Page 48 of Liberating Mia
The drive was made in silence as each woman got lost in their own thoughts. Larry and Tahlia had opted for an early morning wedding on the beach and a long weekend away at a nearby safari lodge. Since the case had yet to be closed, they wouldn’t be able to take an extended honeymoon, so they’d decided to do that after their family wedding back home.
Mia couldn’t help smiling when she spotted Desai standing on the sidewalk beside a red carpet as the vehicle pulled up. He came around to Mia’s door and assisted her out before they both went around to Tahlia’s side. Standing on the carpet, both women slid their shoes off, Mia taking the other woman’s shoes from her.
“You ready to go get your man?”
“Yes.”
Desai stepped forward. “Er – Ms. O’Connor. I was wondering …” He cleared his throat, clearly awkward and uncomfortable. “The team and I are honored to share your special day with you since your family can’t be with you. And I know, with them all being back home you have no one to walk you down the aisle today. So, ma’am, I was wondering if you would allow me the privilege of doing so?”
Mia’s heart melted at the beautiful gesture. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one. Tahlia stood fanning her face.
“Sachin, you’re going to make me cry. Thank you. I would love for you to escort me down the aisle.”
Bowing low, he held out an arm. “At your service, ma’am.”
The trio followed the red carpet as it led to the wedding arch, Mia walking ahead of the other two. When she reached the front row of chairs, she took her place. Looking between Larry and Tahlia, she caught her breath at the raw look of love on their faces, eyes only for each other. Her gaze shifted to Finn, to find his eyes on her, an intense expression on his face. One she couldn’t read.
So caught up in the spell Finn was weaving around her, Mia didn’t even notice that Tahlia had joined Larry under the arch until the officiant began to speak. Then she got caught up in a spell of a different kind as the couple declared their love in the most beautiful ceremony she could remember ever attending.
She couldn’t help but laugh along when the officiant declared them husband and wife and Larry didn’t wait to be told to kiss his bride. He laid one on Tahlia that had the guests hollering and whooping, egging him on.
It made it all the more shocking when she saw Finn jerk, a surprised look of pain crossing his handsome face. Pandemonium broke out. Desai tackled the bridal couple to the ground and covered them with his body as members of the team attending the wedding formed a protective circle around them. Others sprinted toward where the shot had come from.
Mia didn’t remember screaming as she ran to Finn. She barely heard him shout for her to get down. By the time she got to him, he’d thrown himself down on the ground.
“Oh my God, Finn. Are you okay? Where are you hit?”
“Easy, Mia. I’ll be fine. It’s a through-and-through in my arm. I need you to help me staunch the bleeding.”
“What do I do?”
“Rip a long strip off my shirt and tie it around my arm here.” He pointed to a spot on his bicep.
She did as she was told, struggling at first to get the material to tear. When finally it gave, she made it as long as she could. “How tight must it be?”
“Keep tightening it until I tell you to stop.”
Exerting as much pressure as she could, she pulled, watching as Finn gritted his teeth. Finally, he nodded.
“Surely that can’t be good for you?” She couldn’t hide the concern.
“The whole point, Sugar, is to stop the bleeding by cutting off the circulation. I know it seems counterintuitive, but trust me, you did it right.”
Abruptly, they heard Larry shout, “For fuck’s sake, Desai. Get off me. I want to check on Finn.”
“Sorry, sir. No can do. I’m going to need you to sit tight for a little longer.”
“Remind me to kick your ass when this is over.”
“Will do, sir.”
Finn’s belly laugh seemed to break the tension.
“Finn, that you son? You good?”
“Yes, sir. I’m fine. Through-and-through to the arm. Nothing serious, Boss.”
“Yeah, I’ll let the doctors be the judge of that. I don’t trust you when it comes to reporting the severity of your injuries.”
