“The man who hit you, do you hate him?”
Brie shook her head and have a small shrug as tears filled her eyes. “No. He had his own demons. I believed every word he said to me because I was so desperate for someone to love me, to be nice to me. He was in trouble and I was naïve. Neither of us escaped unscathed. I hope he’ll be better now.”
“The way you think…I don’t always understand it. I would have killed him if he’d done that to me, Gabriella.” She meant the words.
Brie took a deep breath. “The hurt was always worse than the anger. I felt…dumb. My sister always questioned things about him and I figured she was wondering how someone so good looking was with someone like me. She was just worried.”
“What do you mean?”
“Scott is very beautiful. We didn’t really fit. I-I don’t really fit in with most of the people in my life. I’m kind of goofy and awkward. I’m chubby among a bunch of lean, gorgeous types. I tend to be scattered more often than not.” She shrugged. “I’m glad they overlook my oddities.”
Vi blinked. “Perhaps they don’t overlook them. Perhaps they love them. You’re very hard on yourself.” She frowned. “I think you’re lovely.”
“There are a few people who have made me feel beautiful but…it never works out. I think I’m better alone.”
“I’m sorry about what happened to you.”
“I think...I know everything happens for a reason. If Scott hadn’t gotten me wrapped up in what I thought he wanted, I’d have never met my friends. His choices created a domino effect in my life.” Staring out at the sea, she added softly, “So many good things happened because I went to New York.”
Vi handed her the protein shake. “I’ve never met someone like you, Gabriella. It’s…refreshing.”
“Hudson said that a lot in the beginning. He and Natalia thought I was an interesting puzzle.”
“You’re very close to them. I didn’t understand your relationship to them at first.”
“More than anyone else in my life, Hudson had the biggest influence. He shook me out of my comfort zone. Through him, I met people I can’t imagine my life without now. Natalia is my best female friend. I love the way she moves through the world. Maybe I’ll be like her when I grow up.” She grinned. “I call Hudson a redwood. Deep roots.”
There was a long pause. “I’m his sister.”
Brie almost dropped her glass. “What?”
“I’m Hudson’s sister…Scott’s twin. When Hudson asked me to watch over you, I expected someone very different.”
“Holy fuck. No wonder you focus like a ninja.”
Vi chuckled. “You have no idea.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t see it. You look like Scott. Wow.” Another thought came to mind. “He was detained for eighteen months. Hudson insisted and I agreed. I was...afraid at first.”
Vi rested her palms wide on the counter. “Had my little brother been charged, he’d have done much harder time and a lot more of it.” She shook her head. “You were far more lenient than I’d have been, Gabriella. Thank you for showing mercy. I would’ve been incapable of it.”
Brie stood up and walked around the counter. “You grew up to be a badass.” She hugged the bodyguard who hugged her back awkwardly. Taking a step back, she smiled. “I’m glad to meet you officially. Thank you for agreeing to stay with me.”
“I kept hearing your name from my brother, Natalia, and my mother. I was curious.”
“Your mom is awesome.”
“Yes. Gentle and easily hurt, much like you. I understand my older brother’s protectiveness and Scott’s fascination. Hudson wanted a woman guarding you. He said you make men kind of stupid. I see what he meant now.”
“I think…that’s a bad thing, huh?”
“No. That’s totally on the idiot men. If they can’t think around you, that’s their fucking problem. If they don’t know how to treat you, they can fuck off.”
“You’re really strong.”
“I’m also a bitch, Gabriella. After a lot of years and a lot of men, there’s one I can’t shake from my psyche and it infuriates me like you wouldn’t believe. I don’t tolerate shit from swinging dicks anymore.”
Hands on her hips, she smiled. “You don’t want to be like me but you do need to get a little, I don’t know…meaner?” She winked. “We’ll work on it.”
Unable to stop her laughter, Brie said, “That would really come in handy. I’m a wimp.”
“Bullshit. You attract really strong men who mow you over and leave you mangled in a fucking ditch filled with your own tears.”
“Jesus…what an image. Also…accurate.” Tilting her head, she smiled slowly. “Natalia talked to you.”
“Yup. She knows I’ll fuck up a man faster than I’ll fuck him. She thought I’d be a good influence once you started healing.”
“She’s damn good.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
End-February 2016
The routine at the villa was an easy one. Their days were relaxed and Brie encouraged Vi to open up about her childhood with Hudson. The things she learned made her respect her best friend even more.
After more than two months indoors and on her balcony, she knew she couldn’t keep the bodyguard locked up with her forever.
She entered the living space drying her hair and smiled at the woman making a grocery list.
“Let’s walk the market or something. I don’t feel like I’ll shake apart now. I can’t keep you cooped up here all the time.”
“Excellent, Brie. I’ve lived underground for almost a year so this doesn’t bother me. You definitely need fresh air.”
She watched as Vi stripped down to her tank top and panties, then armed her body in layers from a storage container she hadn’t wondered about under the bar.
It seemed like a lot of trouble.
“Nobody knows I’m here and it’s been more than seven months since Harper was seen with me in public. I’m sure everyone has forgotten about me.”
Vi froze. “Gabriella. Do you know what Harper Delkin does? Do you know what his company does?”
“Not really. He travels a lot.”
“You were involved with him and didn’t have him checked out?” She put one hand on her hip. “You’re an heiress.”
“Yeah but it’s nothing compared to their holdings.”
“No. No, that’s not what I mean. Thirty seconds with you and I knew you didn’t give a fuck about money.” Inhaling carefully, she said, “Delkin Acquisitions rebuilds war zones.”
“I don’t…know what that means.”
“Let’s say a little village in Bumfuck Nowhere gets taken over by a guerilla faction. They terrorize the villagers, destroy shit, rape women, and kidnap kids. Maybe on their way out of town, they burn it to the ground.”
“Oh god…”
“DA goes in after that faction is wiped off the planet by the government or hired mercenaries. They rebuild. They take over businesses run by dictators, mobs, and drug cartels all over the world. They build homes, create new companies, throw up a school, maybe a hospital…boom. Back in business and therapy is included. As you can imagine, it pisses off the bad guys pretty hard.”
She stepped closer. “You never fall off the radar. You will never be forgotten, Gabriella. You’re at the center of a group that includes Delkin, Hudson, the Ghonim cousins, Marciella Canfield, and so many fucking others. They’re rich, powerful, and wanted dead by a lot of people.”
“I’m the weakest link.”
“Not at all. Something tells me you’d die rather than compromise any of them. What you are is valued. Every single one of them would pay the price of a small country to get you back if you were taken. Those things don’t go unnoticed.”
Smiling slowly, she added, “However, that you’re also the darling of people like Eklund, Hollow, Leonard, and moi might make them pause…a little bit.”
Trying to process a very heavy load of information, Brie watched as Vi pulled her lon
g blonde hair snugly to the base of her neck and stepped into running shoes with her track suit.
She felt woefully unprepared in her sundress and sandals. “Should I change?”
Vi took her shoulders. “Gabriella. You’re you and that’s okay. If you actually learned how to hurt someone, you’d feel horrible about it. Let’s go over the rules. I tell you to do something, you do it. Don’t try to help me and don’t argue.”
“Okay. I won’t panic.”
“Let’s get you some fresh air and sunshine.”
There were lovely stores and an open-air market that they strolled together for hours. The bodyguard didn’t rush her. Brie insisted on having lunch and Vi clinked their glasses over the table.
“To breathing when you think you can’t.”
The words made Brie smile. She wondered if she’d ever be able to spend an entire day, even an hour, without thinking about her time with Elijah and Harper.
Heading back to the villa in the afternoon, Vi suddenly went quiet and tense.
“Are you okay?”
“Something feels off. I don’t like it.”
As they prepared to cross the street to her gate, Vi yanked her back forcibly and shoved her into the threshold of a shop.
“Don’t move.”
Two black cars pulled from opposite directions and several men piled out of them, yelling in a language Brie didn’t recognize, their weapons trained on Vi.
She took a single step and Vi said without looking at her, “Do not move, Gabriella.”
Still, relaxed, the bodyguard waited for the first man to grab her, clearly planning to put her in restraints. The moment he touched her wrist, she reacted so fast it startled Brie to press herself harder against the wall.
In three strikes, she had the man on the ground and his weapon in her hand. Shooting two, she used the weapon as a bludgeon to another’s face.
When one tried to shoot her, she pulled his colleague in front of her and used his weapon after he took the bullet.
Vi moved almost effortlessly through their ranks, rapidly destroying one after another.
Occupied, she didn’t see four men filing in silence, low to the ground, from the alley beside Gabriella.
As she started to scream a warning, Elijah landed among the four and snapped the necks of two before the others realized there was an additional threat.
A shadow moved over her as a man blocked Brie’s body from the street. She recognized the shape of him, the black hair that was a little longer than the last time she’d seen him. Her small gasp made him look at her over his shoulder.
“Harper…?”
He gave her a gentle smile and returned his attention to the street.
The fight wrapped up quickly with Elijah and Vi dispatching the remaining men, pulling the drivers from inside the vehicles. A van pulled to the curb and Elijah’s men climbed out.
He gave instructions for detainment of the men already bound on the pavement as well as the cleanup of those killed. She wondered how such things were explained to foreign governments.
Speaking to his team, Elijah never looked away from her face.
Reaching back, Harper wrapped his arm around her. It made her stiffen in recognition and pain.
“I won’t hurt you, Gabriella. We need to get you off the street.” He tugged her gently. “Come with me.”
Numbly, she let him lead her out of the threshold as Vi glanced up from restraining an unconscious attacker. Pointing her finger at Brie, she said, “I’ll be with you in ten minutes.”
With a nod, she stayed beside Harper in a circle of several men who looked ready to invade something. He held her hard.
They passed within six feet of Elijah and she thought she might faint trying to get air.
Back in her villa, she was able to breathe again. Pulling from Harper’s grasp, he hesitated before he let her go.
Walking into the kitchen, she tried to pour wine but she shook too badly. Harper took the bottle and poured a glass for each of them. He held her hands so she could take a sip.
“I’m sorry for the violence.” His words were gentle.
“I’m getting used to the it, actually. Everyone else seems to know what they’re doing so I try not to freak out.” She inhaled carefully and placed her glass on the counter. “I-I…what are you both doing here?”
“Gabriella.” The sound of him saying her name made her entire system freak out. She pressed her fingers to her temples. “Look at me. Please, Gabriella.”
She managed to meet his eyes. It made her heart hurt.
“I’m so sorry, Brie. So fucking sorry. Knowing you, I can’t imagine the pain you’ve been in. We should’ve been with you...I should have been with you.”
Realization that he knew about her miscarriage was too much for her to handle. She backed away, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t…I don’t want to…”
Shaking horribly, she whimpered when he took her in his arms and held her tightly.
“It’s going to be alright.”
“It won’t...”
“Yes, it will. I won’t stop, Elijah won’t stop, until it is. Tell me what you need. Tell me what you want. I’ll do anything.” He pulled back to stare into her eyes. His were dark gray with emotion.
“I don’t know what to say...how to talk to you.”
Lifting his hands, he cupped her face and used his thumbs to wipe her tears. “Would you have told me? About the baby?” Closing her eyes, she nodded. “You’d have let me be a father?”
Shocked, she murmured, “I wouldn’t have kept...your ch-child from you. You know me better than that.”
“I do. I wanted to hear you say it.” Leaning close, he rubbed his cheek against hers. “Did you want to be a mother, Brie?” The pain of her quiet sobs made it hard to nod. He held her harder and she missed every moment they’d shared. “Even with our particular dynamic, you’d have faced the world?”
Until he asked the question, she hadn’t considered what lengths she’d have taken to protect her child.
It wasn’t a far stretch to imagine her parents’ anger and disappointment. She might have lost the winery.
None of it would have mattered.
“A child comes before anything, everything else. Nothing is as valuable and I’d have gladly paid the price to have him. I-I wanted him so badly and I failed. I failed at everything.”
“You’ve failed at nothing, Gabriella. Nothing. I’m so sorry you lost him. I know it crushed your beautiful heart.”
Unable to stop herself, she wrapped her hands around his waist and held him while she sobbed out the hurt she could have only shared with Harper and Elijah.
She cried for a long time and he held her, stroking her hair and murmuring soothing words.
When it began to ease, he kissed the top of her head. “We took him to the estate, Gabriella. I insisted and Winters agreed. He’s with my parents, my grandparents.”
Leaning back, she stared up at him. “You…claimed him?”
“As I would have claimed him had he lived.” He smiled sadly. “I would’ve been proud to be a father to our child. Prouder still to have you as the mother. There could be no one better.”
His hands held her face, fingers stroking through her hair, and he exhaled. “I did everything wrong. I hurt you deeply and my regrets haunt me.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “I want to see you smile again, to hear you laugh. To be one of the reasons for your happiness. Tell me how to earn your forgiveness.”
The feel of his lips on hers was so familiar, so desperately missed, that Brie didn’t hesitate to return the kiss. He held her close, stroked his hand over her back, and made love to her mouth in a way he never had before that moment.
Everything inside her wanted him, wanted Elijah, wanted what they represented to her. She was terrified.
Breathing deeply, she told him. “My heart wants you, both of you until I can’t think. There’s no emotional distance with you and Elijah. For
months after it was o-over, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I’m not strong enough for this.”
“You are. I know that even if you don’t. I want you happy again. Let me help you get there.”
Confused, she tried to pull away. “What do you want from me? You’ve already gotten the only thing you ever wanted from me. I don’t understand, Harper.”
Their eyes locked. “I love you, Gabriella.” Blinking back tears, she tried to get away from him but he held her firmly. “I was afraid and I made so many mistakes. I love you.”
“Harper...”
He shook his head. “Let me finish. You confused me from the moment I saw you. I wanted you. There was never any doubt about that. Then you got under my skin so fucking fast I couldn’t adjust. I acted like an ass. I was cruel and I said shit I didn’t mean.” He held her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. “I didn’t mean it, Gabriella.”
All her life, she’d eased the pain of others. Her initial reaction was to forgive, to crush down her own hurt, to move on. To take what she was offered under no conditions of her own.
Protecting and loving everyone but herself.
“Of all the people in the world, you and Elijah have the greatest ability to wound me. Everything I am is bare to you. I have no defense mechanisms in place. I love you as I’ve never loved anyone or anything until my b-baby.”
He nodded and she was shocked at the tears that tracked down his cheeks. “I hurt you. I hurt Elijah. I know you need time. I know you need me to show you I learned from my mistakes.”
Then he kissed her again and she fell into him, into everything she wanted so much. She was dizzy by the time he broke it and stared at her with complete intensity.
“I’ll wait for you, Gabriella. As long as it takes.” His arms tightened around her. “You’ll see that I’m different now and you’ll forgive me. You’ll let us spend the rest of our lives loving you.” He put his palm on her chest. “This heart is constant. This heart loves hard. It needs us as much as we need you.”
“I’m afraid.”
“I know a lot about fear. I’ll help you.” Another kiss and he released her but didn’t step back. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Radiance Page 39
