Page 101 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

I snatch my hand back. “Never mind. I’ll drop yo ass back off–”

“Oh, brother,” she bellows, snatching the seatbelt out the side to buckle herself in. “Everything I say you just take it up the ass, no vaseline.”

“This ain’t the time to be funny, Snow. I already let Ty-Ty break my fuckin’ nose. I’m not letting the rest of these niggas jump me.”

“Okay, well they not finna jump you! I’m still in the car, right? We both will go down swinging.”

A corner of my mouth pulls up, and I swerve back into traffic. “Snow, you can’t fight.”

“Just because I don’t throw haymakers like Auty doesn’t mean I can’t do a lil’ scrapping! Look, you strung enough words along to ask me to support you, so that’s what I’m doing. Ultimately, no one has the right to judge how you and your family decided to handle Mars. Besides, the first six months, you didn’t even know if Mars was his, so really, it’s only been five and a half years instead of six.”

“Like that’s gonna make a difference.”

“Well, maybe not. But everyone has secrets, Rico. Including everyone waiting to jump you. I have no problem reminding anyone who tries to come at you of that.”

I grab Snow’s hand again and bring it to my lips. “We got a lil’ minute. Tell me about your day.”

That gets her activated, and for ten minutes straight, she gives me the play by play about her first day back, including a nigga I’m fasho having Asa look up. She tapers off after her tirade, and sighs, bringing my hand into her lap.

“I missed you, though. I missed Mars, and Nan, and I texted Miele and Reno. But I missed you a lot. Love makes me do weird things, like miss you.”

I pull up to the house next to Nut’s, and turn off the engine, once again mad as hell I gotta do this shit instead of bask in the fact that Snow’s nose is as open as mine.

“Stuff that lovey dovey shit back into our box. When it’s just us, we can open it again.”

I open the car door, but freeze when I feel Snow grab my gun from the small of my back.

“You’re not bringing this in.”

I sit back in the car and watch as she places it in the glove compartment.

“And why the fuck not?” I snap.

“Because, a lot of harsh shit is gonna be said, and I don’t need you reacting off high emotions and shooting someone. Fighting–okay. We are not shooting anyone, Richard.”

She folds her arms, not backing down. And I can’t even lie and say it’s not plausible, like she ain’t see me shoot Pooh to get him to shut up.

“Fine.” I get out the car, slamming the door, but it doesn’t phase Snow. When I get onto the sidewalk, she still slips her hand into mine, keeping up with my pace. Ironically, it makes me slow down, and she leans into me.

“No matter what, we’re arriving together, and we’re leaving together. No matter what’s said or done.” Her whisper is urgent, and I squeeze her hand once more before letting it go completely.

When I get to the front door, it’s unlocked. Pushing it all the way open, I go in first.

All my niggas, Brina, YT, and Haze are going back and forth in the living room, but when I walk in, all noise ceases.

Turk grabs Haze immediately, and her steely glare darts behind me only briefly before zeroing in on me.

“Maaaan, before y’all get to tussling, I need all firearms and knives,” Nutty booms. Only then do I realize he’s carrying a tub filled with various pistols and a couple switchblades.

“We, uh, left it in the car,” Snow squeaks beside me.

Haze scoffs. “Oh, this where you ran off to? Nah, Turk, let me go. I just wanna talk to this weird ass bitch.”

“You seriously hid Fredo’s son from us all this time?”

“Can’t believe you’d be on some flaw ass shit like that, bro. Then to bring him with no warning.”

“That mysterious shit lame as fuck, Dub.”