All Or Nothing by Blake Karrington Read Free Book Online Page B

dressed, Tommy went on to explain the club rules and the code of conduct. He became a little repetitive because he wanted to be clear. The rules were the rules; break them and you were gone. He would personally give you your walking papers. Certain things would not be tolerated by Tommy, regardless of who you were or how good you looked. You violated the rules, you were gone. It was that simple.
    “Look, y’all be here tonight. Nine o’clock sharp!”
    Later that night, Jordan, curled up in Shantell’s lap. She gently stroked her daughter’s hair. In so many ways, Shantell was comforting her. Through the sense of touch, Shantell conveyed to Jordan that she was here for her and always would be. The toddler desperately tried to fight sleep, but to no avail. The feeling was too good. Sleep was slowly overcoming her, anyway. The baby began to play with her own ear. This was a sign to Shantell that her daughter would be fast asleep shortly. The sooner she went to sleep, the better, because Shantell had to be at work in a little while.
    Shantell gently placed her daughter on the bed. As soon as she did, the phone rang loudly in her room. She reached for it to keep it from waking her baby.
    “Hello?” she whispered.
    “You have a collect call from…” an automated voice began.
    Shantell didn’t need to hear any more of the recording. She knew who the caller was and where the person was calling from. Angrily, she hung up on the caller.
    “Fuck you! Motherfucker!” She cursed. “I hope ya’ dumb ass rots in jail. Die slow, bitch!”
    The caller was none other than her brother Reggie, who was currently serving a life sentence in a remote North Carolina prison. Now that Shantell had the upper hand she was doing Reggie dirty, just like he had done her. Every letter that came from the prison to the house, she tore up and threw it away. Every time Reggie called, she hung up on him. Shantell planned on getting a block placed on the phone so Reggie couldn’t call any more. She knew the reason why he was calling: Reggie was in need. If Shantell had her way, then her brother would be doing hard time for the rest of his life. In her mind, he deserved every day he got and more.
    Shantell would never forgive her brother for what he had done to her, nor would she forget. What he did was inexcusable, in her mind. She was glad he was in prison. Her mind often drifted to him when she was alone. She often thought about how her life may have been different, had he not have raped her. Had he not stripped her of something she could never get back: her innocence.
    Shantell never sat back feeling sorry for herself, though. She rolled with the punches that life had thrown at her. Not once did she complain.
    Shantell was disturbed by the call. She went around the house and disconnected every phone line. In her book, Reggie didn’t exist anymore. She still had a lot of hatred and animosity toward her mother and brother.
    “Ma?” Shantell called out.
    Shantell crept out of her room and down the hall toward her mother’s bedroom. After taking a few steps, she suddenly came to halt.
    “Owww!” she screamed. “What the hell is that on the floor?”
    Shantell had just stepped on some foreign object. She looked down to see the source of her pain. She turned her foot over and picked an empty vial of crack off the sole of her foot.
    “Damn, this bitch is outta control,” she said aloud. “I don’t believe this shit. I gotta get outta here.”
    Tossing the drug paraphernalia aside, she went to her mother’s bedroom door. The door was closed but Shantell didn’t bother to knock; she walked right on in.
    “Ma?” She announced before stopping in her tracks.
    Brenda Bryant was caught red-handed. The crack pipe was at her lips and the ever-present stench of crack smoke was in the air. Shantell couldn’t believe her eyes; there was undeniable evidence everywhere, in plain view. There were empty crack vials on the dresser and burnt matches