Page 65 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

The gun goes off, and Pooh shifts back as red blooms on the sleeve of his linen shirt.

But I’d heard enough. Enough to connect the dots.

Nan moves faster than I thought she could move to get to her son. He’s waving her off, but she won’t stop fretting over him.

Rico tries to walk by me, but I grab his arm as hard as I can and pull. He shakes me off, but I grab him again, and he whirls on me.

“What?!” he bellows in my face. Eyes wild, dancing between my own. But he doesn’t get to be mad. Not when he’s in the wrong.

I lick my dry lips. “You wanted to–”

“Yes, Snow!” He throws his arms out away from his body. “Yes! I wanted to kill you. I put money on your head. I was gonna put you down and tell your sister I was too late! Yes! I cheated on you. I hurt you. I lied to you, lied on you! I burned you! I shot at you then, and I just shot at yo ass now! Because I hate yo ass, Snow. Hate you so much it makes me sick! I think the worst of you, but you bring the absolute worst out of me. I ain’t ever pretended to be a good person, Snow. I ain’t shit, and you know that. I told you that shit. You knew that shit from the beginning. You know what else?!”

He fists my shirt and yanks me to him so hard I have to place my hands on his arms for purchase.

“As fucked up as I am, you loved me anyway, Snow. So what does that make you?”

He pushes me out of his face and stalks off, shoulder checking NiNi and Reno.

NiNi goes straight for the discarded rifle, while Reno begins to walk toward me. Tears flood my lids and I dodge him, not stopping until I’m locked in my room, my back on the door.

His words echo in my mind. They get louder, the more I want to shut down. They repeat faster the more I beg my mind to let it go.

All the shit he did, and I loved him anyway.

I love him anyway.

And that’s something I’ll never be able to forget.

Rico

Nan hasn’t talked to me in three months. She told Miele she’ll speak to me when we don’t have to live out of the hotel anymore.

Miele has barely spoken to me, either. I had to grow out my hair and walk around looking crazy for her to cave in, but once my little cousin starts talking, she doesn't stop.

That’s the only reason I know how Snow feels.

I admit, I overreacted. But who lies about fucking someone’s father? And specifically, who does that knowing chances are they won’t even remember doing it?

But being the bad guy isn’t new to me, so I spend my days helping the remodel of our crib, and staying out of their way. It seems me shooting Pooh–even if I purposely only gave him a flesh wound–has united Nan and Snow. They sit and have tea together and plot my demise. She even encourages Snow and Mars being close, having stepped all the way back.

My nephew still fucks with me, but that’s just in his nature. I don’t think I’m special.

So when Mekhi Young tapped me to meet him in Colombia, I jumped at the chance. I told my cousins to hold it down, let Miele put some plaits in my hair, gathered whatever the fuck Sabrina’s brother needed from me and flew to Barranquilla.

Now, I’m sitting with Reem and Ty-Ty as their high asses fake like they’re watching some old comedy.

Letting them get high is a choice. I need my little cousin and his bestie as laid back as possible, since they keep voicing how MIA I’ve been, and I need honest answers to my questions. Pooh shouldn’t have known who Snow was to me, even if he knew I put money on her head.

Muthafuckas been pillow talking.

“So I told you that nigga Pooh popped up in Belize a few months back,” I start.

Reem cuts his eyes to me, while Ty-Ty smirks. “Granny said he got shot this summer, but I ain’t think it was you.”

“He was bringing up old shit,” I shrug. “Like how I had put money on Wynter’s head when we put down Kilo ‘nem.”

Reem coughs, while Ty-Ty clenches his jaw.