Page 60 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

“That’s what I said, but there’s no kids named Mars in his school. One day, after talking to Wyn, it’s ‘Mars’ this, ‘Mars’ that.”

I shake my head. Fucking Snow. I’m sure she wasn’t even being malicious.

“He’s gonna love it. I love it. Thank you again, but I wish you were here.” Haze pouts as she places my gift out of the camera.

“But you just said when I come, I gotta bring Wynter. What if she not ready yet?”

Haze’s face crumbles slightly. “But you just said–”

“Being cool here don’t mean she gon’ be straight back home. I’ma take her to San Pedro. If she cool there, then I’ll start planning to come back.”

“Okayyyy,” she sings, just as Miele bursts into my office. Her eyes are big as she runs over to my window, peering out of it.

“I gotta go, Haze.” Used to me being brief, she only nods as I end the video call to give Miele all of my attention.

She turns away from the window to face me. Only one of her eyes has makeup on it, while the opposite cheek is pink. She’s been getting more into makeup lately, the more time she spends with Snow, much to NiNi’s chagrin.

But we don’t say anything. We want her to do all the normal girl bullshit she didn’t get to do when she was younger and stuck in a hospital bed.

“H-how are you doing today? How’s your eye?”

I shrug. “I’m straight. What’s wrong?”

She gulps audibly and starts biting the skin on her thumb. She’s acting like she did when NiNi caught her coming back from San Pedro to meet up with a nigga.

But Miele hasn’t been on any sneaky shit in months. In fact, ironically, since she’s been up under Snow, Miele has been on her Ps and Qs.

“Promise me you won’t overreact.” She cuts her eyes to the window before looking back at me, but I don’t have time for this.

Not when I know Snow is on the beach with Mars.

I stand up and round my desk, just as Miele shoots her arms out.

“Promise me!”

I stop, because I never wanna manhandle my cousin. She knows it, too. She knows I won’t move until she gets out of my way.

“I promise.”

“And mean it!”

“Miele,” I sigh. “I won’t overreact.”

She narrows her eyes at me, before engulfing me in a hug.

I hug her back, resting my chin on the top of my head. “You’re scaring me, ChiChi.”

Instead of answering, she begins to take steps back, pulling me with her.

Once I can look out the window, I see why. And I must stiffen, because she squeezes me tighter.

“You promised,” she muffles, but I barely hear her.

Besides, I lied anyway.

“What the fuck,” I blurt, my scar tingling the more I glare at the scene unfolding in front of me.

There are three people on the deck, when there should be two.