Motown Showdown (28 page)

“Direct hit,” he says with satisfaction, but now I knew he was behind me. I needed inside of the house, to do that I had to abandon my gear and haul ass or wait him out. If that house wasn’t filled with people that I loved, I’d wait but I did love them which meant I
couldn’t
wait.
Shit, I needed time to think
.

“You know, it’s a sad sad day when a good war gets put on hold to answer a phone call from the enemy. On the plus side, where did you get that launcher because…tits!”

“Ebay,” he laughs. “Are you stalling, Camo?”

“Naw, just catching my breath is all. I’d say let’s play a game of tag, winner takes all, but I refuse to take advantage of the weak.”

“Bitch,” he snarls and hangs up. From above I watch as he launches another at the back of the house. With an explosion of bricks and dust, the back half of the house was now gone. So when Bobo called, I answered in a hurry. “Please tell me you have good news,” I say closing my eyes for a moment.

“He’s on the roof,” he explains giving me an exact location. Switching positions, I do in fact see him through my scope, and he was closer than I’d like him to be. He trapped me in, prick. “You run he’ll pick you off unless I give you cover.”

“Bobo---”

“That last blast was a warning, Camo, he sends another one he’ll kill them all. Any cops show up, he’ll kill them too. There is at least one bogey inside the house. I’m old, but I’m still a good shot, I’ll provide cover, but you need to get inside that house and neutralize the threat.”

He was a good shot, always has been but a lot was at stake here. My grandpa, the lovebirds, and Gage, if anything happened to any of them, I’d perish from despair. Angling to my left I see another player in the trees. Son of a bitch! “Bobo,” I alert him. “Player, eight o’clock.”

He pauses, “I don’t see him,” with frustration in his tone. “Wait, I got a lock.” When an incoming call broke through I tell him, “Wait, don’t take that shot yet.”

Answering the line he wastes no time, “Tell your handler not to take me out,” and when I heard Whisky’s voice, I let out a breath. “You’re trapped, advise him to provide cover and I’ll do the same, get your ass in that house.”

“Bobo,” I say switching over. “Whisky is the player, providing cover do not engage.”

“Thank fuck he made it,” he mumbles. “On my count, 3, 2, 1….”

With that I did what I had to do, I didn’t run for the house I ran for the roof Pilgrim was on. Yes, I’d be exposed but he was essentially trapped too. Because his injury prevents him from quick movement, I just had to get behind him. It was time for Pilgrim to die, and I was grateful that Whisky and Bobo were there to cover my ass. Because I had to run right out in the open putting me in the line of fire and without them, he’d take me out easily.

Running full-tilt, I kept my eyes straight ahead. Pilgrim’s shots went wide because he was taking on fire which benefited me. However, one got too close and thank you, baby Jesus, he didn’t launch another fucking grenade in retaliation. The second I cleared the grass, I’d be invisible.
Closer, closer, closer
…

Running around the back I didn’t scout for any more players, I heard no shots, so it was down to the two of us. Even if there were more holding out, I had to trust my team to handle it. Quickly, I checked to see if the house was occupied; it wasn’t. Scaling the tree, I climbed silently to the top but didn’t attempt to step on the roof. Pulling my rifle up and over my shoulder, I dial him in, take a deep breath and remind myself,
You kill for those you love. Vengeance is mine.

“It’s a good day to die,” Whipping around his eyes went round when he realized I was at his back.
Yeah, it’s me asshole
. “No one beats me at my own game, especially not
a bitch
.”

When he figures out in his position he can’t bring his rifle around, he tries to be stealthy and reach in for his pistol. “Does anyone have any honor anymore?” I humph.

“Honor?” he laughs. “I fought for my country, took bullets for it. What do I get? Chronic pain and nightmares as my souvenir. Gadget didn’t serve and what does he get? The glory, the notoriety. Fuck, even after all the shit he threw in your face, he still got you. I busted my ass to make a name in this business and deserved your respect!”

“What is it with you and speeches today? This is by far the weirdest chat I’ve ever had. I think I’m just going to kill you now. I haven’t had dinner, and I’m feeling peckish.”

“Kill me,” he taunts. “But taking me out won’t change anything. You’re still going to die.”

“You’re right,” I say closing my left eye. “Just not today. And not by your gun.”

Firing one round I take his hand clean off. “Did that hurt?” I call out, but he was too busy screaming and sliding down the pitch to answer. Stopping himself by planting his legs, I close my eye again and let out a breath. Pilgrim turns to face me and smiles. It was a smile that said he knew something I didn’t. There was no time to figure out what it meant. On an exhale, I let the final bullet fly. The kill was quick and merciful. I mean if you consider taking the top of a man’s head off merciful… Dialing Bobo for clean up because I wasn’t carrying his dead ass down, I then dial Whisky and tell him the same.

“It was a beautiful kill,” Whisky says proudly. “Now that this is over I’m heading to rehab, Camo, I can’t live like this anymore.”

Whisky was a good player, but the game fucked with his head, always had. He was making the right choice. “Send me the info, plus the bill, and I’ll visit,” I tell him making my way back to the house. “I’ll bring cookies.”

“You don’t cook,” he laughs.

“Then I’ll pay someone who does,” I smile into the phone. Dropping down from the tree, I look back up to the roof Pilgrim was bleeding out on and thought to myself,
too easy
. He spent years setting this up and died on a roof of all places. Yeah, this was too easy. Something wasn’t right. The timing, setup and execution were all too fucking smooth. The bodies littering the yards of neighbors were rookies, not pros. All of this was a distraction, had to be. But to what end?

Bending down to grab my bag from beneath the bushes, I scan my surroundings before breaking cover and heading inside without incident. The second I cleared the hole in the wall three things happened too quickly to comprehend until it was too late. The first was Gage and Roman were down, the second was Kandace was being used a shield, and last, Digger smiled before he shot me point blank in the chest.

That motherfucker…

“What if I told you we haven’t met because I’m so gorgeous that one look at me will scramble your brain?”

“What I’m thinking is you’re afraid.”

“Hmm,” she mumbles thinking on it. “Nope, pretty sure my goddess-like features are the reason.”

“You like the way I look, Camo?”

“Gadget,” she purrs. “I’ve spent six years looking at you and it gets better every time I do it.”

“Come to me,” I urge her. “Stop playing with me.”

“Soon,” she promises. “I need you focused.”

“How will I know it’s you?”

“Trust,” she says evenly. “Trust the feeling. And Gadget, I know you will.”

Distraction she called it.

She said I distracted easily, that when she was around I lost the ability to stay focused because I fixated on her. It was more than that. This was fear in its purest form. Even after Kandace worked on me with Rome covering her, I was perched back in the window ignorant of the pain. I was grazed and bleeding, not punctured and I knew I’d live. Two enemies breached the house; both were dead by my hands. Three minutes ago, I heard two shots fired. I’d know her rifle anywhere. Camo terminated Pilgrim; it was over.
Then why was I still terrified?

Now I sat here staring out into the dark waiting for her to come inside. Hoping she would come inside. Fuck, needing her to come inside. I had a lot of shit to say, begging to do, a future that could only play out with her in it.

Out of nowhere, I was blasted upside the head sending me down, a grunt was the only warning I got before Rome followed. Dazed, I watched the man drag my sister putting her in front of him as a shield. She fought like hell until a gun to her temple scared her stiff. An opening, that’s all I needed to kill him. But I was bleeding from behind the ear now, disoriented and weaponless. How the fuck did he get the drop on me?
Distraction, fear
…

“I’m okay,” Kandace whispers clearly shaking.

“Shut up,” he snaps pulling her hair back. Rome was still out cold and for that I was glad. He didn’t need to see this; he couldn’t handle seeing this. I needed to get up, but each time I tried the room would tilt, and that pissed me off. “She’ll thank me,” he says smiling. “My woman lives for this shit. All you had to do was die, Gadget, and all this could have been avoided.” Then he throws his head back and laughs. “Naw, I’m just fucking with you. I was gonna kill you anyway. You fucked my girl, you gotta pay for that.” Then losing his smile he whispers, “She’s
mine
.”

Then I heard soft footsteps and wanted to yell for her to run, to get to cover but, it was too late. Stepping over the mess from the explosion she glances over, sees Rome down and her face hardens. Then she looks ahead, sees Kandace and fury filled her face. But when she saw the man holding Kandace, I saw shock.

With no time for her to speak, draw or negotiate he looked at her like he’d never seen her before. Smiling at her he raised his pistol shooting her square in the chest. Camo blew back so hard I heard her body connect with the concrete, and I let out a silent wail of disbelief lurching forward.
I dreamt this
…

“No!” Kandace screams going wild in his arms. “Let go! Let me help her!”

Rome chose that moment to wake up, the sound of his woman’s screams jolting him to consciousness. Seeing his woman in danger, he roars, “Let her go!” Holding him back took all my strength but if he got loose, he’d die, we’d all die.
I lost her; I fucking lost her
. I could not lose them too. “Jesus fuck! He shot---Let Kandace help her!”

Blinking in confusion, he continues to hold Kandace steady while looking down at Camo. Sagging in despair, Kandace could only whimper. “No,” she cried softly. “Not her, not her.”

“Who the fuck is she?” He yells dragging her back by her hair. Pointing at her lifeless body he shakes Kandace again. “Answer me!”

“Camo,” she says as her knees went out. Letting her go, he runs his free hand over his head like he was lost. “You shot Camo,” she says getting pissed off. “You shot my fucking sister!”

“That is not Camo!”

“That’s my sister you fucking murderer; that’s Camo!”

“No,” he says backing away. “No fucking way. That’s not…I wouldn’t shoot…”

That’s when I realized this man had never seen her real face. To him, the woman on the floor was a stranger, the enemy. Standing up, I push Rome behind me despite his protests and address him directly. “You shot Camo,” I growl. “You killed my fucking woman!”

“No,” he says with wide eyes. “That’s not her! That’s not her!”

“It is her! That is Camo without makeup, look at her! Look at what you did!”

Shuffling over he leans in, and I move toward Kandace. While he mumbles to himself, I pass her off to Rome and move toward the shadows. Leaning over her he finally realizes it’s her and loses his God damn mind. “Oh God what have I done?” he says slurring his words. “What did I
do
?”

“You murdered my woman,” I whisper before launching myself on his back. Rolling onto the debris, I felt nails pierce my skin but I did not care. Reigning blows on his face and chest; he doesn’t fight back just screams her name while trying to get close to her. When I wouldn’t allow it, he bowed up, pushing me away long enough to scramble to her side. Covering her body with his, he starts to sob. “Love you. I didn’t know, baby, I didn’t know it was you. You ain’t dead, you can’t die! So beautiful…” The man weeping could only be Digger.
That motherfucker
…

A shot rings out sending him listing to the side. Just before I could break his neck, another shot tagged his shoulder. Staying back to avoid a stray bullet, I move around him to take her other side. He was still armed, muttering to himself and looking at her in disbelief. If he fired, I was close enough he’d take my head off. Still, I pulled her into my lap needing her close. It was too quiet. No more shots were fired; I was beyond lost and he was still begging for her. The asshole was so far gone he didn’t even know he was wounded. Time ceased to exist for me because she no longer existed for me. Our connection, our bond, gone. Even with Digger a few feet away, I just did not have it in me to move.

“Beauty,” I whisper as the tears slip free. “I had to let you go; I had to. I’m so fucking sorry.”

With a gasp, Camo’s body jackknifes bringing her own pistol up with her. Touching her chest, she’s oblivious to her surroundings. Opening her shirt to reveal her vest and the bullet lodged inside of it, she shakes her head and assesses the room. “Digger,” she barks and immediately his head comes up.

“Camo can’t die, Camo can’t die.” he chants clearly out of his damn mind.