Rushing the Goal (Assassins #8) Read online

  Assassins Series

  Taking Shots

  Trying to Score

  Empty Net

  Falling for the Backup

  Blue Lines

  Breaking Away

  Laces and Lace

  A Very Merry Hockey Holiday

  Wanting to Forget

  Overtime

  Rushing the Goal

  Bellevue Bullies Series

  Boarded by Love

  Clipped by Love

  Hooked by Love

  Taking Risks

  The Whiskey Prince

  Becoming the Whiskey Princess

  Standalone

  Let it be Me

  Make sure to check out these titles and more on Toni’s website.

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  Introduced in Toni Aleo’s Bellevue Bullies Series, it’s the Sinclair brothers’ big sister’s turn to find love in the next installment of the New York Times and USA Today best-selling series, the Assassins.

  Lucy Sinclair was no stranger to pain.

  She grew up with three younger brothers, met a bad boy, got pregnant by him, married him, and then suffered through a nasty divorce from him. Pain. That was pain. To top it off, she even had to go through the heartbreaking divorce of her parents. Through it all, she survived. All she cared about was making sure her daughter was happy and taken care of. Despite an ex-husband hell-bent on ruining her life, she fought to overcome. She’s gotten to the point that she’s okay with being just okay. She never cared about herself because she never had the time. It was Angie and only Angie she focused on, but that all changed when Benji Paxton offered to help her daughter on the ice.

  Benji knew the moment he saw Lucy, he’d never be the same. Especially when she came with the bundle of crazy that was her daughter. His heart wasn’t ready for them. After years spent sobering up and finding who he was without the alcohol, he never forgot he was being punished for not appreciating the love he had when he was younger. Because of his past, he had gotten used to being alone, a recluse, but even he had to admit it was getting old. He was lonely. Hockey wasn’t enough anymore. He wanted a family; he wanted his true love.

  And Lucy and Angie were just that.

  They were just two lost souls.

  Floating through life with no purpose.

  But finding each other gave them direction, a chance at a future.

  And had them both Rushing the Goal to be together.

  This book is for any single mom who wants to give up.

  Your prince is coming.

  Just keep being a great mom. And take care of yourself.

  Lucy Sinclair was no stranger to pain.

  She grew up with three younger brothers. Very rough, tough, hockey-playing brothers and, of course, she had to watch out to make sure none of them killed themselves. Not an easy job, mind you. Especially when she was convinced Jude and Jayden were going to kill each other and Jace was going to get lost in the woods trying to keep up with them. Those three should have done her in a long time ago, but somehow she had survived.

  She also survived the pain of having her heart broken many times growing up. Those teenage boys sure do a number on young girls, and she was a victim plenty. But she did fall in love young…and then she had a baby.

  Enough said.

  She also made it through a nasty marriage that turned into an even nastier divorce. Which now resulted in co-parenting with the King of Dicks, aka Rick, her ex-husband. Again, not easy since Rick was hell-bent on ruining Lucy’s life by using their daughter against her, but she was surviving.

  And to top off the pain train, she also hadn’t had sex in a good long while. Lord knew, she needed a release from a man something serious. So, yes, she knew pain. Embraced it. Only knew that feeling most of the time, well, except when Angie was smiling at her. That brought happiness, but still, she knew pain.

  But as she held the couch, her eyes squeezed tightly shut while her toe throbbed, she was convinced this was the kind of pain that was going to kill her.

  Stubbing her toe.

  Her fucking toe was going to kill her.

  What a way to go.

  “Momma!”

  “Just a minute, sweetheart,” she clenched out as she opened her eyes to glance down at her foot.

  Thankfully, the toe was still there.

  Nail polish chipped to hell, but her toe was still intact.

  She guessed that was good, but then, losing a toe would be her luck. Her week had been shit. She had lost a potential client at her interior design firm because she couldn’t fit them into her schedule fast enough to suit them. She needed to hire someone to help out, but she couldn’t really afford it, or, better yet, didn’t want to let go of that money. But still, she was losing money, so something had to change. She also needed to find a sitter since her baby brother and his wife had moved to Florida after he was drafted by the NHL to the Panthers. She could really use a good thing to happen, but she didn’t see light at the end of the tunnel at that particular moment.

  But then, her toe was still intact.

  Little things.

  When Angie came barreling around the corner, Lucy cringed when her daughter came to a halt inches from her throbbing foot as she held the phone out, shaking it violently at her. “Avery and baby Ashlyn want to see you now!”

  Shaking Lucy’s phone even harder, causing her sister-in-law to laugh while her baby niece cooed sweetly, Angie showed a face full of delight. She loved her aunt and cousin so much and, like Lucy, missed them a lot.

  “Thank you,” Lucy breathed out, taking the phone and looking at her sister-in-law on FaceTime. Then Angie was gone, her long, brown hair flying in the wind she was causing. Kid was a running motor. As Lucy held the phone out, Avery laughed.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I’m pretty sure I almost just died,” Lucy breathed, sitting on the couch and propping her foot up.

  Avery grinned, her eyes bright as Ashlyn moved her fingers along her chin. It still stunned Lucy to see Avery with Ashlyn. Not only were they just two beautiful girls, but seeing Avery with Ashlyn, her being so young at barely nineteen, reminded her of herself when she had Angie. She had only been eighteen, but unlike Avery, who was in a beautiful and loving marriage, Lucy had been lost, scared, and getting knocked around by Rick, the King of Dicks.

  “How?” Avery asked, her turquoise eyes set on Lucy.

  “Stubbed my toe.”

  Avery cringed. “That sucks.”

  “Girl, I seriously thought I was dying a slow death.”

  Giggling, Avery kissed Ashlyn’s palm. “A toe can’t take you out.”

  Lucy scoffed. “The jury’s still out on that.”

  Rolling her eyes, Avery laughed softly. “Anyway, Angie seems good. She’s excited for hockey.”

  Groaning, Lucy let her head fall back. She had completely forgotten about that. “Fuck me.”

  Avery laughed louder. “You forgot.”

  “I did. When does it start?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Ugh,” she moaned. “Curse Jayden for making me do this. He demands it, but he can’t even commit to taking her. Rick already said he won’t take her, which means she’s gonna miss almost half the damn games. Can’t I just bail on it?”

  Avery shook her head. “But she’s excited.”

  She was.

  “Okay, I guess I can get Mom to help since you decided to leave me.”

  Avery’s smile dropped. “Don’t remind me. I hate that we aren’t there anymore. We miss you guys.”

  Lucy smiled. �