Taking Shots (Assassins, #1)(109)

“Cool, I was thinking about you, thought I would call.”

“Aw, I’m always thinking of you,” she smiled, catching Harper rolling her eyes. She picked up the squishy ball she had on her desk and beamed Harper in the head with it. Harper let out of a scream before flipping Elli the bird.

“What was that?” he asked as Elli laughed.

“Harper being Harper,” she said as Harper stormed out the office, “I’m glad you called though. I need to ask you a favor.”

“Sure.”

“Is it okay if I have my friends over for dinner and games on Sunday? I know you leave Monday morning, but Harper wants Jakob to come and he can’t ride in the car for a long time, so my house is out, and Jodi’s water heater busted,” she said as she drew little hearts on her calendar.

“Sure, I don’t mind. I’ll like to meet your friends.” She smiled as Harper came back into her office a coffee in hand.

“Who said you were invited?” she asked, teasing him a little.

“Oh, am I not invited?” he laughed, she laughed along.

“Oh, course you are, I think after two months it’s time for you to meet the besties. Thanks so much for letting me have it at the house. I’ll call everyone up and let them know, they’ll be excited to meet you,” she said picking up the coffee cup Harper had just laid down when she leaned over to see what Elli was writing.

Elli took a sip and Harpers yelled, “Hey!”

“Oh hush!” Elli said back as Shea laughed.

“You guys act like sisters.”

“We do,” she agreed as her business phone started ringing, “I gotta go, I’ll call ya later?”

“Sure, babe, I love you, and miss you a lot,” he said, and like always her stomach filled with butterflies.

“I miss you, too, bye.”

When she hung up the phone, Harper had already answered the business line, so she leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. She wished she knew if she loved Shea or not, sometimes she thought she did, but then Justin would come into her head, causing her to question her feelings. Plus, she decided when she did know for sure she loved Shea, she didn’t want to tell him on the phone but in person.

As Elli watched Harper write some things down, she decided she did need a night out. Girls night with Harper were always a hoot, and she loved to do karaoke, so when Harper hung up and looked up at her, all Elli said was, “What time we going tonight?”





Shea knew he should have told Elli earlier that he was coming home after the game. It was what he gets for trying to surprise her, a taxi ride from the airport to the house. He had called her about ten times, but she never answered. So he got in the cab and went home, but when he got to the condo, Elli wasn’t there either, and it was well past midnight. He tried to call her again, but her phone just kept going to voicemail.

When Shea went upstairs and saw that Adler was still there, he guessed maybe she was at a wedding, but she never had turned her phone off before, and he could have sworn she had said she was coming home early tonight. He stood with his hands on his hips, confused, a little pissed, and even more worried. He reached for his phone again and dialed Jakob.

“Hey, dude,” Jakob said when he answered.

“Hey, is Harper there?”

“Nope, she’s out with Elli.”

Out with Elli?

“Huh? Where did they go?”

“Well, apparently I’m driving Harper dog shit crazy, so she left to get her ‘drink on,’ whatever the hell that means,” he said, and Shea just shook his head.

“You mean bat shit crazy, and drink on? Where?”

“I think some karaoke bar, Wanna Do Something maybe?”

Again, Shea shook his head. Jakob had been living in Nashville almost as long as he had, didn’t he know anything about the damn town?

“You mean Wanna B’s? You’re pitiful Jake,” he laughed as Jakob chuckled.

“No I’m drugged up dude, anyways, yeah I think they’re there.”

“Cool, I guess I roll over there. I was trying to surprise Elli,” he said, going to the bedroom to change out of his suit, “Wanna roll out with me?”

“Um, I don’t know, Harper might get angry.”

“She’ll be okay, I’ll be there in ten.” Shea hung up and threw his phone on the bed, before stripping off his suit to put on a pair of jeans and a button down long sleeve dress shirt. After doing his hair, and putting in his contacts, he was out the door and on his way to Harper’s apartment since that was where Jakob had been staying. Harper lived in a little condo building unlike his large one; it was red brick, and old looking. He remembered Elli saying it was huge inside, but it was a studio condo, something he could never live in. Shea needed a bedroom.

Shea called Jakob, letting him know he was there, and watched as Jakob limped to the truck. Shea cringed watching Jakob trying to get in the truck, he was obviously in pain, but Shea knew not to ask him if he needed help. Jakob was an ass when he was in pain, Shea learned that early on, and knew not to mess with him when he was hurting. After buckling his seat belt, Jakob looked over at Shea. His nose was completely healed; only a little yellow around the base of his nose.

“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.