Motown Showdown Read Online Free PDF Page B

I order her. “Open your eyes, we’re almost there.”
    Groaning, she cuts her eyes over to me and says, “I’m napping not dying, sir panics-a-lot.”
    Letting out a sigh of relief, I got off I75 and was in Rome’s driveway in record time. When she makes a play for her door, I was there getting it and helping her out. The fact that she let me pleased me. In truth, I haven’t felt useful in a long time.
    “I can walk,” she says biting her lip.
    “I know, but lean on me anyway,” I say hooking my arm around her waist and lifting. Just before reaching the door to knock, I realized we had a loose end. “What’s your name?” I ask her. “I can’t have them calling you Camo, I need your name.”
    Looking up at me and deciding if I was to be trusted or not she says, “Pepper.”
    “Pepper,” I test out deciding I liked Camo better.
    “Hey Gage?” she says my name then squeezes me. “I’m going to pass out now, okay?”
    Then she went limp in my arms, and my panic went into overdrive. Kicking the door with my foot, Rome threw it open, saw the woman in my arms and yelled for Kandace.
    “Help her,” I begged. Running to grab her medical shit, Rome helped me situate her on the couch. “I’ll buy you a new one,” I tell him when her wound starts to gush all over the cushion.
    “Fuck the furniture,” he says putting a pillow under her head.
    When Kandace comes back, she was in full doctor mode. Fuck, but I loved my little sister. She was always prepared. “Explain,” she says as she cuts her shirt away. I didn’t like that Rome would see what’s underneath before I did at all and gave him a look that said so.
    “Oh fuck yourself,” he says catching my anger. “I’m banging your sister; I could give a shit about other females. Plus, this one looks like she’s twelve.”
    Letting out a growl at his show of disrespect, it was my sister who shut us both down.
    “Oh this is going to be fun,” says Kandace wiping her shoulder down. “Gage, explain now.”
    “She was grazed in the arm,” I tell her. “Long range, rifle. Approximately thirty minutes ago, the bullet clipped her.”
    “The bullet that clipped her arm just needs cleaning and stitches,” she says moving her on to her side. “But the bullet that clipped her stomach caused more damage.”
    “Her stomach?” I manage.
    “She was hit in the stomach too,” she says angrily. “You didn’t know that?”
    “No,” I confess. “She said it clipped---”
    Then Kandace went into action and with limited supplies, my sister somehow managed to pull it off. Hours later, I was sitting on the floor to be close to her when she woke, when my sister stood over me and asked, “Do you know why someone was shooting at you, Gage?”
    “Yes.”
    “I thought so,” she says sadly. “The goal right now is to keep her comfortable. While she’s out, peel the shit off her face and use a damp rag to keep her temp down. I’m going to shower then I’ll be back to check on her.”
    Nodding to her because it was all I could do, I got up on my knees and really looked hard at Pepper, no… Camo. She was Camo to me. Following her instructions, I touch her face trying to find the shit Kandace said needed to come off. Her skin was smooth and dry. Moving her hair back, I figured out why. When I looked close, I could see it, but wouldn’t have known had Kandace not told me.
    Starting at her hairline, I began to peel the layers away. Like some freaky shit out of a horror movie, her mask came off in one piece. Holding it up, I was equal parts impressed and relieved. Finally, the real her. But I was in no way prepared for what was hiding underneath and when I saw it, it rocked my fucking foundation.
    For years, I wondered why she altered her appearance. I wondered how many times I’ve seen her, been close to her but didn’t know it was truly her. She admitted she did it when she wasn’t in the field too. Now I understood. To survive, she had to. Because the woman