Page 76 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

“Bet. This the home fucking stretch,” he sighs into the receiver.

“You almost done. How does it feel?”

“Like a relief,” Mekhi chuckles. “I never gave a fuck about this shit, and I was always planning on getting out. Shit worked out in my favor, even if I gotta exterminate some muthafuckas who ain’t like half of me anyway. How you feel about retirement? You still ain’t took care of who sliced you up?”

“Why you say that?”

“‘Cause,” he says, his grin evident in his tone, “only a woman could get close enough to a nigga like you to do that type of damage. And if she's anything like my Juanita, you either kill her or wife her. The way you ain’t all excited you finna be reunited with your punk ass homeboys, you fasho ain’t made a decision yet.”

“Please, my nigga, when all this is over, lose my number.”

I hang up as he cackles loudly in my ear. Muthafucka think ‘cause he’s over six and a half feet he can punk everyone.

Grabbing my other phone, I hit up the group chat with my cousins and put them on game. Reno and NiNi have been itching for some action since I left them here, so I know they’ll be ready.

The resort just finished renovations the week before, so it wasn’t opened to the public yet, thankfully. All that’s left to take care of is… Mars.

And Snow.

“I’ll worry about that shit later,” I whisper to no one in particular as I power down my computer. Fredo’s been notably absent; maybe he’s off bothering his baby mama. Or maybe he’s not showing up, telling me I’m in the wrong, because I’m not.

Maybe Snow is supposed to be in my bed, naked as the day she was born, drooling on one of my pillows.

I’ve been fucking her at least once a day since I came back from Colombia a little over a month ago. I kind of figured once I broke my abstinence, I would go a little crazy, but I truly can’t get enough of her. All we do is fight and fuck. It’s like we both get off on saying the most fucked up shit we can think of, just to lose ourselves in each other for hours on end.

My family knows. It’s been funny watching Snow explain all the hickies on her neck when Mars asks about them. Miele is ecstatic, asking when she can start buying baby clothes in her monthly hauls.

I wish I can say I feel lighter or happier. With each passing day, each time I implant myself deeper and deeper inside of her, apprehension grows inside of me. This shit is temporary. Snow being here is temporary.

I’ve stopped answering Haze and Turk, and cut off the service on Snow’s devices. Mars takes up so much of her time, so now I make her sleep in the bed with me, as well as keep her in my office while he’s doing schoolwork.

It’s worse than when I was a young nigga. Back then, I had to be on my P’s and Q’s. I was into too much, so I had to keep my distance to keep her to myself.

It’s not the case in Belize. Here, on my own turf, what I say goes. I can fully indulge in everything she makes me feel, and I’ve been doing it unapologetically.

How the fuck am I supposed to act around my bros? Only Turk and Shad know she’s here, and they’re still under the impression I don’t fuck with her.

How can I begin to explain some shit I haven’t even put much thought into? It’s been all actions behind Snow these past few weeks, no thoughts.

Only feeling her.

I’m bricked up as I push my pajamas to the floor and climb back in the bed. Snow scoots all the way into me, settling in as I wrap my arms around her.

“Everything okay?” she asks, her voice slurred from sleep.

I wanna tell her yes, and to go back to sleep. Better yet, I wanna fuck her back to sleep, but of course, after being gone, this nigga Fredo shows up to point me in the best direction.

Tell the truth.

The fact of the matter is, my niggas are coming. Snow’s been clean for almost a year, so if she wanted to, she could go back home with them. She’ll have the support she needs this go around, from the guys and the public in general. My job is done.

This shit hasn’t been about what I was asked to do for a long time. And right now, my need to know what’s going on in her head is way bigger than my pride.

“Peanut ‘nem gon’ be here in a few hours.”

I roll my eyes in the dark as Snow pulls away from me to turn on the lamp on her side of the bed. The covers are pooled at her waist, so I see those unnaturally perky titties front and center as she sits up and bucks her eyes at me.

“What?”