Page 181 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

“Aight,” Reem sighs, stopping the building commotion. “I’ll go for myself and Ty… aight. So, me and Ty figured out Rico and Wynter was fucking around back in the day. We ain’t know it was clearly as deep as it is, but we both decided to stay out of dick and pussy shit. Maybe… that wasn’t the best decision back then.”

“Yeah, prolly,” Set grits. But Reem doesn’t look contrite or even sheepish. The nigga glares at Set, his jaw clenched tight.

“Well since you feel like you be putting niggas on game, I gotta question for you. You know X wasn’t my pops?”

Five sets of eyes are on Set, and he meets it head on. He wipes his mouth before he answers, “Yeah. I knew.”

“Wait, how the fuck Big X not yo pops and you look just like the nigga?!” Nut barks, but Set ignores him.

“It ain’t no secret why he got sent up the road. The whole hood know what them niggas was up to. Big X told me the specifics ‘cause if it ever got back to you I was the one who was gon’ put any and everyone involved in the dirt. He felt like you ain’t need to know, and to be honest, I agreed. You was never gon’ find out from me, brodie.”

“Brodie,” Reem angrily chuckles. “You know, if I was on the same shit you on, I’d put a hot one in ya gut off GP. But unlike you, I give grace ‘cause everyone was put in an impossible position. And unlike Nut, I recognize why niggas keep shit to themselves.”

Nut sits up straight, spreading his palm on his chest. “Now why am I in it? Secrets always come out, Dub. Clearly, right.”

“Right… Ty, Fredo and I were the ones who shot up the Center that one time.”

“The fuck?!”

“Nah, I don’t believe it.”

“Nigga, you shot at me?!” Set reaches behind him before he realizes he’s unarmed. Turk stands when he does, holding him back, but Reem stays seated, almost conflicted at the bomb he just dropped.

“Why y’all do that?” I ask, though a niggling feeling in the back of my head makes me queasy.

Then Reem turns to me, his eyes soft. “We was chillin’, drunk as fuck. Fredo ended up telling us what you did for us. Ty was tweaking, and next thing I know he shooting at Tiny and Set in front of the Center.” He turns back to Set. “We stopped him before he could clip you, and then when he woke up he ain’t remember shit. Me and Fredo decided to just keep it to ourselves.”

“What the fuck he talking about, Rico?! You told these niggas to shoot at me?! So all y’all niggas plotting on me? Huh?!”

Tell him, Rick.

My gaze shifts to Nut, like he’d have all the answers. He leans back in his seat, giving me the floor, curiosity lighting his eyes as well.

“You niggas, boy. We really ain’t–”

“I fucked Tiny.”

The air is sucked out of the room immediately.

Ty-Ty was eighteen when the Center got shot up as Set and Tiny were leaving out the front. Tiny got hit in the leg, but Set was unscathed. Niggas was on lockdown for months, and ultimately, there were no leads. Ty-Ty and Reem were among the soldiers putting in work. Fredo wrote me about it, worried, but once again, he kept the real reason to himself.

Maybe Nut is onto something foreal about this secret shit.

I clear my throat, and meet Set’s shocked stare. “I fucked her twice. Once when I was fifteen, so me, Fred, and Ty could get out from under her when the time came. One more time when I was seventeen, when Reem got put on. Bitch gave me the clap, and I gave it to Wynter, which was why she stopped fucking with me.”

He starts shaking his head before I’m even done talking, his ears and neck turning red.

“Nah.”

My head jerks back. The fuck does that mean?

“Yo ass lying.”

I’m out of my seat immediately, pushing Reem out of my way as Set pushes Turk.

“Fuck you and that weird ass bitch. I bet she was suckin’ yo sick, too,” I taunt. Gaining momentum, I throw a wild punch at him before Nut gets in between us. He pushes headgear into my chest before moving me away from the middle of the circle.

“Yo nose already crooked, nigga. Here. I’m glad I prepped for this!”