Page 128 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

“You stalling me out because when you was on bunk with Pay and Haze I was right there taking my young nigga to school and in a hot ass wig killing Italians in the name of the First Nations Council.”

Turk’s eyes stretch. “Nigga… you was on the front lines with that shit?! Why you never said nothing?!”

“‘Cause… shit was fun.”

Turk cackles, dapping me up. He and Set may be besties, but I know it was exhausting him being upset with me.

I have that kind of effect on niggas whose lives I’ve saved countless times.

“You the king of secrets, Dub. Dead that shit foreal.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“He will, or else. You didn’t say you brought him straight from Belize, dummy. I’m finna put him down for a nap and check on my babies.” Brina glares at me as she carries an exhausted Mars across the lawn.

“He can walk!” I call after them, but she just flips me off. Beyond her, Nut stands at his sliding doors, gesturing for me to come inside, too.

I dap up Turk again and begin walking toward him. Scaling the pool, Set’s evil grin spreads as he strolls toward me.

This nigga probably isn’t trying to kill me. Set was never one for playing with niggas, foreal. He’s almost acting like Shad, riddles and sighs and shooting like G-Pops himself hadn’t taught him to shoot.

Nah, this nigga is… having fun. And honestly, I’d rather him take this shit seriously. Him having fun fucking with me is way more unpredictable than his anger.

“Bro–”

His arm shoots out, pushing me into Nut’s pool.

I’m so stunned I sink all the way to the bottom, before shooting up and damn near flying out.

“YOU MUTHAFUCKA!” I roar, but Nut is there to save his ass, pulling me away from him as he laughs in my face.

“My bad, Luney. Thought you needed to cool off. It’s hot out here.”

My set name grates my ears and I shake my head to get relief and get the extra water off my face. “You may be playing but I’m not! Better stay at home, ‘cause the next time I see you outside I’m knocking ya teeth in, bitch ass nigga!”

Set cups his mouth to project his voice. “You ain’t gon’ do shit! Stop cussing around the kids, mark!”

“Maaan, both y’all trippin’. Bring ya ass in here. Come on.” Nut throws me into his crib and shuts and locks the back door.

Every time I inhale my nose burns from the water. I stomp through the kitchen to his man cave, and wait while he goes to his chest to grab clean clothes.

“Only reason I ain’t killed him is ‘cause of you. Don’t ever tell me y’all beefed out. I will cut off that bum hand of his before y’all make up.”

Nut grabs a t-shirt pack and sweats with the tag still on and throws them to me. “Me and Set don’t really get into it, but even still, thank you for exercising restraint. I always love hearing about how much you fuck with the kid. But seriously, why the fuck you ain’t tell me about Slime?”

He turns toward the door as I go behind his couch and start changing. “Slipped my mind.”

“The fuck it did!” Nut booms, socking the door. “I’m mad at myself for even forgetting they was close back then. Of course he’d want ya head, and he not fucking around like Set is!”

Yeah, they was close all right. Nut inadvertently answers my question about if niggas knew about Slime and Fred. If Nut knew, then everyone knew, since he was always the last to know shit, let him tell it.

Niggas knew about me and Slime. Maybe not Peanut, but niggas knew.

Of course Fred is getting a kick out of this.

“Ain’t no one worried about Slime,” I lie, pulling on the sweats.

“You don’t even sound convincing,” Nut snorts. “You done yet? We need to really get a game plan. I’m sure we can catch him in his office–”