Page 63 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

He barks out laughter before taking a swig. “You’ve grown out of that scary shit, I see. I’d see you on TV, and you’d have on these blonde wigs, no freckles. You look more like the Wynter Snow from before.”

I take a sip of my juice and meet his gaze. “I feel different, too. I can’t say like the girl before, but I guess… better?”

Pooh grins, his eyes twinkling. “Belize is good for the soul. I come every time I need to decompress.”

“But not here?”

“No. I have a place in Belmopan, but Nan requested I come here, so I came.”

“Alone… no Pilar?”

Pooh’s smile falters, before he takes another swig of orange juice. “Can you believe my bottom bitch left me?”

“Maybe she was tired of being a bottom bitch,” I volley, throwing him a wry smile.

“Baby girl, Pilar is more gutta than me when it comes to the game. Nah… we just grew apart I guess. I think I’m just meant to be alone.”

“Well, are you really alone? You have your honeybees, right?”

“I learned a long time ago not to eat where I shit,” he spits before killing off his juice. “Besides, that shit is getting old, too. Fred’s gone, and Rick doesn’t want the keys to the kingdom. If I could find Pilar, I’d hand it over to her.”

“You can’t find her?” I cackle. “Damn, what you do?”

He sighs, and that makes me feel bad. Dang, he’s really torn up about this.

“I think… it’s what I didn’t do. I never wanted to remarry, but you know, y’all women want that ultimate commitment shit. And I think she just got tired of waiting for me to come around.”

“Would you have come around?”

Pooh rubs his hands together. “Real shit? I already was… when Yani died, I said I wouldn’t remarry for her honor. I’d known Pilar, but then we became more than… friends. And Pilar ain’t the type of woman you just keep sitting pretty. But then I got scared. One marriage ended bad; who’s to say the second one wouldn’t?”

“Yeah, I get that,” I nod, gulping the rest of my juice down. “I’m sure if you really wanted to find her, you could. Shad is good with a computer. You know him? Set’s brother?”

Pooh smirks. “Yeah, I know him. I don’t think he gon’ help me though.”

“He would if I ask, and I’ll ask him. I like Pilar for you. So you need to get her back.”

“This how you be bossing around Rick? Yeah, fasho gotta be. I wish Yani could see you two.”

I wave him off, darting my eyes to the hallway where the bedrooms are.

That’s the only reason I see him, because I damn sure can’t hear his footfalls.

Rico’s smirking, holding a gun as big as my fucking leg as he comes toward us.

“Y’all cute as fuck, on Baby,” he taunts, before lifting the gun and closing his bad eye.

“Get down!”

I don’t wait to see if Pooh listened, because in the next millisecond the wall behind him explodes into wooden pieces.

Thankfully, he slides next to me on the floor. “Go!”

As soon as we move, the cabinet behind us explodes as well.

What kind of fucking rifle is this?! And why does he have this lying around?!

“SNOW!”