Brotherhood of Blades Read Online Free

long turned fourteen, but Stephanie didn’t worry so much when he went out with sixteen-year-old Lucy because she looked out for him. Ben was a typical boy, going through a rebellious teenage phase. Lucy was the opposite; she was the sensible one, and had plans to join the police force after university.
    Stephanie often wished Ben had a father’s influence in his life, but their father had been a waste of space when he lived with them. Nor had he done anything for them since he had left; he never even remembered birthdays or sent Christmas cards or gifts. Stephanie had to be both mother and father, and sometimes she felt exhausted.
    Tonight they had gone to a party together. She hoped they would come home together, but she suspected Ben might give Lucy the slip. If he did, Lucy would use her inherited detective skills and track him down, so Stephanie could relax. Right now she had the television to herself, a large lamb biriani and two non-alcoholic beers. The diet could start on Monday. There was no one in her life to lose weight for, so why bother? She enjoyed sex, but there were lots of opportunities without a relationship – plenty of chances to socialize in the department, and indeed everywhere else in the station. She knew she had a reputation for being up for it, but she didn’t care.
    She realized she had let herself go. Being five foot four and eleven stone wasn’t good for her job, her sex life or her health, but tonight she wasn’t thinking about it. She would watch her car maintenance programme in peace and her lamb biriani was delicious. She was a happy bunny.
    Then the phone rang.
    Chantelle Gulati was still pretty, although the vibrant eyes that reminded Jason of chocolate Maltesers had dulled recently. Her full, pert mouth was now dry and cracked.
    When she was a child it had constantly bubbled with giggles, revealing the narrow gap between her front teeth; these days, her open, child-like face rarely found reason to smile. Her body was still well-toned and muscular, albeit a little skinnier, but she no longer worked at keeping in shape; her dreams of dancing around the world on a cruise ship had faded as a craving for cocaine, and now a taste for a pipe, steadily increased, taking with it her self-respect.
    Yo-Yo Reilly had been her friend at first. He had sympathized with her over Jason, confiding that his own mother was in Holloway, so he fully understood the empty pain when that special someone was out of reach. He had told her she was beautiful, that he dreamed of her, and if she ever changed her mind about Jason that he would be waiting. In the meantime he would settle for her friendship.
    He gave her a present of an eighth of grass, good stuff, telling her it would help her chill and take the heat out of her day, making the burden of waiting much lighter for her. He showed her how to roll herself a nice thick joint, and even supplied the papers to do it. When she said she wasn’t sure, he reminded her it was the same as alcohol but without the calories; no harm, just an escape, to dull the pain and help her sleep at nights while she waited for Jason. She liked that idea.
    The joints that followed were presents too, from Yo-Yo, the friend who cared, understood and sympathized. The odd E had gone down well too. Then came the cocaine. Only occasionally, he told her, for special times. It gave her a huge high, but she could handle it. Then he’d introduced her to the joy of a pipe: a little sight of heaven, he promised – and she was hooked. That was six months ago, and now all she thought about was that little sight of heaven. These days they were no longer presents; they came at a very high price. As the need for them accelerated into desperation, her debt soared. Yo-Yo’s crew, the Brotherhood, were the sole suppliers around here. No one would dare to tread their patch or undercut their rates. The reputation of the Brotherhood gang had spread across London; other gangs had tried taking them out,