Taking Shots (Assassins) Read online

  “It hurts like a bitch, man.”

  “I bet, only a couple more weeks, though,” Shea reassured as he backed out, heading towards Broadway, where the bar was located. When he saw Elli’s truck, his pulse picked up. It had been a long, agonizing two weeks. He had missed her so much and couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms, kiss those luscious lips on hers, lay her down in the bed that he had missed as much as he missed her.

  Shea parked the truck beside hers and notice that the place was busy, like always. He waited at the front of the truck as Jakob hobbled his way towards him. They entered and made their way, slowly through the crowed bar. When they got to an opening in the crowd, Shea saw Harper sitting off to the side, waving her arms in the air, but he didn’t see Elli.

  “I didn’t know Elli could sing, she’s damn good, too,” Jakob said. Shea looked over at him, seeing that he was pointing up at the stage. Shea looked over at the stage and that’s when he noticed two things.

  The first thing was that Elli’s pants were extremely tight.

  The second was that she was extremely drunk.

  “Oh, my God,” he muttered as he watched her sing. It was the first time he had ever heard her beautiful voice, but he couldn’t enjoy it, because she wasn’t singing with a smile, no, she was glaring and pointing and basically cussing out some guy by the bar. The guy she was singing to kind of look like Jakob as he leaned against the bar, with a smug grin on his face and his arms crossed across his chest.

  “Who’s the guy?”

  “I don’t know, let’s go ask Harper,” Shea said through clenched teeth, heading towards Harper, because Shea felt that if he went over there, the smug grin that was on that asshole’s face would be on the floor. Harper was screaming ‘Get it, girl’ at Elli when they reached her.

  “Hey guys!” she gushed when she noticed them. She moved past Shea, wrapping herself up in Jakob’s arms, “I missed you,” she said up to Jakob. He smiled lovingly at her, kissing her nose, before pointing over to the guy.

  “Who’s that?” he asked.

  Harper squashed up her face, like something didn’t smell good, and basically growled out, “That ass hat is, Justin.”

  Shea whipped his head back to look at Harper, “Justin, as in Elli’s ex?”

  “The one and only, he actually had to the gall to tell her she looks good. Which, of course, she does, but she looked good when she was with him, too,” Harper slurred. Harper’s head fell to the side as she looked Elli over, “I’m actually surprised Elli’s still dressed.”

  Shea looked over at her confused, “What? Why’s that?”

  “Because that girl can’t keep her clothes on when she’s drinking tequila and she’s had a lot!” Shea raised his eyebrows, looking back at Elli, who was only wearing a little tank with her extremely tight jeans. Harper almost fell off the stool she was sitting in, but Jakob caught her before she hit the floor. She was just as smashed as his girlfriend, the same girlfriend that had just threw her mic down after hitting the last note of the angry song perfectly, and throwing her middle finger in the air as she made it down the stairs, coming towards them.

  For the love of God.

  “That was awesome, babe! Tell that asshole! Because he stole your happy, he made you cry-” and off they went singing the chorus again. People around them sang along, while some cheered them on.

  Great, they had fans.

  When they finished, Harper cheered for Elli again as she grinned widely at her, then Elli let out a squeal when she saw Shea.

  “Shea!” she almost fell twice as she made her way towards him, slamming her body into his and kissing him lavishly. He tasted beer as she swirled her tongue with his, sloppily and had to pull back. She was too drunk to be kissing.

  “Hey, baby,” he said kissing her nose, then the side of her mouth as she smiled up at him.

  “You’re home early!”

  “I am, surprise,” he said as she swayed back and forth, “Jesus, baby, how much have you had?”

  She giggled, before saying, “A. Lot.”

  “I can see that.”

  “It started out just beer, but then these nice guys wanted to buy us shots of tequila and, of course, we said yes to free booze!” Harper let out a loud yee haw, and Elli joined in, slapping hands with her.

  And he thought Grace was bad drunk. He couldn’t count how many times he has dealt with an extremely drunk Grace through his teen years and early twenties. Grace had gotten them in trouble so many times that Shea was surprised he was where he was and not in jail.

  “Did you see that ass hat I wasted years of my life to? I wanted to go smack him, but Harper said I couldn’t. She didn’t have any bail money on her, but I said we could always call you, or my papa, but she wouldn’t let me,” she slurred.

  “Thank God,” Shea and Jakob said at the same time. They grinned at each other and then looked back down at Elli. She was chugging a beer along with Harper. Shea shook his head, looking around the bar, noticing that men were watching as the girls drank and giggled.

  Shea wondered how many of the guys had hit on Elli, since she had said guys had bought them drinks. He wondered if she flirted back, if she had given them the same smile she gives him, or if she touched them the way she always touched him. His mind filled with the thoughts of what could or what had happen as he assumed the worst, that she had cheated, that she had come out to replace him. She didn’t love him, what made him any better than any of the assholes in the bar.

  Elli looked over at Shea, and the brightest, biggest, most beautiful smile crossed her face, before she came to him, wrapping her arms around him and looking up at him. He could see the lust filling in her eyes, “Did you know that the whole time I’ve been here I’ve been wishing that you were here, cause I just missed you soooooo much,” she slurred as she leaned on him for support, “We should go find a place to be alone,” she said drawing out the last word.

  Shea smiled shaking his head, how could he think those things? His sweet Elli was crazy for him and only him. He could see it in her beautiful, sparkling with lust, green eyes.

  He was jealous.

  Something he had never been before.

  His breath caught while she just grinned up at him totally oblivious to the fact that he was having an epiphany. He hadn’t even realized it had happen, he knew he loved her, but he didn’t realize that he was absolutely, completely, and entirely hers, and that she could break him.

  She reached her finger up to his forehead, poking him hard between his eyes, “You’re thinking too hard,” she stated, “about what?” With every word her head nodded, and all he could do was laugh as she beamed up at him, drunkenly.

  “Nothing, baby, you ready to head out?” he asked as he gathered her in his arms, kissing her cheeks.

  “I was thinking I would have another beer or two.”

  He shook his head, before bringing his lips to her ear, “I thought you wanted to go somewhere to be alone, I was thinking my bed.”

  There was no way he was having sex with Elli when she was plastered, but if he had to say that to get her out of the bar, he would say it. She probably wouldn’t make it home awake.

  A slow grin went across her face and she looked over at Harper, who was making out with the man that was apparently driving her bat shit crazy.

  “I’m leaving!”

  Harper looked over at her, and glared, “No, no, no, no, you ain’t. You’re my ride!” she said moving her head from side to side. Shea raised an eyebrow as Jakob just chuckled.

  “Baby, I’ll drive you home,” Jakob said, “Shea, can I take your truck home? You can drive Elli’s home.”

  “Sure. Thanks,” he said digging out his keys and handing them to Jakob, “We’ll come and get it tomorrow.”

  “Sure, dude, thanks.”

  Jakob put his arm around Harper and started to lead her out. Shea did the same to Elli, but they only made it halfway before Elli tripped. Shea caught her before she hit the ground as she started laughi