The Hopeless (The Huntress #2)

by Dawn Robertson

  To keep my mind off the failed hit, I’ve thrown myself into redecorating Theo’s house while he shops all over town for a new house with Journey. I’m still trying to figure out how the two of them will ever work long enough to raise a child, but that’s not my problem now. I smile at the fact that I am doing this all alone. I’m not going to have to argue over those tough parenting choices with someone else because she is solely mine to care for. The baby monitor sitting next to me comes to life with the quiet cries of Finley. I’ve been waiting for her to get up so we could get ready for her party.

  Well, it’s our party. Journey has spent the past three days putting together a baby shower, which is also a welcome-to-the-world party for Finley—not that Finley actually needs any kind of gifts. It’s more so for friends and our extended network to meet the baby and get used to the fact that Ellie McGuire, the single socialite, is now super mom. I laugh to myself thinking how much my life has changed in only a few short weeks. I should be scared shitless because I’m not a person who likes change, but truth be told, I’ve never been as laid back with any change as I am with this one.

  Linc was beyond mad that Journey let the surprise out of the bag right when I got back to Boston. She was far too excited planning the damn thing that within five seconds of being in my presence, she spoiled the surprise. I am thankful though—I fucking hate surprises.

  I pick Finley up out of her crib and cradle her in my arms, looking down and admiring every small detail of her perfect little face. The puffy pink dress I found in a local baby boutique hangs off the changing table across the room.

  “You girls ready yet?” Linc comes in with car keys in his hand, looking quite dapper in his dark blue pinstripe suit. Looking impatiently around the room, he discovers neither of us is ready. “Was I supposed to be ready?” I laugh and hand Finley to him. “Put that pink dress on her, I’ll be ready in a few.”

  “This outfit should constitute as child abuse, you know that, right?” He gives me a look of clear displeasure while trying not to laugh. I rush to get changed and freshen up before we have to leave for the drive across town.

  Linc

  “Fuckin’ women,” I mumble under my breath as I pick up the itchy, fluffy dress and try to figure out exactly how to get the baby into the damn thing.

  Finley wiggles around on the changing table as I take her out of the onesie and pull her arms through the sleeves of her dress. I have to hand it to Ellie, the damn dress is cute as shit on her. Finley babbles and blows spit bubbles while I yank the skirt part down and fluff it up a bit.

  Corin comes in, holding a bottle for Finley. “I figure we should feed her now so she can nap in the car on the way to the party,” she says, putting a bib on the baby.

  “Perfect.” I gladly let Corin take over and head to Ellie’s room to hurry her up.

  I tap on her door as I open it. “Ellie? Almost ready?”

  “Linc, come in. I need you to zip me up.”

  Ellie is standing in front of her full-length mirror on the far side of the room, and I am awestruck at her beauty. In a form-fitting powder blue dress and black heels, she takes my breath away. It isn’t like I haven’t seen her in all types of attire before; it is the fact that for the first time in forever, Ellie is beaming with excitement. Her face isn’t riddled with worry or stress; she’s happy, genuinely excited.

  I pull the zipper up and hook the top part of her dress, staring at her in the mirror. “You look gorgeous, love.” I lean down and kiss her cheek before she spins around in my arms.

  Hugging me, she whispers, “Thank you.”

  “For what?” I ask, still holding on tightly to her slender body.

  “Everything,” she states, pulling out of my embrace.

  My arms feel lost without her wrapped in them and I force myself to snap out of it. “Thank Journey, she did most of this.”

  Ellie shakes her head. “You know what I mean. You’ve been a lifesaver over the last few days.”

  I glance down at my watch. We’re already an hour late and we still have to drive across town. “Don’t mention it. Isn’t that what best friends are for?” I grab her hand, starting to pull her out of the room. “We really need to go.”

  Corin is waiting with Finley by the door, the baby bag swung over her shoulder. “Ready?” she asks with a huge smile on her face.

  The decorations are perfect. I have to hand it to Journey—she planned one hell of a party. Everyone who is anyone is in attendance. Right when we walk in, Ellie and Finley are rushed off with their guests, everyone excitedly congratulating Ellie on how beautiful Finley is.

  I stand off in the corner with Theo, both of us sipping on Crown and Mountain Dew. It the normal drink for either of us, but the caffeine is welcomed.

  “It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Theo’s gaze is glued to Ellie and Journey as they play with Finley.

  “You mean the change in Ellie?” I can see the pride in Theo’s eyes.

  He nods. “Yeah, in both of them.”

  I turn to Theo. “Journey is going to be a fantastic mother too, you know. And you’re already a great father.”

  Theo’s eyes snap to mine. “She told you?”

  “Morning sickness is hard to miss. She just didn’t deny it,” I answer.

  “I should have told you.” Theo grabs the Crown bottle from the table behind us and refills our drinks, leaving out the mixer this time.

  “We’ve all had a busy couple of days. Don’t worry about it.”

  Right then a loud bang sounds and the crowd scrambles as mass hysteria and panic break out. It takes Theo and me only a few seconds to snap into action, rushing to Ellie, Journey, and Finley. With the three of them in tow, we run to my SUV, which is parked right out the back door.

  Journey’s shaky voice breaks through my autopilot. “What the fuck was that?”

  I am already in the driver’s seat, putting the car in gear. “Get Finley in the damn car seat.” It’s all I can say. Someone tried to kill Ellie, but I can’t make myself say the words. We’ve never been in danger like this before. We’ve never had a hit go so wrong, ever. This is all completely fucked, and I feel like every bit of it is my own fault for not going to D.C. with her.

  Ellie is in the back with Finley in the car seat between her and Journey. “Fucking drive!” she screams at me. I have no idea where Corin is, but there is no time to worry about the damn nanny. She’ll find her way home somehow.

  The tires squeal as I floor it out of the parking lot and start driving in the opposite direction of our homes.

  Theo grabs the emergency burner phone and revolver that I keep in the glove box. He dials a number.

  “I need a safe house,” he barks and then ends the call.

  I continue to drive as fast as the SUV will go on the back roads. I swerve through a neighborhood, trying to come up with a plan. The burner dings with a text message and Theo yells, “Turn here.”

  He gives me directions to where the safe location is, and within ten minutes we are pulling up behind an abandoned building.

  It isn’t until I put the vehicle in park that I realize Finley has stopped wailing. Tears are streaming down Journey’s and Ellie’s cheeks as they frantically look at the baby.

  Once we are safely inside the unfinished building, I pull Theo aside. “What the fuck was that?” I try to keep my voice down, but rage is starting to take over.

  He shakes his head. “I have no fucking clue. There were no ties to us being part of the assassination attempt in D.C. Our alibis are flawless.”

  Theo and I stand in silence for a few seconds, watching the three most important women in our lives in near hysterics. It is hard for me to watch Ellie be so upset, and I have no idea how to comfort her. I want to pull her into my arms and calm her, but I am frozen in place. All I can think about is finding the bastard who fired that weapon. It could have been any of the fuckers at that damn party.

  I pull up the guest list and start to try to figure out whom it coul
d have been. There were almost a hundred people there, and even more that were invited, but there’s also no guarantee that one of them is to blame. The only solution in my mind is to just kill all of them, but I know that is irrational.

  Ellie

  The smiles of the crowd surround me and I feel much more accomplished than ever before. The congratulations and well wishes are like a giant blanket of love from the community of acquaintances I’ve built over the years. Looking around, I spy the gift table overflowing onto the floor with gift bags, large boxes, and pink as far as the eye can see. Today is the happiest day of my life. It’s an amazing feeling to introduce Finley to the world. Taking a few more steps, I see reality TV star Cash Taylor. He stops me to take a look at my little girl while pressing a quick peck to my cheek.

  “Ellie, she is beautiful. I wish you both the best. You’ll be an awesome mother,” he says right before a loud bang echoes through the party. The familiar sound of a gunshot hurts my ears as I duck, shielding Finley with my own body. Instincts kick in and I am scanning the room to see where the shot came from. Blood soaks the right side of my body but I can’t feel any pain. I turn to run for the back exit of the building where I see Linc running toward me.

  “Get Finley in the damn car seat,” he screams at me while running for the large black SUV by the exit. My heart is pounding and I can’t figure out where the blood has come from. Journey and I jump into the back seat of the car and work together to strap Finley in as Linc peels the SUV out of the parking lot and in the opposite direction of home.

  “I need a safe house,” Theo yells into a burner phone in the front seat as Linc drives like a madman through traffic and toward the interstate.

  “What the fuck?” Journey yells with tears streaming down her face.

  “Someone came after Ellie,” Theo barks from the front seat. It is unclear who he is on the phone with. I strip my shirt off, looking for any kind of injury, but I am fine. Finley slowly lulls to sleep with the fast movement of the car while I look over every inch of her—not a scratch on either of us. I thought for sure I’d been shot and that it was just my adrenaline pumping that kept me from feeling it.

  “I’m not hit,” I say in disbelief.

  It’s amazing how calm you become when you have a near-death experience. The entire world comes to a standstill for you while everyone else continues rushing. Never before have I been scared of death. I’ve been in some scary situations in my life, but now I finally have something to live for. I have this little girl who would be lost in the world if anything were to happen to me, and that changes everything.

  I close my eyes and take it all in, and I’m mad. I’m mad that someone came after me at my damn baby shower. I’m mad that someone came after me with an infant in my arms. I’m pissed that I know exactly who is behind this. Instead of breaking down and going into hiding like they want me to, I feel the need to rage and take out every associate of the people tasked to take me out. I want to go on a killing rampage.

  “We’ll be camping out here for quite a while,” Theo says to Journey and me as we continue north on the highway. I know that means me and Linc being stuck in some bullshit backwoods safe house until whoever was behind this is handled, or dead.

  “Where are we going?” I ask.

  “Waterbury, Vermont,” Theo answers me. “By the time we get there, everything will be all set. Everything you need for Finley will be there, and we’ll be all set up in terms of safety. I have two additional bodyguards coming in for additional coverage. I don’t want to be held away in some bullshit cabin somewhere. I just want to go home, but the reality of that happening any time soon is slim.

  “How long?” I ask Theo as Journey sits on the other side of Finley’s car seat, sobbing into her hands. I wonder if she is going to be able to handle the life we live; it’s not for everyone.

  “Probably at least a week or so,” Linc says, trying to ease my fears.

  “Journey, love, we’ll be home later on tonight. It’s okay for us.” He tries to put her fears to rest, but I don’t see that working with all the hormones flowing through her pregnant body. I feel bad that she is getting dragged into this all when she was just trying to do something nice for me.

  “This is our life, kiddo. It’s busy and dangerous. Sometimes you don’t know if it’s worth it, but I promise you…he is,” I say to her before turning away and staring out the window. We drive farther and farther away from Massachusetts until I see us hit the border of Vermont. I know it won’t be much longer until we are where we need to be for the night. I just miss home—whatever home may be right now, considering the move has been dragging out longer than I anticipated.

  I wish I could just snap my fingers and be a week in the future, where all this bullshit is gone and I’m in my very own home with my daughter, where life is good and I don’t have to worry about someone sniping me when I’m not paying attention. My thoughts spiral out of control and I can’t help but scream. My voice carries through the SUV, hurting everyone's ears.

  “It’s okay Ellie, not much longer.” Linc tries to comfort me from the driver's seat. Theo turns around, handing me a pill and a bottle of water. “Take it,” he instructs before turning around and getting back on the phone.

  Epilogue

  I love you.

  Ellie

  It was Corin.

  The blood…it belonged to her.

  Instead of hitting me, they accidentally shot her. I lie in bed, wide awake, wondering if this is something I’ll ever be able to get over. I don’t know if she will live with the injuries she has sustained, and deep down, I blame myself for all of it.

  I lie in bed waiting for Linc to come join me. On a night like this, there is no way I will be able to sleep on my own. No amount of prescription pills will free my mind of the chaos that has set up camp. I’m a head case as it is, but in the wake of what my life has become, I don’t think I’ll sleep soundly any time soon. The door to the bedroom I occupy creeks open—there is no sneaking around this rickety old safe house. Every movement, every step can be heard throughout the entire cabin. The only saving grace is the fact that the Ben & Jerry’s factory is three miles down the road—not that I’ll be able to go grab an ice cream cone.

  “You still up?” I hear Linc’s voice in the dark as his boots fall to the hardwood floor.

  “Of course. I’ve been waiting for you,” I admit. I’m not one who likes to be vulnerable, but I can be with him. He knows me better than anyone.

  “This shit today scared me as much as you,” he admits, pulling the covers back on his side of the bed; it’s nothing new to the two of us. “I don’t know what I would ever do without you,” he admits, looking down at my face in the moonlight.

  I can’t help but look up at him, mesmerized by every inch of his face. He’s my person—handsome, safe, and willing to deal with all the bullshit I’ve thrown at him in all the time we’ve known each other. I brush off his comment with a laugh.

  “You’d have a lot more free time, that’s for sure!” His brow furrows and he looks at me with disdain.

  “Don’t ever say something so stupid again,” he says while running his hands through his hair—a tell for when he is stressed. I close my eyes and try to force myself to sleep, but he starts to talk again.

  “Ellie, I care—too much, I think sometimes. I’d be lost without you.” As I blink my eyes open, his lips come in contact with mine. They’re warm and inviting, wrong and delicious all at the same time. I don’t know what is going on or why it’s happening, but I can’t bring myself to break the kiss, so I just give in. My mouth parting with want as his tongue massages mine is a dance of passion. My breathing hitches and my bodies is flushed. His lips pull away and I instantly miss them.

  “I love you Eleanor McGuire. I always have, and I always will.”

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  STAY TUNED: Sneak peeks for the next book in The Huntress Series, The Nameless.

  The Nameless

  The Huntress Book Three

  Releasing January 2, 2017

  I am a good person.

  In fact, I am the best of the best. I am a saint. I made the greatest sacrifice of my life in hopes of forgiveness from my sins. I saw the light and he saved me from the darkness.

  I am Nameless.

  Does anyone know who I really am?

  Pre-order your copy now!

  All books by Dawn Robertson

  The Hers Series:

  Hers

  Finding Willow

  Kink the Halls

  This Girl Stripped

  Seven's Diary

  His

  The Job Series:

  The Job (Vol. 1)

  The Job (Vol. 2)

  Standalones:

  Statistic

  Crashed

  Boxsets:

  The Hers Series

  All books by Kristen Hope Mazzola

  The Crashing Series:

  Crashing: The Wedding: Cali’s Story (Crashing #0.5)

  Crashing Back Down (Crashing #1)

  Falling Back Together (Crashing #2)