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Myhandisstill perched on Mia’s shoulder, and even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could move it. My need to touch her is as potent as my body’s need for oxygen.
“Where’s Alec?” Mia asks as soon as Luis falls, her attention fully on her stalker that’s bleeding on the ground.
I don’t need to look at him to know the shot to his head is fatal, yet I want to slit his throat. Call it a safety measure, whatever. All I know is that I want to do everything within my power to avoid any possibility of Luis surviving. Even if I haven’t ever heard of someone surviving a bullet to the head, a bullet that’s made part of their brain leak out, I’m not willing to take any chances.
“He’s in the car,” CJ says, sounding as though he can’t quite believe she’s really here, and I get it. I think that’s why I can’t stop touching her. I keep needing to reassure myself that she’s really here.
“I-I…” Mia’s body trembles, and her voice is stolen by sobs. “Coen!” She cries as she tries to step toward him, but her legs give out. If I hadn’t been so close that I can steady her in time, she would have fallen to the ground. Instead, I slowly lower her until she’s sitting.
Within seconds, my brother is crouched down in front of her, palming her face. “I’m here, babe. I’m here.” He’s talking softly, almost cajoling, as though he’s trying to calm down a skittish mare.
I sit down behind Mia, wrapping my arms around her. “Sweets, we’re here. You’re okay,” I repeat the words over and over.
As much as I want to take my time and make sure she’s okay and not going into shock, I can’t. We can’t. Time is of the essence. Both CJ and I know it, even if neither of us are willing to rush this along.
Leaning forward, CJ places his hands on Mia’s face. “I’ll… I’ll go check on Alec,” he says before kissing her temple.
The broken sound that’s torn from Mia’s throat when CJ lets go and jogs away is nightmare-inducing. Even as she leans back against me, resting her head on my shoulder and whispering, “I love you, Coen.” I worry that something irreparable has been shattered within her. Especially since the whisper is almost an afterthought, as if her mind works too slowly to catch up with reality.
“He knows, sweets,” I murmur against her neck. “We all know, and we love you, too.”
I let myself indulge in feeling her in my arms for a bit longer. Even though I know I should rush us to Coen and Alec, there’s something about this moment that feels too poignant to be hurried and ruined.
“We have to go.” The reluctance in Mia’s voice lets me know she doesn’t want to move, either. “Alec!” That one word from her lips has me jumping to my feet, pulling her with me.
I’m about to offer to carry her when she stumbles for the second time, but before I can say anything, she kicks her shoes off her feet.
“Can I have your jacket?” she asks, already pulling at the material. As soon as I’ve taken it off, she bends down and retrieves the knife I’d laid on the ground. With a few well-placed cuts to her wedding dress, she’s able to shimmy out of it, immediately wrapping my jacket around her almost naked body.
I don’t need the fierce look in her eyes to understand the significance of getting rid of her wedding attire. Sure, she might be more comfortable like this, but it’s more than that. So much more. Like a snake shedding its skin as it enters a new phase of its life, Mia’s ridding herself of what Luis forced upon her.
Now that she’s no longer wearing the high heels, she matches my stride as we hurry over to our car, where CJ’s leaning over Alec. He’s laid him down across the backseat, which must be more comfortable than being shoved down to the floor between the seats.
“Baby!” His lips barely move, and his eyes remain closed as he breathes out her name.
Without hesitating, Mia crawls into the car and almost drapes herself around him. “Alec… Oh, Alec,” she sobs as she looks at him. “We need to leave so we can get him to the hospital.” The desperation in her tone is as palpable as it’s visible on her face.
Moving his hand so it’s resting on Mia’s back, Alec says something I can’t hear. It sounds like he’s assuring her she’s free, but I can’t be sure.
“Drive them to the hospital,” I say as I lock eyes with CJ. “I’ll stay here and work things out with Steve and Lila.”
As I mention Lila, Mia’s back straightens, and she looks toward the red car with sorrow in her eyes. “We should take Lila with us. She… She’s seriously injured, and after that crash…” Closing her eyes, she inhales audibly as she turns toward CJ. “Get Alec out of here. I’ll stay behind and make sure Lila is okay.”
The need to argue is clear on CJ’s face, but I don’t give him the chance. “Do it. Alec needs help fast.”
“But what about—”
Holding up my hand to silence my brother, I continue, “No, we’ll follow as soon as we can. Mia is right, though. Lila needs help, and we need to clean this mess up. We don’t have time to argue.” Although I know it’s a bit of a cheap shot to tag on the last part, it doesn’t lessen the truth.
I’m fully prepared for CJ to counter me, to insist we stick together, and if he does, I don’t think I can disagree. However, after opening and closing his mouth a few times, he pulls Mia out of the vehicle and into his embrace.
“We will see you soon, babe. Don’t do anything stupid and stay with Kas.” Then he crashes his lips to hers, and I watch as she winds her arms around his neck.
Their kiss is short, but it looks like it’s enough to satiate the both of them for now. Mia pulls away and bends down to kiss Alec’s forehead, whispering something for his ears only before she walks behind the car and comes over to me.
As soon as she’s at my side, she takes my hand and intertwines our fingers. “I love you, Kas,” she says before wrapping her arms around my middle, and I bend so I can kiss her. We part when we hear the SUV engine roaring to life, remaining in our spot as we watch CJ race out of here.
Only when the car isn’t even a spot in the distance do we move. I follow as Mia runs to where Lila fell out of the red car. As soon as we reach Lila’s body, Mia kneels down, gently placing a hand behind the other woman’s head.
