“To do what?” I questioned him. “Huh, Nine, to do what?”
“I didn’t stutter,” Nine said, grilling us. “You want the truth, so now you’re about to get it. Four, December, and I had every intention of killing all y’all. But we didn’t.”
“Why?” I said, mugging him. I knew that Nine was heartless; I’d seen him in action plenty of times, but I never thought he would be this way to us. We were friends, fucking family, had years of history behind us, yet it felt like all that shit was a lie. “Huh? Why didn’t you kill us?”
“Ask Four when he wakes up.”
The alarm sounded, and the lights in the hallway and conference room started flashing.
“Code Red room 712,” the announcer said. “Code Red, room 712.”
“That’s Yamari’s room,” Pyrite said, then took off running. Citrine and I followed behind him. When we rounded the corner, we saw a team working on Yeti. Blood was everywhere, and Fable stood in the doorway; her hands were covered with blood, all over her. “Itty Bitty.”
“Pyrite,” she said, shaking. “I-I-I tried to help him.” Pyrite moved around the team, working on Yeti, and pulled Fable into his arms.
“What happened?”
“I came out to see if he knew where you went. Your phone kept ringing.” She took the phone from her pocket and handed it to him.
“This isn’t my phone, baby,” he said, taking the phone from her and shaking his head. “Where did you get it from?”
“It was on your bag,” she answered.
The team got Yeti on the gurney and pushed him down the hall.
“This isn’t my phone, Itty Bitty,” he repeated. I didn’t miss the worried look that briefly flashed in his eyes. He tossed the phone to Citrine. “Ask that nigga Nine to check this shit out.”
“You’re going to trust that nigga after what he just said?” I asked in disbelief. “He literally just said he met us with the intention to kill us, and now you’re about to ask that nigga tolook at a fucking phone that somehow got in your shit. For all we know, he could’ve put it there.”
“Nine didn’t put that shit there,” Pyrite said, shaking his head. He turned back to Citrine. Citrine nodded. “Talk to him, have him do his shit, and find out who the fuck phone that is.”
“I can’ t believe this shit,” I said, throwing my hands in the air. “We can’t trust that nigga.”
Pyrite took a deep breath, then turned to Fable and whispered something in her ear. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and went back into Yamari’s room. Once the door was shut, he stepped over Yeti’s blood that was still on the floor and got in my face. “We don’t have a fucking choice right now, Amethyst,” Pyrite said, grilling me. “I know what that nigga said is fucking with your mental, but it ain’t news to me or Citrine. Nine told us what the fuck was up years ago.”
“Nigga, what?” I reared back, confused as fuck. “What do you mean he told y’all years ago?” I looked between my brothers, confused as hell.
“Exactly what the fuck I said,” he said, shaking his head. “We fucking knew.”
“And y’all decided to keep me out of the loop?” I questioned him. “Huh? That’s how we move now? You trust that nigga over your blood? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“We decided to keep it close to the vest because of how you move, Amethyst. You’re fucking reckless and don’t listen.”
“I can't believe y’all.” I stepped back and mugged him. “You let me ride with a nigga you know was set on putting a bullet in our heads. I broke bread with him, cried on that nigga shoulder, and listened to his advice. I looked at him like my family, and you’re standing here telling me that all that shit was built on a lie?”
“Let it go, Amethyst,” Pyrite said, shaking his head. “Let it the fuck go.”
“What--”
“Let. It. The. Fuck. Go!” Pyrite said, getting in my face. “Go fucking home. Check on Yale.” He stepped back. “Amethyst, either grow the fuck up or step the fuck back. The choice is yours, but understand right now, we don’t have time for you to fly off the rails and crash out. People are dying, and you’re upset because you don’t know every fucking detail about what’s going on. It’s a fucking reason we haven’t told you shit. You don’t fucking think or listen. It’s just react and fuck the shit going on around you. We don’t have time for that right now. So either step the fuck up or keep acting like a little ass boy.” He pushed Yamari’s door open and walked into her room.
Chapter forty-two
Yale
“What the fuck do you mean we need to leave?” I yelled at Tulane when I walked into the kitchen. He was sitting at the island, phone in hand, plate of eggs in front of him, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Tulane!”
“Yeah?” He didn’t even have the common courtesy to look up from his phone. He took a bite of his eggs, and his eyes narrowed like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
