Radiance (34 page)

Brie climbed out and set her feet, ready to rage like a fucking
lunatic
.  Elijah grabbed her roughly and claimed her mouth until she felt faint. 

All the fight went right out of her. 

Without speaking a word, Elijah carried Brie through the house to his space on the top floor.  Harper followed with an expression on his face she couldn’t translate. 

In the bathroom, they stripped her down roughly.  Then they each held her tightly while the other pulled away suits that were probably ruined from the soot and mud she’d been covered in.

Under the water, they used soft cloths to wipe the skin of her face.  It was tender to the touch.  Scrubbing her head to toe, they washed themselves fast and tensely. 

They dried her carefully and applied lotion over every inch.  Another cream was applied to her face.  Together, they dried her hair.  In the mirror, she noticed her face seemed a little red. 

Taking her hand, Elijah pulled her quickly to the sanctuary. 

She was a little nervous that they hadn’t said anything in the thirty minutes since getting out of the limo. 

Expecting to be strung up and interrogated, she was shocked when Elijah followed her down to the bed and drove his cock deep in a single stroke. 

He took her hard and fast, never taking his eyes off hers.  The first climax happened embarrassingly quick but she didn’t care because she’d missed them touching her. 

Planting himself as far inside her as he could get, he stilled and stroked her hair away from her face as it turned her loose. 

She was afraid to speak because she was angry, hurt for him, and horrified that the scene of his torture hadn’t been obliterated from the face of the planet. 

Then she wept bitterly and hugged him as hard as she could. 

Returning the hug with the strongest arms of anyone she knew, he let her cry out all her pain for him. 

“You’re strong and beautiful, Elijah.”  Her hand stroked the back of his head.  “I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.  You survived and I’m so goddamn happy you did.  I hate what happened but I’m so relieved you’re still here.  I love you.  I love you.  I love you.” 

Lifting to look at her, he whispered, “I love
you
, Brie.” 

Her fingers traced his face.  “H-how did you know?  What was happening?” 

“When you insisted on going into the building, Jim didn’t want Elijah to kick his ass.  They’re equipped with cameras.”  Harper said quietly, “We were in the air when you lit it up.” 

Setting her jaw, she turned her head and ground out, “I’m not sorry I did it.  I don’t care if it was a fucking historical monument, Harper.  I don’t
care
.  It was evil.  It had to fucking go.”

“I didn’t know it was
there
, Gabriella.”  There was no way to hide her shock.  “I’ve lived here all my life and didn’t even know it existed until today.  I realize now he kept me away from that side of the estate.  I never wondered why.”  His eyes closed.  “I’d have
never
left it there had I known.”  Reaching out, he held her face.  “I’ll
never
question your instincts again.  You really
are
that perceptive.” 

Exhaling roughly, she kissed his palm.  “I was
so
angry with you.  I should’ve known better.  I’m sorry.” 

“I understand.”  He leaned close and kissed her for a long time.  “For a gentle woman, you certainly have a warrior’s spirit, Gabriella.  Thank you.” 

She nodded and pulled them both close, hugging them hard.  “I missed you both so
much
.” 

Then they deconstructed her with pleasure. 

* * *

Elijah watched her sleep, held tight to his body, knowing the nightmares that would haunt her.  Several times before the sun tinted the room, she shook uncontrollably in her sleep. 

Each time, he and Harper would press close and whisper to her, calm her, until she slipped deeply again. 

They were boarding the plane for home when Jim sent him a text that Brie was photographing the estate and all was well. 

An hour later, he texted again when she discovered an abandoned building.  Moments later, his text held a tinge of panic when Brie refused to remain outside the structure. 

Instructing the man to go to live feed, every nerve in his body went tight when he glimpsed the woman he loved investigating a door frame he knew
well
on one knee, clearly distraught.  Instantly, he knew what else she would discover. 

He hated that she would have it in her mind, that it would bruise her tender heart. 

Harper moved to sit beside him when he was unresponsive.  The silence drew out as he watched the feed on Elijah’s phone.

“Elijah…?  Is that on the fucking
estate
?”  Unable to speak as he watched Jim take lanterns down from the ceiling, Elijah gave a single nod.  “Gabriella.  Oh god
no
.” 

Then she set the goddamn building that was haunted by the ghost of his childhood on fire and burned it to the fucking
ground
, standing close enough to ensure no one stopped it. 

For two hours after it was incinerated, they watched as she barked orders, all sign of
sweet little Brie
crushed in her fury and sadness.  The chimney leveled, every piece of wood dumped in the back of a truck, and hauled off the land. 

“Take it at least twenty fucking miles from here.  Dump it and cover it the fuck over.”  Then she got quiet for a long moment.  “He better be
dead
.  He better be fucking
dead
.” 

Jim shadowed her, both of them filthy, while she paced. 

Gentle Brie, a woman
everyone
knew had a heart softer and kinder than most, called Hudson Winters. 

“Hudson.  I have an unusual request.”  There was silence as she listened.  “I need to know if someone is still alive.”  Another pause and she glanced at Jim before murmuring indistinctly.  Then she hissed, “I can’t
tell
you.  Just know that if he is, he doesn’t get to
keep
breathing!”

She went quiet for a long time and sat on a fallen log while Hudson worked to calm her, to find out why she was so upset. 

From the messenger bag she carried everywhere, she removed all that was left of Elijah’s first violin. 

Holding it in her hand, crying, she begged, “Hudson.  Please help me.”  She closed her eyes.  “Yes I can! I
can
live with it.  At this moment, I’d slit his fucking throat myself.  Okay.” 

She hung up and paced angrily.

Several minutes later, her phone rang.  “Hudson.”  She listened.  “You’re
sure
?”  With a hiss, she told him, “I hope he went fucking
screaming
.”  She nodded and rubbed her temples. 

“Thank you, Hudson.  Apologize to Natalia.  Ignore all calls from me henceforth on your honeymoon.”  Exhaling, she laughed shakily, “They’re wonderful.  Mm hmm.  Not telling.  Not telling that
either
.” 

She tried to smile as she scrubbed at tears.  “I’m okay now.  Thank you.  Love you guys.” 

Walking around the barren space where a building had once stood that instilled him with terror, Brie knelt and touched the rich soil exposed by fire and scouring with heavy equipment. 

“New again.  Grow quickly.”  Then she stood and stopped in front of Jim.  “I realize I seem insane.  Let’s get the fuck out of here.  I need a shower and several drinks.” 

His first sight of her when they left the limo was her entire body covered in dirt, her hair wild around her, and her face lightly burned from the heat exposure.  Then she planted her feet, lifted her chin, and clenched her fists, ready to go to
war
over injustices done to him decades ago. 

It made him harder than he’d ever been in his life.

Less than twelve hours later, they held her sleeping form between them, soothing her from nightmares her empathetic nature guaranteed she would have. 

* * *

Harper stared at Elijah as he drifted back to sleep when Gabriella settled.  He’d been in almost every dream he’d ever had.  Lately, another face appeared frequently when he closed his eyes.  He pressed his face to her hair, inhaling deeply of oranges and goodness he’d never encountered.

He wanted to cry knowing the building that housed the horrors of Elijah’s childhood had remained standing for two decades.  On his land.  A mile from the fucking home where he slept.

The fucking thing should have been destroyed when the man who used it to torture his son had his twisted heart stopped.  He was ashamed it had gone undetected for so long. 

He was goddamn grateful to Gabriella for burning it to the ground. 

She was such a puzzle to a man like him.  Soft and sweet, gentle in ways that soothed pain she didn’t even know another person had.  Smart and world savvy enough to capture the interest of people who weren’t easily impressed.  Loyal to the point of being willing to commit violence to keep the people she loved safe. 

It was while she was ordering estate personnel that Harper understood how she’d grown the winery to such success.  She wasn’t rude, she didn’t raise her voice, but there was no mistaking the authority she possessed. 

Every man working with her while she destroyed the structure and had all traces of it taken off the estate listened to her, respected her, and moved quickly to follow her orders.  Especially when she
helped
get it done. 

Watching her command hardened fighting men and staff responsible for the grounds made him painfully hard. 

When he’d seen her standing beside the Kubota, he knew without a doubt she’d go toe-to-toe with him if he
dared
to question what she’d done. 

The little woman was prepared to
fight
anyone who got in her way. 

She had so many interesting qualities. 

Carefully getting off the bed, he walked around and laid down on Elijah’s side.  Curling against his body, he smiled when the man he loved wrapped his arm around him, pulling him closer in sleep. 

With his face resting on Elijah’s chest, he watched Gabriella’s face in the same position on the other side.  He covered her hand, spread over Elijah’s heart, with his own.

More relaxed than he’d been in too long to try to remember, he drifted back to sleep. 

* * *

The sun filled the sanctuary with pink and orange light when Brie woke.  Harper’s face was a few inches from hers on the opposite side of Elijah’s chest. 

He had the longest lashes. 

As she had the thought, they fluttered open and eyes that glowed silver in the light stared at her.  He squeezed her hand. 

Quietly, he started to talk.  “When I was eighteen, we were attacked on the way to the airport.  Elijah killed seven men protecting me.  As the dust settled, I realized he’d been hurt.” 

Moving their hands together, he stroked her fingers over an old scar beneath his ribs.  “He remained standing until backup arrived.  The moment I was in an alternate vehicle surrounded by a dozen armed men, he passed out from extreme blood loss.” 

“You already loved him,” she whispered.  “You must have been terrified.” 

He nodded.  “I dreamed about him every night for two years.  I didn’t tell a soul, of course.”  Inhaling carefully, he went on.  “Of all the injuries he’s taken over the years, that one, the first serious one, almost killed him.  I refused to leave for college.  I stayed at the hospital until he was released.  He raged about being weak but I didn’t care.  He fought recovering in my wing and I ignored him.” 

She smiled.  “I would have, too.” 

“Even wounded, he was a powerful man.  At twenty, he was even leaner.  He remains the fastest and best trained fighter but I didn’t care about any of that.”  He gave her a soft smile.  “I loved that for all his ferocity, for all his skill to protect and kill…he played the violin.”

Brie nodded seriously.  “I get that.  It ramps up the hotness.”

Harper laughed.  “I’d never
seen
him play but I’d
heard
him.  I already liked and respected him as my best friend, as my personal bodyguard who’d kept me safe many times.  His love of music, his gift for something so gentle…that’s what made me love him.” 

“That’s beautiful, Harper.” 

“He never told me what happened to the violin he used to play.  I realized I hadn’t heard him in a long time.”  His eyes held hers.  “I bought him another one and brought it to him while he healed.” 

“It helped him.” 

“Yes.  It cooled his rage.  I asked if I could sit with him while he played and he didn’t understand.  I told him it was wonderful to listen to him, that he was incredibly talented.”  His fingers tightened around hers.  “Watching him, seeing how it affected him, it pushed me fully over the edge.” 

He shrugged his shoulder lightly.  “I whored my way through high school.  I wasn’t interested in men, I never even noticed them.  Wanting him like I did fucked me up mentally but I couldn’t help myself.”