Taking Shots (Assassins, #1)(146)

“Oh, hell, El, looks like a wolf fish to me!” Mark yelled, smacking Elli on the back like she was one of the guys.

“A what?! Shit it’s strong!” Elli grunted as she reeled her little ass off. Why weren’t these men trying to help her!?

“Massive strong fish. I got one last time I was here,” James said as him and Mark made their way to the side, looking over the side as Elli continued to reel her ass off. After what seemed like an hour of reeling, Mark got out a hook looking stick, and pulled on the line, finally helping Elli to get the fish up. When Mark flung the fish overboard, Elli let out a horrid scream.

“It has teeth!” Elli screamed jumping up on the chair she had been sitting on, receiving herself a round of laughter from James and Mark as they admired the fish.

“Damn, Elli, you got a big one. We’ll have to weigh it.” Mark said, hooking the ugly blue fish in the mouth and holding it up. The damn thing was as big as she was, and Elli was on the big side.

“I say close to 30 pounds, it’s a biggie,” James said, leaning in closer to look at the fish’s face.

“It’s a beaut, good job, Elli,” Mark said before sending her a grin, “Damn good job.”

“Okay for one, that damn thing is ugly as all get out, and for two, I just sat there.”

Finally realizing, she loved Shea, not that she was gonna tell them that.

James and Mark laughed long and hard before Mark picked the fish up, motioning for Elli to come over, as James pulled out a camera. “Come on now, Elli, come hold your beaut, so we can get a picture,” Mark said, Elli shook her head.

“I ain’t coming anywhere near that thing, it’s got damn teeth!”

“Come on now!” Mark said more sternly, so Elli went, grabbing the pole slowly, before holding the fish up. It was almost as long as she was, and damn near the ugliest thing she had ever seen.

“Smile Elli!”

Yeah, right.





Shea had never laughed so hard in his life.

The picture he held in his hand had him almost busting a gut as he laughed. His beautiful girlfriend stood on a boat holding a massive fish up, with a look of horror on her face. The fish was as big as she was and Shea couldn’t believe she got it out of the water all by herself. Grace and his mom stood beside him, laughing as hard as he was.

“Oh, Elli, your face is priceless!” Jenna gushed, before kissing Elli’s cheek and turning back to the stove.

“I tell you what, that damn thing was ugly as all get out!” Elli complained in her thick accent. With Shea being home around his Boston speaking family, Elli stuck out like a sore thumb.

“I can’t believe you got it on the boat, Elli, I’m impressed!” Grace said, before leaving Shea’s side to go to James.

“I’m having the damn thing stuffed for her Christmas present, it will look good over you guys bed,” Mark said with a grin just for Elli. Shea didn’t think Elli thought he was funny, though.

“He has teeth, Shea. Tell them they are crazy,” Elli pleaded beside him, looking at her picture, shaking her head.

“Honey, you did good. You should be proud,” he said, smiling down at her.

“Proud of that? He’s ugly!”

“He’s a beaut!” Mark complained as he came over looking at the picture, “Wicked pretty fish.”

“You're nuts,” Elli laughed as she took the cup of hot chocolate from Jenna.

“He sure is,” Jenna said with a laugh. Everyone laugh along as Shea leaned into Elli, kissing her cheek softly.

Shea was a little upset when he found out that Elli had left with his dad and James, but then thought maybe it was good. Letting Elli bond with them was good, since he didn’t see her going anywhere. He wanted her to love his family, he wanted them to love her, and it seemed to have worked too. Mark and James joked around with Elli and she gave them just as much as they gave her. He loved when she had such a full smile on her face and knowing that his family was the ones to put it there, made him just as ecstatic as if he had done it.

Shea life was basically complete, well it would be if he could play hockey and Elli loved him, but he was feeling pretty damn good at that moment standing in the kitchen with all the people the loved.





The next day, Shea and Elli went for a drive to Shea’s old neighborhood. He showed her his old house, his old school, and then the place he learned to play hockey at. After seeing that the place was turning into a dump, Shea made a call to his accountant, telling them to make a donation to the rink. He’d be damned if the place he learned how to play man’s greatest sport at, was going to be ran into the ground.

Cold day in hell.

After leaving his home town, they headed into Boston for some shopping and to get some lunch. Shea was starting to notice that Elli had a spending problem. He never noticed it before, but then again he never really went shopping with her. When she saw something she liked, her eyes would light up like a Christmas tree and she would gush as she explained the reason she needed that particular thing. She was crazy; Shea had never spent as much money on one item like she did on shoes. He had the best of everything, too, but the girl sees a pair of thigh high boots and goes nuts and drops over two grand on them.

Shea stood beside her, shaking his head as she ran her little black card.