The Barter System Companion: Volume One

by Shayne McClendon

  He couldn’t believe how important it was to him after observing the woman for such a short time but it didn’t matter.

  Elijah always followed his instincts.

  First Impressions

  New York City - August 2014

  Gabriella Hernandez sat on the balcony of the luxury apartment given to her as a gift by one of her best friends.

  It was a stunning day in New York, the air was warm and the skies clear.

  Hudson Winters and Natalia Roman stopped to visit and she found herself unusually melancholy after they left.

  Most people would assume it was because they’d set a date for their wedding.

  Brie was not most people.

  She adored her friends and wished them only the most spectacular life together. They were waiting until she was cleared by her doctor so she could stand as Natalia’s maid of honor. A request that made her cry painfully hard even as she hugged the other woman tightly.

  That she was the first person to see the ring and hear the news moved her beyond reason.

  “It could be a year before I can function without the walker,” she told them as she pulled herself together. “Don’t wait for me. I want you to have everything as soon as possible.”

  Holding her face in slender hands, Natalia whispered, “We will wait because we would have so little without meeting you, Brie.”

  “When you’re cleared, we’ll marry,” Hudson added firmly. “Not one day sooner.”

  They shared so much…some would say too much…with her before they accepted that they belonged together.

  The lessons she took from her time with the lifelong friends showed her who she was, what she wanted, and what she would hold out to find.

  No matter how long it took.

  “I’m going to be alright, you know. I will. Don’t worry.”

  “You were so active before the accident and it weighs on you, darling. That you’re sad and restless makes us want to make things better in every way.” Natalia smoothed her hair. “We have a surprise for you. Something that will lift your spirits.”

  Hudson gave Brie one of his rare and beautiful smiles. “I reserved a box for the Bishop benefit.”

  “At the Zelders’ theater?” she asked breathlessly. He nodded and she felt lit up from the inside out. “I thought I missed it. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I have a seamstress able to rush your dress. Izzy worked up a design and the woman will be here to take your measurements today.” Natalia grinned. “BiBi will do your hair and nails the day of as she did for the building party.”

  Glancing off at the skyline, Brie murmured, “Somewhere different. That will be lovely.” She rubbed her temple. She was forgetting something. Suddenly, it appeared in her mind’s eye. “I have a gift for you as well.”

  Rolling the hated chair into the room she used for her studio, she opened a wide drawer in the built-in cabinets Hudson ordered installed for her.

  Carefully lifting out the framed sketch inside, she turned to Hudson and Natalia standing in the doorway.

  With a smile, she held out her gift, one she’d been working on as the mood struck, less the time she’d been in the hospital and unable to use her drawing hand.

  A few weeks before, she picked it back up and started shading in certain areas with vibrant color. The end result resembled pop art but there was no denying it was one of her best works.

  She’d captured a single moment witnessed within weeks of her arrival in New York. She was coming off her shift and paused when she saw the couple stepping out of the elevator.

  Natalia was laughing and while Hudson was not, it was easy to see the humor he tried to contain.

  The outline was sketched as soon as she entered her apartment. Their connection, as well as the intense love they shared, had been so obvious to her from that moment.

  It inspired many of her choices in the days that followed.

  Natalia took it from her and her eyes went wide. “Brie…”

  At her side, Hudson said quietly, “The sketch I saw that day at the coffee shop.” His eyes lifted to Brie’s and memories of their first day together passed between them.

  It was often that way, since the three of them intimately bonded in ways many would consider inappropriate.

  They’d changed the way she looked at sex, at herself, and life in general. For the learning, she would always be grateful.

  She smiled. “Yes. It’s one I’ve often returned to because it features two of my favorite subjects. I wanted you to have it.”

  Blue eyes filled with tears. Natalia handed Hudson the frame and walked closer to hug her tightly.

  “I adore you. Absolutely adore the person you are and everything you’ve brought us. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Hugging her back, Natalia kissed her cheek as Hudson bent to kiss the other. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “As much as your painting of the building.”

  “Good.”

  “It hangs in the lobby, Brie. I’ll take you this week.”

  She blinked. “The lobby of the building?”

  He nodded. “I want every person who walks in or out of the front doors to see it. Lola keeps a list of interested parties who’d like to commission their own work to be done.”

  “No. That was for you. I’ve no interest in doing it for others.”

  “Darling,” Natalia said with a smirk, “They’d pay a fortune.”

  Brie shrugged. “It isn’t about the money. Your painting was special. I enjoyed every moment of it because it was a personal achievement of one of my best friends. I won’t feel the same about other buildings or people for that matter.”

  “Delkin wants you to do his headquarters as well as his family estate.” Hudson’s eyes stared intently into her own.

  Laughing, Brie shook her head. “Hudson, the man was positively livid as he stared at me all night. Almost as if he didn’t like me without knowing anything about me. I need positive vibes.”

  She quirked her brow. “You look enough alike that you could be brothers and it would be more than a little…odd. Besides, one formidable man is enough and you’re my favorite.”

  That made him laugh. “The way your mind works continues to fascinate me, Brie.”

  “Then we’ll never run out of conversation.” Rolling her chair toward the door, she picked up her sketchpad on the table and tucked it beside her leg. “Now tell me all about your plans, personal and otherwise.”

  The three of them sat talking for another hour and when the seamstress showed up, Hudson kissed her cheek and left them alone. He took their portrait to hang in the penthouse.

  Carefully balanced against her walker, she stood still as the older woman took each measurement and kept up a steady stream of chatter. French was her primary language and Brie liked the lilting tone.

  Finally done, she settled back in the chair, frustrated at her tiredness from something so minor.

  Natalia stood in front of her with her hands on her hips. “I know, darling. I’m sorry. A few more weeks and then we start getting you out of this house every day.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. Go work and don’t worry about me.” Kisses, a warm hug, and her friend waved as she left.

  Brie rolled herself out on the balcony, knowing she had a couple of hours before her daily physical therapy session. Lydia was gone running errands and picking up groceries.

  It was nice to be completely alone and she rarely had the chance. Everyone worried about her falling and her occasional memory lapses didn’t help.

  A few particularly bad days caused Hudson to bring in a specialist to ensure she was alright.

  All she needed was time. Days to heal and get back the use of a body that was foreign to her for the first time in her life.

  Lifting the sketchpad, she flipped through the pages, smiling at impromptu images of Riya, Tawny, their men, her sister, people who’d once been co-workers, her parents, and so many more.
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br />   About halfway through, she stopped at the sketch of Harper Delkin and his bodyguard. Natalia told her his name was Elijah.

  When she caught Delkin staring at her for the third time, she’d been unable to resist sketching the moment. It wasn’t Brie’s imagination. The man practically glared at her the entire evening of Hudson’s party and he made her nervous.

  He and Hudson did look so much alike but there was something about Delkin that set the two men apart.

  She wasn’t sure what it was.

  His eyes were bright pewter, a color that took her an hour to master when she’d returned home that night. Her sketch captured his perpetual frown as well as the cautious perusal of the man beside him.

  Where Delkin was thickly built with darker skin and black hair, Elijah was incredibly lean with blonde hair and pale green eyes. His focus on her was intense in a way that put her off-balance.

  Both of them were undoubtedly handsome but…she felt something resembling animosity as Harper stared at her.

  Until the party, she’d never seen Harper Delkin up close. Her parents did business with him and Izzy knew Harlow, the only female sibling, but she’d never had much reason to interact with the family.

  While still at the winery, she organized the events held there and promptly made herself scarce, unwilling at the time to interact with people who would see the caricature she felt herself to be.

  For a long moment, she stared at the sketch, at the eyes that appeared to pick her apart from across the room.

  When Natalia said she didn’t need to be introduced, she felt relief.

  Brie knew she wasn’t at her best to deal with such a man without the familiarity of friendship like the one she shared with Hudson.

  There were enough negative things happening in her physical life and she had no desire to bring negativity to her mental space.

  Her plans, ideas, and goals had to take priority over meeting and greeting men in any capacity. Even friends and business associates who wanted to hire her.

  Hudson was a powerhouse in every way. He could’ve turned out to be an overwhelming influence in her world – not all of it positive.

  Instead, her friend gentled in response to his interactions with her and even more so when he embraced what Natalia meant to him.

  Hudson would never be soft. It wasn’t in his biological makeup and that was okay.

  Brie loved the man he was, how strong he was, and liked being one of the few people who knew how gentle he could be.

  She suspected Harper Delkin would never gentle for her.

  For that reason, despite something of a fascination with him and the man she believed was his partner in the ménage lifestyle, Brie planned to avoid the man at all costs.

  Paying Penance

  New York City – August 2014

  Entering the apartment used by his men, Hollow greeted them.

  “I’ll keep an eye on things. Go stretch your legs and get something to eat that isn’t takeout.”

  Finn’s eyes widened. “Ye sure, boss?” Gear stood behind him.

  “I’m sure. You’ve been cooped up in here for three days. You need a break.”

  “I’ve had worse details, Hollow. I don’t mind.”

  Meeting Glenn’s eyes, he smiled. “The lovely Camille will be staying in her son’s building tonight. Natalia’s brother and mother came to celebrate the building acquisition and they’re staying until tomorrow evening. The families have always been close.”

  “On my way.” The older man picked up his gear bag and left without another word.

  The friends did several stretches and the more playful of the two changed his shirt. “I’m no’ askin’ twice. I need ta ogle pretty girls for a while.”

  “I’ll stay the night if you need a play date.”

  Placing his hand over his heart with a dramatic gasp, Finn whispered, “Sir, ye can’t mean it.”

  “I mean it. Go on.”

  “Call if ye need us, Hollow.” A man of fewer words than his partner, Gear gave a small salute and walked for the door with Finn bouncing behind him like a puppy going for a walk.

  Through the tinted window, he watched Glenn hail a cab. The others would have left from the rear alley entrance.

  Lowering slowly into the overstuffed chair placed strategically beside the camera equipment and several weapons, he picked up a pair of binoculars.

  Scanning the front of the first residential property ever purchased by Hudson Winters, he confirmed the cameras were operating in real time and their safety measures were still in place.

  There were no cameras on Hudson’s old apartment. An apartment lived in by Gabriella Hernandez until she was run down in the street by Hudson’s half-brother.

  Her assailant was currently living in a secure luxury apartment located across the river in New Jersey.

  After several months in the care – and captivity – of Hollow’s men, Scott finally kicked the drug habit that heightened his rage and warped the love he professed for Brie.

  The apartment sixty feet away wasn’t empty but he didn’t train the equipment there. He wasn’t ready.

  Currently, Brie’s older sister was using it.

  Fashion designer and clothing manufacturer, Isabella Hernandez fulfilled the promise she made their parents. She wouldn’t leave New York until her little sister was medically cleared.

  That put her within ten miles of him every minute of every day.

  The sisters were strikingly similar in facial features. Long black hair that curled wildly, full lips, caramel skin, and large midnight-blue eyes surrounded by thick lashes. Izzy was leaner and taller by several inches.

  It was a fact Hollow knew made Brie feel self-conscious despite her own beauty. Since she was a little girl, Gabriella wanted to be more like her sister.

  Hollow was glad she wasn’t.

  He put down the binoculars. He didn’t have to do this. He didn’t have to go down this road with Isabella. He didn’t have to see her, talk to her, involve her.

  Their history could stay where it belonged.

  Inhaling deeply, he picked them up again and ignored the slight tremble in his hand. He trained them on the large window of the living room and suddenly, there she was.

  He’d seen her over the years, of course. Across ballrooms, leaving airports, in photos and on video. It was more than a decade since he stood close enough to touch her or have a conversation.

  Reaching out, he trained an unused camera and microphone on her but didn’t record. The feed appeared on the screen beside him.

  Her cell phone rang and he smiled at the crystal-clear sound. She stared at the display for three rings before she answered it.

  “Brie! How was the commemoration? Was the gown a hit?” Her voice was vibrant, falsely happy, and Hollow knew because tears tracked silently over her cheeks.

  “Everyone loved it. You know you’re a genius, Izzy.”

  “Guilty as charged. Did Hudson love the painting?”

  Brie sniffled on the other end of the phone. “He did. I didn’t think he’d like it as much as he did. I’m so glad I did it. Why didn’t you come?”

  Hollow watched Izzy smooth her hand over her thigh. “You know me…busy, busy.”

  There was a long pause. “Harper Delkin was there.”

  Izzy pressed her fingers to her temple and tears fell faster. “Really? Nice that he supported Hudson like that.”

  “Ask me, Izzy.”

  Standing, she walked across the apartment and picked up a bottle of wine and a glass. “Ask you what?” She returned to the couch and poured liberally.

  “He wasn’t there.”

  “I don’t know who you mean. You have such a dizzying number of friends now.” She took a long pull of her wine, started to put the glass down, and took another.

  “Why won’t you talk to me?”

  She needed to change the subject. “Did you talk to Harper?”

  “Natalia was going to introduce me…”

  Izz
y frowned. “What do you mean introduce you? You’ve never met Harper Delkin? How the hell is that possible? I assumed you knew all the Delkins.”

  There was a nervous laugh on the other end of the line. “Why would you assume that? Harlow and I are the same age but she hates me.”

  “Well, she’s pretty much a bitch so take that with a grain of salt.” Hollow couldn’t help a small chuckle. “You and Harry would hit it off like gangbusters.”

  “I’m shy. You know that. I avoided them. I-I knew what Mom would do.”

  Taking another long drink, Izzy refilled her glass. “Mm hmm. Fix you up.”

  “Y-you were always more comfortable around them. You fit in.”

  Izzy walked to the window and stared up at the sky. “Did she? End up introducing you?”

  “No. I was relieved.”

  “Why?”

  There was a snort. “Why would Harper Delkin care to meet me?”

  Returning to the couch, she put the phone on speaker. “Why wouldn’t he want to meet you? You’re fucking wonderful.”

  “You have to say that. You’re my sister.”

  “It doesn’t mean it isn’t true, Brie.” She finished her second glass. “I think Harper would be lucky to have a woman like you. Maybe you’d change his life.”

  “He glared at me.”

  “What?”

  “He glared at me from across the room all night. I don’t know why. He seemed…mad.”

  Pouring the last of the bottle in her glass, Izzy laughed. “No doubt you confuse the shit out of him. You’re very rainbows and unicorns, Brie.”

  “I sketched him.”

  “In the middle of a party? Why do you do that? You have to fake normal then let the crazy out when you get home. We’ve talked about this.” She jogged to the kitchen and returned to the living room with another bottle of wine and an opener.

  “Am I on speaker?”

  “Yup. I need both hands to open this bottle.”

  “He…it threw me off. The way he looked at m-me. Then his bodyguard watched me, too and I, well, I had to draw them.”

  Izzy paused in her movement. “You’re attracted to them.”