Taking Shots (Assassins)

by Toni Aleo

“Yeah, that’s what I thought; don’t give in less you can take, Shea Adler,” she said as she put her hands on her skinny little hips defiantly, “Now, what in God’s name made you break that glass? I know you did it on purpose!”

  “You are right, I did! I wanted to get your attention!”

  “Well you freaking got it! What do you want!”

  Shea paused.

  When he had planned to do this it was supposed to be in front of Elli and Bryan, not the whole damn arena. People stood all around Elli with wide eyes, Shea swore that he could hear a pin drop if he was to drop one. Everyone was zoned in on him and Elli, and for the first time while wearing his hockey jersey, he felt self conscious.

  “Um, well, you see-”

  “For the love of God! The next time you wanna go breaking some glass, at least be ready to say what you were gonna say!”

  “Will you shut up for a minute, damn!” Shea yelled back at her, damn she was a feisty little thing. Elli shook her head and pushed the guy that stood beside her down into his seat as she went to go by him.

  “Elli, wait!” She turned, with an exasperated look on her face.

  “What, Shea?” Elli said, he could tell she was pissed, but she brought this onto herself, if she would have listen to him a long time ago, then he wouldn’t have to resort to damaging property to get her attention. So excuse him if he didn’t give two shits if she was pissed, he had something to say, damn it.

  “I love you!” Shea blurted out, even though that wasn’t what he wanted to say, not yet at least. Everyone around them ‘awed’ at the same time and his eyes fell shut. Damn it, he had this all planned. He was ready for this, he knew what he wanted to say but why wasn’t it coming back to him? “I just love you Elli, so much. I’ve missed you so much these past two months. I’ve tried so hard to get you to listen to me because I know you still love me Elli. I know. If you didn’t you wouldn’t have came to the ball last night-”

  “Lot of good that did me, seeing you with your new girlfriend and all.”

  Some people around her gasp, while others said ‘oooo’, God, how Shea wished they could be doing this somewhere private.

  “She isn’t my girlfriend, her name is Alexi Lynn, Damon asked her to go with me since I didn’t want to go alone.”

  Elli rolled her eyes, “Whatever.”

  “No, not whatever. I can’t be with anyone else, I’ve tried, I won’t lie to you, you know that, but I have tried to be with other women, and I can’t.”

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better Shea? Knowing that you have been with other women?”

  “I said I haven’t! And you’re with some dude right now!”

  “He’s my assistant you idiot! Come on! Unlike some people I don’t even have the desire to be with anyone else!”

  “I was trying to get over you! And it didn’t work. I was meant to walk on this earth with only you, I was meant to give only you every piece of me. I don’t want anyone but you. I love you. I had this whole speech baby, I did, but just looking into them beautiful green eyes that make me think of when we laid in the fresh green grass for lunch so long ago, I can’t think of anything but the fact that I love you.”

  Elli shook her head, looking down at the floor before looking up at him, “Shea, I used to believe them things, because I had felt the same way you do, but you made a fool of me. When I saw you with Victoria, it felt like a knife going into my heart, you knew I’m self conscious and seeing you kiss her, my sister, my extremely beautiful skinny sister! How am I supposed to move on from that?”

  “I didn’t kiss her! She kissed me, I don’t want her. I want you.” Elli rolled her eyes, looking towards the ice as he went on, “You know what, for five years you were with a ball-less son of a bitch that was terrible to you, and you believe every single wrong thing he put in that pretty little head of yours, then you go six years believing them things, not trusting anyone and then I come along. I have done nothing but love you to the fullest of my abilities. I have never cheated on you, I have never lied to you, I have been completely and utterly devoted to you and only you.” Elli looked over to him, looking deep in his eyes as he went on, “But you can’t believe me when I say that your sister set me up. That I didn’t want her then, and I don’t want her now. I want you, and only you. I don’t know how many times I gotta tell you, but baby believe me. Please.”

  Elli’s eyes filled with tears as she looked down at him, he closed his eyes, willing his self not to fall to his knees and beg, because the way she was looking at him, it wasn’t looking as if it was going to go the way Shea wanted it too. Which would be Elli leaping into his arms and them skating off the ice wrapped in each other arms.

  “I saw you,” Elli said so quietly Shea almost missed it.

  “She set me up, baby, I promise you. Ask anyone, I love you.”

  Elli blinked once, causing a large tear to run over her cheek. He begged her with his eyes for her to come to him, he just needed her lips to touch his, she would know then, she had too.

  “If you don’t want him honey, I’ll take him,” someone said, but Elli and Shea didn’t look anywhere but at each other. When she took a step forward, his heart jump into his throat, she believed him!

  But when she turned abruptly and took off up the stairs, he felt like Grace had kicked him all over again.

  People were yelling at Elli to go back as she ran up the stairs into the lobby of the arena. Running in three inch heels was a feat, but Elli was bound and determined as she ran towards Papa’s box. Of course, she had forgotten her purse, but luckily the security guard that was guarding the floor of Papa’s box was the same guy she had brought some brownies to the week before.

  When Elli entered the box, her whole family looked towards her from where they all were basically leaning out the box, probably trying to see what was going on down on the ice.

  “Eleanor, what in God’s name was Adler doing?” Papa asked as he came towards her.

  “Darlin’, are you okay?” Michael asked, following behind Bryan.

  “Crazy fool of a man, could have killed my baby girl.” Olivia said, as everyone came towards Elli, but she didn’t want anything to do with any of them.

  When her eyes fell on Victoria, who was sitting at the bar picking at the hot dog that was in front of her, rage filled Elli from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. Victoria looked up and her eyes went wide. It was the first time in months they had seen each other, and all the hurt and pain from the last two months came full force at Elli, and she was ready for the much needed confrontation that was about to happen between the two sisters. Every step Elli took, Victoria’s eyes got wider as she moved out the chair, going behind it.

  When Elli reach her, she pushed the bar stool away, going toe to toe with Victoria. Since Elli was wearing her boots she was as tall as Victoria, and as she looked into the eyes of the person she grew up with, loved even when she was terrible to her, she felt nothing but repulsion.

  “Did you kiss Shea?”

  Victoria didn’t say anything, as she tried to look everywhere but at Elli, “Answer me!”

  “Eleanor, that’s enough,” Olivia said.

  “I, um, I,” Victoria started, “I never meant to hurt you,” she finally got out, and Elli couldn’t control herself. She had always dreamed of hitting Victoria, and the feeling of her hand connecting to Victoria’s face was so damn fulfilling that Elli wanted to do it again.

  “Eleanor!” Olivia yelled.

  “You stupid bitch! How could you! How could you do that to me!?”

  Victoria’s hand came up over where Elli had just made contact as her eyes filled with tears. “Answer me! Why!? Why did you do it!?”

  “It wasn’t me, I didn’t want to-” Victoria started but Elli’s mother interrupted her.

  “Victoria Ann that is enough, if Eleanor is going to resort to hitting, then there is nothing left to be said, come here honey,” Olivia said with her arms wide for Victoria, but Bryan stopped her.

>   “No, you answer her Victoria. Now.” Bryan’s booming voice filled the room, and Victoria looked at him before looking back into Elli’s eyes.

  “I didn’t want to Elli, I didn’t.”

  “What are you talking about!”

  “She made me do it,” Victoria said looking over Elli’s shoulder to her mother, everyone took in a sharp breath as Elli turned slowly to see her mother with wide eyes as Victoria continued, “She said that Shea wasn’t good enough for you when he came to the house to ask daddy if he could marry you and told me I had to break y’all up.”

  “He wanted to marry me?” Elli gasped out, as Victoria went on.

  “I didn’t want to do it, but she threatened to cut my cards off, and you know I need my credit cards Elli. I never wanted any of this to happen, I may be crazy jealous of you, but I would never take your man, you know that, but I had no choice.”

  “You did this?” Elli asked her mother; Olivia stood a little straight, running her hands down the front of her suit jacket before she looked up at Elli with a patronizing smile on her face.

  “Oh darlin’ I did this for you, he isn’t good enough for you.”

  “Olivia!” Michael gasped.

  “Are you kidding me?” Bryan yelled.

  “Who are you to say who is good enough for me?” Elli said ignoring everyone, staring down the person that had betrayed her.

  “Honey he’s trash, tattoos up his arms, dresses like a thug, he is not the man for my daughter.”

  Elli just shook her head, “How dare you?”

  “How dare me? Honey, its simple, I did it for you,” Elli felt like she was gonna puke. Her own mother? “It was the same thing with Justin. I knew he was cheating on you from the beginning, the way he would hit on Victoria so intently, but Victoria wanted nothing to do with him cause he had been with you, and I’d be damn before I let a Yates leave this family, so I told him about all the money you were getting and just to wait it out with you, that you’d give him everything he wanted. I did it for you, for your happiness.”

  “He ruined me,” Elli said in a shaky voice, “I am better without him.”

  “Now, that isn’t true. He was a good man.”

  “He hit me!” Elli screamed, causing Olivia to jump as the tears ran down Elli’s cheeks. Elli had never told anyone about that but Harper and Shea. Bryan stood up from his seat as Michael took a step forward. God help Justin Yates if her papa or daddy ever saw him again.

  “I doubt that,” Olivia dismissed with a wave of her hand.

  “He did, and Shea loved me, he treated me good, but you sabotaged that? Using my sister as your pawn?”

  “You are blowing this out of portion honey, stop.”

  Everyone was quiet for a moment as Elli looked at her mother in disgust. She couldn’t believe it, she couldn’t comprehend it.

  “You ruined my chance at happiness. How dare you?”

  “Like I’ve said before, I did it for you.”

  “I’m twenty eight years old! I don’t need you! I have been with trash and Shea is not trash! He made me feel like the most amazing person in the world! He loved me! Unlike you!”

  “Oh, now that’s just uncalled for. You know I love you.”

  “No, you don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t have done what you did.”

  “I stand by my word Eleanor Rey, I did it for you.”

  Elli shook her head slowly, tears gushing down her face. “You deliberately tried to hurt me, and we are done.”

  Elli heard Victoria take in a sharp breath as her daddy moved in front of Elli, “I don’t even know you anymore,” he said, Elli watched as her mother’s eyes went wide.

  “Now, Michael honey, she’s overreacting.”

  “How could you do this to her?” Michael said with a shake of his head, “That’s our baby girl.”

  “I did it for her.”

  Michael slowly shook his head as he looked down at her with one of the scariest looks Elli had ever seen, “Leave,” he whispered.

  The room went eerily quiet as Olivia and Michael stared each other down. “You don’t mean that.”

  “If he doesn’t I do, now go on Olivia.” Bryan said, standing beside his brother. “You aren’t welcomed here anymore.”

  Olivia looked around the room and Elli knew she had to see that everyone was disgusted with her. Liam and Noah were shaking their heads with their arms around Adina and Lauran, while Michael and Bryan looked at her like she was the biggest piece of shit floating in the Red River. With Olivia being who she was, Elli watched as she tipped her chin up, before storming out the room slamming the door behind her.

  Michael turned facing Elli with the saddest look on his face. “I’m so sorry, darling,” he said before wrapping his arms around her, holding her close to him.

  “He wanted to marry me?”

  Elli felt him nod his head as he moved his hand up and down her back, “He did.”

  “What did you say?” Elli asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  Elli started to sob loudly into her father’s chest. She cried for the betrayal her mother had done, she cried because Victoria had fallen to her mother’s threats, and she cried because she missed Shea more than anything. How could she be so stupid? Shea was right, she was making him pay for the things Justin had done to her. She was always looking for a reason to doubt Shea, not believe his word, and again, he was right when he said that he had always been true to her, because even with all her insecurities she knew he would never hurt her. So why did she believe the lie her mother set up? Why didn’t she believe him when he said that he had been played? God would only know, but now Elli was paying the price for her stupidity.

  When Elli finally calmed down, her father let her go and she moved towards the chair that over looked the ice. The game had already started and Shea was on the ice, hitting people so hard that Elli was convinced he would either hurt himself, or owe her Papa more money when he broke another sheet of glass.

  Elli had never met such an amazing man. Shea was sweet, caring, devoted, compassionate, funny, and passionate, Elli could go on for hours describing him, she loved him so much. When she was with him she felt complete. He made her love herself, something that she hadn’t down since she was in high school. Elli had given him her heart, her soul and thought she would be with him forever. She knew Shea loved her, but when she saw Victoria and him together, she lost it. She felt like everything he had ever said to her was a lie, and without thinking she threw away the most amazing man she would ever meet.

  Elli didn’t deserve him, because even after all this time he still wanted her back. He still loved her, but could she swallow her pride and admit she was wrong? Admit that she was wrong to doubt him? As she watched him skate around, shooting the puck every chance he got, she thought about their relationship. They had their up and downs, but more ups than downs. Elli smiled as she thought back to the little things that made their relationship so spectacular.

  Their joking banter with each other. The dinners they cooked together. The bubble baths they would share. The arguing over what to watch because he had seen Pride and Prejudice a hundred times in six months and he was done with the damn movie. He had lived it with her with her party and just thinking of that brought a grin to her face. The waking up in the middle of the night just to make sure he was still there, because sometimes it felt like a dream. A dream she wanted back. She wanted back her little things with him, she wanted it all back. Everything.

  But how?

  When the goal buzzer went off and the crowd started screaming, Elli eyes searched for Shea. When she found him, he wasn’t grinning like his teammates; he stood by the bench with no emotion on his face. How was she ever going to apologize? Would be believe her? What if he never wanted anything to do with her? She walked away from him when he poured his heart and soul out to her, yeah it was to find Victoria and get to the bottom of the situation but still. Why would he even want her when all she did was ignore his feeling, not listen
to his pleas, and not give him the benefit of the doubt. He was a good man, and all she did was walk away. Elli should have run to him, jumped into his arms while telling him that she still loved him, that she would always love him, that she would never doubt him again.

  It was the truth, but would he believe her. She didn’t believe him when she should have, so why would he? He had proved that he loved her many times over, but had she ever done that for him? It took her damn near four months just to admit she loved him, so when Elli walked away from him for the fourth time since they been together, she knew she had to of stomped his pride into the ground. Why did she deserve to even have a second chance with him, she wasn’t good enough for him. She was selfish, whinny, insecure and he needed someone better.

  Even if the thought made Elli’s heart break since she wanted to be Shea’s forever, she knew she wasn’t good enough.

  Midway through the third period, Bryan sat down beside Elli, handing her a beer.

  “So, will I be helping pay for a wedding?” Elli looked over at him, a small smile forming on her face.

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’m pretty sure all you gotta do is say you love him and he would marry you tomorrow, hell maybe tonight.”

  “I don’t deserve someone so amazing; look at the crazy freaks I come from.”

  “Hey now, that’s your mother side, your daddy’s side ain’t crazy.” Elli scoffed at that, and smiled when Bryan finished, saying “You’re perfect, darling, Adler knows that.”

  “I have issues, I’m crazy, loud, I have a temper, I get sick, and I’ll probably always be a little fat. But Papa, even with all them things about me, he still loved me, and when he needed me to believe him, I didn’t. When he basically begged me to take him back, I ignored him. Why do I deserve the perfection of a man like that, when I’m far from it?”

  Bryan smiled, taking Elli’s hand in his large old one, “You’ve changed, Elli.”

  “No I haven’t,” she said with her face scrunched up.

  “Oh, yes, you used to walk this earth with no purpose after leaving New York, but when Shea came into your life, I saw you transform over night. Your eyes were brighter, you wore clothes that fit your body, and you glowed darlin’. You are a ray of sunshine when you are with him. These past couple mouths, you’ve been a damn storm cloud and I want my sunshine back, so damn it, go get it.”