Page 102 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

My eyes shift from Shad, to Reem, to Set. Sabrina stands by him, like her presence will keep him contained. I almost laugh.

But I smirk instead, which is apparently the wrong thing to do.

“You’re so bullshit!” Haze yells, snatching away from Turk. “How dare you! What gives you the fucking right to do something like this?! To keep him from us! Six years, Rico. Six years and we could have had a piece of him this whole time!”

Tears pour from her eyes by the bucket. If I was closer to her, I bet I could see the flecks of blue fighting with the green. Turk hugs her from the back, and she breaks down in his arms. My heartstrings pull, but that line that used to be between us, before I’d rescued her from the boiler room of the Birch, it’s back. Not as deep as before, but it’s there, and my feet stay rooted in place.

As I drove over here, listening to Snow tell me about the men who have supported her when we didn’t, I decided on a gameplan for this night. They’re mad, and they have every right to be. So I’ll listen to their curses, and verbal lashings. I will let them get it all out, every hate-filled word they can think of, as long as it’s directed at me.

And as long as they stay on the topic at hand.

I thought that would be a good plan. But then Set spoke, and anger I thought was only reserved for when I’m alone quickly filled my entire body.

“Bro clearly had a good reason,” Nutty says, rubbing his head aggressively. He looks around, before imploring me. “Right? I mean, shit was hot. Fredo was gone. Nan was in Belize. Clearly the boy was born there, right? That changes shit.”

“That don’t change shit,” Turk thunders, glaring at Nut. “Whether he lived in Belize or here ain’t the point. Niggas lied by omission. Niggas never wanted us to come to Belize, ‘cause he was there. Even when we was there a while back, we had to stay in the hotel. What was the point of keeping him from us?”

“You ain’t up and leave with Anaïs. You didn’t keep her from us.”

“That’s different,” Nut says, making Shad scoff. “Tati ain’t go out like Fredo.”

“But she was family all the same!” Haze shrieks. She wipes her face angrily, before shooting daggers at Snow. “And you–”

Haze stabs a finger at her sister. “You were there for a fucking year, and didn’t say shit! I know you knew, and you carried on like nothing. Like the weak ass bitch you are.”

“Autumn–”

“Auty–”

I reach blindly and take Snow’s hand. “Snow had nothing to do with this.”

The air gets sucked out of the room. Briefly, I glance around, and almost everyone’s focus is on where mine and Snow’s hand are connected.

Including Haze. Her eyebrows shoot up, before her gaze follows. Hurt briefly flashes in it, before she shifts to Snow and chuckles angrily. “So y’all just was playing house? Fuck getting clean, huh? No, your junkie ass replacing heroin with dick.”

YT takes a step toward Haze, but Reem grabs her and discreetly shakes his head. She’s never seen Autumn on one of her tirades, and doesn’t know that the only people who can get her to chill are me, Turk, and Set.

Turk is just as mad as she is, so he’s silent. Set is still turning gears in his head.

And I bite my lips closed and squeeze Snow’s clammy hand. My glare is vicious, willing Haze to stand down, but I stay silent. Especially because I don’t think Snow will much longer.

“Auty,” she whispers, but her sister’s not done.

“Oh, don’t act so fucking put out. Like you actually give a fuck,” Haze spits, cupping both hands around the arm Turk has around her chest. “You probably think this shit is funny. All them dry ass phone calls and you been building a relationship with him?! We talked for hours last night and you still didn’t say anything!”

“It wasn’t my place!” Snow shrieks, taking two steps away from me. Her hands shoot out away from her body. “Auty, be serious. It wasn’t my place.”

“It’s never your place. You have always only looked out for your fucking self. I don’t know why I’m even surprised.”

I try to step in front of her again, but she curves her fingers around my arm and pushes me back.

“Are you serious?” Snow digs her fingers into my arm, and I feel the band snap inside of her.

“No,” she continues, wiping her eye. “You’re not serious. You’re a joke, Auty.”

Haze breaks away from Turk to rush Snow, but Shad catches her, hauling her into the air as she fights to get to her.

“I should have let you fucking die!” she roars. “You’re no sister of mine!”