A Very Merry Hitman (Holiday with a Hitman, #2) by Katie Reus 
Published by Self Published on October 22, 2024
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 152
Format: eBook
Source: Amazon
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She’s surrounded by killers…
Aileen’s parents, brother and all her neighbors have unconventional jobs to say the least. So she’s surrounded by hitmen. Is it a little strange? Sure, but so is she. And lately she finds herself looking at one of her neighbors in a new light. When the single mom asks him for a teeny tiny favor—to help her after years of being celibate—he shuts down. So she decides to throw herself back out there and start dating again.
And he’s the most intimidating of them all…
Dante has wanted Aileen for as long as he can remember, but because of her past trauma, he’s always considered her off-limits. When two different Santas try to rob her in a matter of days, then all bets are off. Something weird is going on, so he does what any good hitman would do—he takes over her protection detail. He’ll keep her under his roof, in his arms, and hopefully in his bed, while ending any and all threats to her. Too bad her nosy family keeps getting in his way. It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but danger is about to find them all.
What a fun set of short stories.
All Nessa wants for Christmas is a new Dad but it isn’t something that Santa can help her with, so she goes to her new Aunt, Elliana who knows how to get things done. And Nessa doesn’t want just any Dad, she wants Dante. Dante lives next door and he has always been a part of her life and she thinks that her mom wouldn’t mind Dante being around more. So she and Elli make a plan to get Nessa a Daddy by Christmas.
We met Aileen, Nessa and Dante in the prior story, How the Hitman Stole Christmas. In that story, we find out that Theo’s first kill was the man who drugged and assaulted his sister. After ending up pregnant, Aileen returned home and was pretty sheltered by her parents, brother and the whole hitman neighborhood. But the gilded cage Aileen has been in is starting to chafe, and she is ready to stop hiding and more particularly, Aileen is ready to move onto an adult relationship with a man she chooses this time, and that man is Dante.
Dante has made it is mission to protect Aileen from the first moment he saw her all those years ago. While he would like to be more than just a friend to Aileen, he doesn’t mind his place in the friend-zone as long as he is the person Aileen calls first when she needs help.
THOUGHTS:
For a short story, we have a good romance as we can jump right in as these two have been dancing around each other for quite awhile and if you read last year’s story, we were already waiting to find out what happens next for these two…or three, since loving Aileen means loving Nessa too.
The story also had plenty of excitement. When Aileen is mugged by more than one Santa, I was confused at first and I actually wasn’t certain if someone was trying to hurt her or if this Santa attacks were all part of Nessa and Elli’s plan to keep Dante and Aileen close while Dante protects her from Santa-attacks.
This story was just as much fun as How the Hitman Stole Christmas and I find the whole idea of the hitman neighborhood to be a great idea. I haven’t figured out if this is just a series to itself or if it is a spin-off of anther series, so if someone knows, please tell me as I would love to read some more.
Favorite Scene:
“My mom has a date,” Nessa said as she stood at the sink pumping soap out. “With some hot, rich guy.”
Lorna snickered. “Hot, rich guy?”
“I dunno. That’s what I heard her say on the phone.”
That…didn’t sound like Aileen at all. Dante tried to breathe past the ache in his chest. She was dating? She’d just asked him…for something he’d only ever dreamed about. Though not quite in the way she’d approached him. He’d been so stunned he hadn’t been sure how to respond. But he was planning to.
And now she was going on a date? Dante needed to know more about this loser.
“Your mom didn’t say that,” Lorna shook her head as she poured water for Nessa.
“Well, she didn’t say hot, but she did say handsome. And he also donates to the same charities as her or something. He sounds like a nice guy.”
Dante’s hand clenched around the bottle opener. No one was watching him, so he slipped it into his pocket. “I’m gonna grab a bottle opener from home. I’ll be back.” He hurried from the kitchen before they could protest or say they had another one.
But instead of heading home, he headed straight for the house of his nemesis. He found Elliana in her front yard punching a big blow-up Santa in the face.
The tall blonde looked up in surprise when she saw him.
“Why are you punching Santa?” he asked, momentarily distracted.
“He knows what he did.”
Ooookay, then. He shook his head. “I need help.” Dante wished he was eating glass right now, but this was how far he’d fallen. Asking help from her. His archrival.
Elliana frowned at him, blinked once, then looked over her shoulder and back at him. “Do you think I’m someone else?”
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Mainly because he wasn’t surprised by her response. Under normal circumstances he’d have never come to Elliana for anything–she was trying to steal his spot as Nessa’s favorite relative. And was dumb enough to think she’d won just because she knew some famous pop star. And yes, he realized he sounded like a petulant teen. “Aileen is on a date and I would like to spy on her.”
Elliana grinned in a way that sent a shock of terror down his spine. His–a hitman feared for his accuracy. But there was seriously something wrong with this woman. Which was why she was perfect to ask for help. “What tools do you need? NVGs, C-4–“
“No. None of that.” Not yet anyway. He would not kill Aileen’s date. He wouldn’t. Wouldn’t, wouldn’t, wouldn’t. Probably.
“You sure?” Her grin was pure Cheshire cat.
“Yes I’m sure, you lunatic. Are you going to help me out or not? I don’t even know where they’re at.” He was going to find out though.
“Well I do. Come on.” She motioned for him to follow her inside her and Theo’s house.
She grabbed her car keys and sweater from a set of hooks by the door, then headed through the house and into the garage. He had a feeling the only reason she was helping him was because Theo was out of town for a couple of days. Probably why she’d been terrorizing one of the blow-up decorations too.
“Also, you owe me now,” she said as they slid into her SUV, sounding far too pleased with herself. “At the neighborhood Christmas party this year, you’re going to sing karaoke of my choosing. Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’ for everyone to see. With feeling! That’s my payment.”
“You had that one in the chamber,” he muttered even as he pulled his cell phone out.
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