"She is still breathing, but we have to rush her to the hospital."
The bodyguard that just checked Aunt Matilda's pulse informed the others.

One of the bodyguards outside the door asked for an ambulance through the small device connected to his ear. Dozens of security filled the room and more kept arriving at the scene.

Paramedics arrived with a stretcher and took Aunt Matilda away after putting on the oxygen mask on her face.

"I'm coming with you," Bloom said wiping her tears away.

"I'm sorry but you are not allowed to leave the building." One of the bodyguards stopped her.

"I said I'm coming with you and no one is stopping me. I'm not leaving Aunt Matilda's side till she wakes up."

"The President won't..." The bodyguard who seemed to be in charge tried to talk to her.

"I'm going with you, I don't care about what he told all of you."
She cut him off with a look that told everyone she wasn't going to give up.

"Fine, I guess you could use a little check-up but I'm not letting you out of my sight and if your Dad asks us to bring you home, you must obey."

"Whatever, let's go."
She said walking out of the room still on her pajamas and bathrobe that were stained in blood. Her face scrub was still on her face.

||

Dylan, the bodyguard that allowed her to come with them refused to leave her side. He stood next to her as they waited for Aunt Matilda's surgery to be over.

"Let's get you a Doctor, come on," he said to Bloom.

She stood up and followed him with the Nurse that led the way.

"Doctor Shreeya will be with you shortly," the Nurse said sweetly and left only them in the room.

"You're seriously not gonna take that thing off your face?"
Dylan asked crossing his arms.

"No, people can't recognize me like this but you are making it hard with the whole bodyguard thing." She scoffed.

"I'm not taking my eyes off you, Bloom." He informed her.

"Staring is rude," she said raising her chin.

"I'm not staring at you, I'm simply looking out for you." He said.

"Whatever," she said and looked away.

The door opened and a beautiful lady walked in.

"Hi, Bloom Nolan right?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes," Bloom said with a smile.

"I'm Doctor Shreeya, nice to meet."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"Only tell her where he hit you and where you're hurting," Dylan's deep voice warned her.

"He hit me on the face and pulled my hair, he also used his gun to hit me on the head."

"Sorry, you had to go through that, dear. Where does it hurt?"

"Mostly my left temple and my head ."

"I guess your face scrub saved your face from a bruise."

"Yeah," Bloom replied, laughing.

The Doctor checked her head and searched for bumps and bruises.

"Mild concussion but I will prescribe some painkillers for the pain. You should be fine."

"Thank you."

Doctor Shreeya left the room and returned later with the pills. Dylan took it before Bloom could raise her hand and reach for it. He took her hand and they left the room.

One of the guards informed them Aunt Matilda was out of surgery but was in ICU. They sat outside her hospital room waiting for a call from the President.

"Can I please stay in the room with her till it's time to go?"
She asked Dylan in a sad voice and with teary eyes.

He studied her for awhile trying to see if he could trust her.

"Everyone check who enters and leaves this room," Dylan told the others.

"I'm right here, you can't escape," he told her before letting her go. She smiled at him and entered the room. He couldn't follow her in because only one guest at a time was allowed.

Bloom took the seat close to the bed and took Aunt Matilda's fragile hand.

"I'm so sorry for what happened," she whispered.

"I can't go back to that house, I have to find a way to get out of here. I'm sorry I have to leave you like this, I really wanna be here when you open your eyes but I can't."
She cried.

"I will come back when I figure out a way to expose Dad. If I return to that prison he calls home, he will try to me make forget everything again. I'm sorry."
She stood up and wiped her tears away.

"Goodbye, Aunt Matilda."
She pressed a kiss to her head and walked to the bathroom.

She sighed in relief when she saw a vent. She turned on the tap and the shower to block the sound of her escape. She rushed back the room and grabbed a chair, she placed it quietly on the bathroom floor and climbed.

She loosened the screws with Zayn's necklace and opened the vent. She didn't know how long it was going to take before Dylan open the door to check on her.

She pushed herself up into the vent and crawled North. She moved really fast not stopping or looking back. She counted each room she passed, so she won't run into the bodyguards when she came out of the vent.

She took a corner and headed West knowing she would be far from the guards in the building. She stopped after skipping five rooms and kicked the vent forcefully to open it. She jumped down and rushed out of the bathroom to the room. A lady was asleep on the sofa while a little girl was wide awake in the hospital bed hugging her cute teddy bear.

She placed a finger on her lips telling the little girl not to say a word. The little girl nodded and Bloom smiled at her.

She tiptoed to the door and opened it, she peeked and found no guard. She came out of the room and walked quickly to the exit. She paused when she saw two bodyguards outside. She looked around and saw a nurse stepping out of a small room, she caught a glimpse of the lab coats in the room.

She waited for the nurse to be far away before she sneaked into the room. She removed her blood-stained bathrobe and wore one of the lab coats. She removed her face scrub and put her hair down. She grabbed a face-mask and put it on.

She walked to the exit with her face down. The two guards were too busy chatting to notice her. She ran immediately she was far from the building. Dylan would have figured it out by now.

She kept running and looking over her shoulder if she was being followed. She stopped when she was sure she was far enough. She looked around her, she didn't know where she was or how she was going to make it to the Motel.

She decided to call Damian for help since she didn't know Zayn's number by the heart.

"Sorry, excuse me."
She stopped a lady walking by.

"Please can I use your phone, I need to make an emergency call."
She said breathlessly.

The lady gave her the phone seeing how helpless she looked.

"Thank you," she said and the lady smiled.

She typed in his number and tapped dial. He picked on the third ring.

"Damian," she called and looked over her shoulder if they were coming.

"Dollface? Are you okay? James told me what happened."

"I will explain everything to you. I escaped the guards at the hospital, I need a ride to the Motel."

"Where are you?" he asked.

She could hear him moving around and the sound of his keys.

"Excuse me, where are we?" she asked the lady.

"Capitol hill."
The lady replied.

"Got it, I'm on my way. Wait for me."
He said before Bloom could repeat what the lady said.

"Please hurry, they must be looking for me now."

"I will be there soon, I promise."

She ended the call and returned the phone to the lady.

She kept looking around and biting on her lips nervously as she waited. Damian's black Porsche pulled next to her a few minutes later.

"Get in!" He pushed the door open for her.

She rushed into the car and he drove off. She sighed in relief and sat back on the leather seat.

"Are you okay?" He asked taking a glance at her.

She pretended not to hear him and looked outside the window. He was not forgiven yet, she was still mad at him.

"Bloom, I'm really sorry for everything I did. I hope one day you will forgive me."
He said but she didn't say anything in return.

She couldn't wait to see Zayn, she felt the butterfly in her stomach move as they arrived at the familiar Motel.

She got down from the car before Damian could park the car properly.

"Bloom, wait!" he called as she ran to the building.

He rushed out of the car and ran after her, he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"What?" she asked looking furious.

"Your face has been on the news before, you can't just walk in there. It's not safe if someone recognizes you." He told her.

"I don't care," she said and pulled her arm away.

He sighed and followed her into the motel.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Can I help you?"
The lady behind the counter asked as she saw Bloom running towards the stairs.

"Umm...I'm here to see some friends in rooms 15 and 14."

"You mean those stubborn kids that keep disturbing the whole guests?" The lady sneered.

"Yes," she replied moving closer.

"They left three days ago."

"They are gone?" Bloom asked looking hopeless.

"Did something happen?" The lady asked looking concerned.

"No, thank you."
She gave her a weak smile and left. At least the lady didn't recognize her.

"Do you know any other place they could be?"
Damian asked her when they got to the car.

"They are on the run, Damian, maybe the Antisam got to them. What if they have done something to them?"
She said anxiously, running her palms down her face and gripping her hair in both hands like she was going crazy.

"I'm sure they are okay, they are the smartest people I know."
Damian told her.

"Let's check their apartment," she said entering the car.

"Do you know the address?" He asked when he entered the car.

" No, but I can direct you from the Target store."

She bit nervously on her nails as they drove to the apartment Zayn and Taylor shared.

"Stop right here," she said after recognizing the street.

She recognized Taylor's black jeep parked on the street block. She felt a little hope surge through her as she got down from the car.

She saw Taylor walked out of the entrance of the apartment with two duffel bags.

"Taylor!" She screamed running toward him.

"Bloom?" He looked around to check if she came with any security team before focusing fully on her.

She hugged him taking him by surprise.

"Thank God you're okay," she sighed softly and pulled away.

"Is Zayn inside?"

"No, he is at the hideout. He can't leave the building because the cops are looking for him."

"Ohh, yeah," she mumbled.

"Are the others there too?" Bloom asked.

"Yeah, they told us to come back. I came to grab some clothes and a few necessities." Taylor told her.

"Can I come with you?"

"Hell no, that's a very bad idea. Now that everyone knows who you are, you won't last a day in there."

"Please, I ran away from the hospital and by now they should be searching for me. I can't go back there, Taylor."

"I don't know, Bloom. I wish I could help you but you're just gonna get us in more trouble."

"Fine, take me to the Vice President I wanna speak to him."
She whispered since Damian was waiting in the car.

"Look, Bloom, I..."

"I can help you guys to bring down my Dad. I know many of his dirty secrets than any of you."
She cut in.

"Fine, but if anything goes wrong it's on you."

"Thank you," she smiled.

"You look like shit," he said looking at her from head to toe.

He opened the bag and brought out black jogger pants and a blue hoodie.

"It's Zayn's," he said giving it to her.

"I will wait here for you, there is a restroom at your left." He directed her.

"You can go," Bloom said to Damian and walked away before he could say anything in return.

She rinsed her face when she was done changing her clothes. She inhaled his scent from the hoodie and smiled at herself in the mirror.

She met Taylor waiting in the car when she came out. Damian was still waiting for her.

"Bloom..." He tried to talk to her.

"Just go, Damian. Thanks for your help."
She said and entered the car.

"You good?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah," she muttered and put on her seat belt.

"Here, put this on. We don't want anyone recognizing you."
He said giving her his sunglasses.

"Thank you but it's probably 2 in the morning. I will look stupid with this on," she put it on and dragged the hood up to cover her head.

||

"You sure about this?"
Taylor asked for the third time as they drove down an isolated road.

"Yes, I have never been this sure about anything." She replied looking around.

They passed an abandoned train and railway. He drove further past a small lake before she saw the building behind the mountain.

"Cool," she said as they got closer to the building. It looked like an abandoned Military base.

They stopped at the heavy metal gate and she watched him place his palm on a device and a feminine voice said his name and asked for an eye scan.

The gate opened slowly after he scanned his left eye. Bloom smiled as she saw the three-story building, Zayn was just a few feet away.

"Keep your face down, I have to sneak you in cause I don't know what will happen in there if people recognize you."
He told her after parking his car.

"Okay," she replied.

They got down from the car and she helped him to carry one of the duffel bags.

"We are going through the back."
He informed her.

They went through the back door and climbed the long set of stairs before he stopped in front of a metal door that looked very old.

"Keep your face down and don't say a word. Also, try to blend in to avoid raising any suspicion."

"You could give me your phone to pretend I'm texting someone while you hold my arm to guide me to wherever you're taking me."
She suggested.

"Okay, I doubt anyone is awake anyway," he brought out his phone and gave it to her.

"Ready?" He asked her and she gave him a firm nod. He held her right arm and did an eye scan before the door unlocked. There wasn't this much security at the last hideout, she wondered if they installed them because of her.

They walked down the hallway as planned. She was nervous and tried not to drop Taylor's phone. The hallway was empty, they only walked past two people who were too busy chatting to spare them a look.

"Almost there," Taylor whispered.

They made a turn and headed west, he stopped in front of a white door and knocked. Bloom swallowed the dryness in her throat as she heard the door unlock. Liz opened the door in nothing but a big t-shirt.

"Taylor?" She said yawning.

"Hey, Liz." Taylor smiled.

"Seriously? It's 4 am in the morning, Nicole is still sleeping."
Liz said with a scowl not acknowledging the presence of the person next to him.

"Sorry, it's urgent."

"Who is this?" Liz asked finally looking at Bloom.

"Can we come in first?" Taylor asked in a hushed tone.

She rolled her eyes before opening the door wide enough for them to enter. Nicole was fast asleep under the big purple duvet that swallowed her small body.

"What is it, Taylor? Can't it wait till tomorrow?"
Liz asked in a low tone.

Taylor took a glance at Bloom and gave her a nod of approval to take off the sunshade and hoodie.

Liz's eyes grew wide when she took down the hood.

"Bloom? How...Oh my God! It's you!"
Liz stepped closer like her eyes were deceiving her.

"She will explain everything later, I brought her here because she wants to meet with Mr. Grayson," Taylor said.

"You know you have to go through Max and he will be dead before he allows that to happen. Do you know how suicidal it is coming here?" Liz asked.

"I know, I have nowhere else to go. Isn't there another way to contact Mr. Grayson without Max being involved?" Bloom said.

"No, honey. Everyone goes through Max, he is the closest person to Mr. Grayson."
Liz told her.

"Why is there so much noise?"
Nicole grumbled sitting up on the bed.

"Bloom!"
Nicole exclaimed when she saw her.

"Keep your voice down, baby," Taylor whispered.

"Sorry," Nicole whispered and got down from the bed in a black short shorts and white sports bra. She wrapped her arms around her and Bloom hugged her back.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow? We could figure something out with Zayn's help."
Liz suggested.

"Sure, but you both have to hide her."
Taylor told them and they nodded in agreement.

He walked over to Nicole and gave her a kiss, his hand glided down from her waist to her bum and grab her ass.

"Okay, keep it PG 13. We are right here."
Liz said and Nicole giggled.

"I will see you girls tomorrow," he said and pulled away from her.

"Wait," Bloom called before he could open the door.

"Tell Zayn, I can't wait to see him. If he can come right now, I will be awake."
Bloom whispered.

"Sure," Taylor said with a smile and left.

The girls pulled her into a group hug that lasted for a minute. They all sat on the bed and she told them everything that happened and how she escaped.

She looked around the room, no one would think the interior to an abandoned building like this would look like a five-star hotel. The room looked like a hotel room, it was better than the room at the motel.

There were two beds in the room and a long couch at the corner with a small table where a flower vase laid. Two wardrobes stood at both corners and a single dress table stood between the beds.

"You can sleep on the other bed. Tyra is spending the week with her mom and took Mika with her. Zayn doesn't want his sister here"
Nicole told her. At least she was alive, she didn't know if Tyra told them the truth.

"The bathroom is that way," Liz showed her.

Bloom smiled and left to take a bath.

||
Zayn was wide awake and busy on his laptop when Taylor walked in.

"I brought what you asked for," Taylor said throwing the duffel bag on his bed.

"Thanks, man."

"You're not done with the layout yet?"
Taylor asked falling wistfully on his bed.

"Almost done," Zayn said with his fingers tapping noisily on the keyboard.

"Bloom is here."

"It's too early for jokes, Taylor, especially one about my girl."
He said still typing.

"I'm serious, bro. Something happened at the Valley House and she was taken to the hospital but she managed to escape."

"I swear if you're messing with me right now, I'm going to dislocate your arm."
Zayn threatened as he faced him.

"She is with Liz and Nicole, I saw her outside our apartment with that bodyguard and she looked like shit."

Zayn gave him a dark look for his last statement.

"Sorry," Taylor apologized.

"Why the fuck would you bring her here?" Zayn asked.

"I warned her but she insisted. She said she had nowhere else to go."

"Oh shit," he grunted and threw his head back.

"I expected you to be running to her right now, she is waiting for you."

"She can't be here, you have to get her out of here as soon as possible."
Zayn said standing up from his seat.

"She wants to see Mr. Grayson."

"No way in hell will I allow that, Max handles that and he tried to kill her."

"Yeah, but we thought you could find a way to get her an appointment. She said she can help us defeat her father."

"I don't care, she cannot get involved in any of this. You have to get her out of here before everyone wakes up."

"What's your problem? Your girl came all the way here to see you and you won't even go to her and say hi or just give her a hug. She went through hell tonight and almost got killed."
Taylor said almost yelling.

"I can't, I made a deal with Mr. Grayson."
He said and brushed his fingers through his curls looking agitated.

"Care to explain," Taylor asked.

"I promised him I'd stay away from Bloom till the final mission is over, in return he keeps her safe both inside and outside the Valley House."

"That's why you should try and get her an appointment with him, she could help us bring her Dad down and Mr. Grayson might take back what he said."

"I'm not sure, dude. She won't be safe here and you know that."

"We'll figure something out, we are her only hope right now. She needs us, she needs you and I'm sure she is waiting for you right now. A little hug will do, Zayn."

"Is she okay?"

"She put up a good fight but her Nanny is in a bad shape," Taylor told him.

"Is the son of a bitch still alive?"

"No, he got a bullet in the head."

Zayn exhaled and sat back on his seat.

"So, are you going to see her?" Taylor asked.

"No. I can't screw this up, I need to keep her safe."

Zayn said and returned to his laptop.