing heart throbbed against mine, a frantic rhythm in our chests. He wrapped his arms around me, clinging as though I might disappear if he let go.

“Logan,” he murmured, an agonized note in his voice. My heart wrenched.

Everyone stood back, giving us space. Grimm herded his people inside, leaving me alone with Bloom and Crowe standing a few feet from us.

“I still want to kill him,” he moaned.

“No, you don’t. Listen to me, baby. You got it wrong. I wasn’t out cheating on you with anyone. I swear on my life.”

“I know.”

I pulled back slightly, taken aback. “You know?”

“Yes.” He traced his fingers over the blood-soaked fabric on my shoulder, his gaze fixed on the wound. “I can’t believe I did this to you…”

“I know you didn’t mean to.”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I still hurt you. I’m the worst boyfriend in the world, and you don’t really want to marry me, do you?”

“What? Bloom, where’s this coming from? If I didn’t want to marry you, I wouldn’t have proposed.”

“You proposed only because you wanted me to join you in the witness protection program. That’s the truth, isn’t it?”

My mind reeled at his unexpected words. He knew? “How did you…? You followed the marshal, didn’t you? Bloom, what happened?”

He dropped his arms. “I killed him. Stabbed him to death in his motel room.”

“You killed someone?” Crowe cried. “Jesus, what happened? Did anyone see you? Do I need to get someone to handle it?”

“I don’t think anyone saw me.”

“You don’t think?” Crowe doubled over, breathing hard. “Fuck me. My life was supposed to get easier once you had him.”

“You killed a US Marshal?” I croaked.

“He deserved it.”

Fear gripped me as I looked into Bloom’s eyes, once filled with warmth, now cold as steel. He showed no remorse, instead emanating a darkness that seeped into my core.

“Bloom, you just don’t kill a US Marshal. They’re not going to let this go until they find the person responsible.”

He scoffed. “He wasn’t who he claimed to be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I heard your conversation earlier in the kitchen, so I followed you. When you left the hotel, I heard him speaking on the phone. He wasn’t here to assign you a new identity, Logan. Someone hired him to bring you to them.”

“Bloom, do you hear yourself?”

“Then how do I know your real name’s Keegan Agosti?”

My breath hitched. “How did you—”

“He told me everything about your past, but he wouldn’t tell me who sent him to kill you.”

---