Everything is Everything Book 2 Read Online Free

Carlos had ever taught them; and why Scotty couldn’t completely hate the man. Juan Carlos had pimped out his mother as if she was his possession, as if he owned her. And by association he felt as if he owned them all. Scotty had come to understand that it made Juan Carlos feel powerful to be the source of their creation.
    Scotty figured that Juan Carlos loved them all the way a master loved his slaves. The way that crazy preacher Jim Jones loved his disciples. Their love was tainted, though. You can’t love something that you haven’t taken the time to get to know and understand.
    Scotty was suddenly tired. He’d had enough of this trip down memory lane. But figured that his father wanted something and until they got to the point this was just going to get long and drawn out. But Scotty didn’t think the man deserved to get the nice easy version of the facts. He intended to keep it real.
    “What do you want to talk about?” Scotty finally asked coldly. “Mom? She’s not hooking these days. She’s got full blown AIDS and is living in a residential treatment facility for recovering addicts.”
    Juan’s eyes flinched and then he looked away.
    “She seems happier though. But she misses us. The court took us away. Me, Phonso and Beady visit her sometimes but she can only have supervised visits with the others—and that doesn’t happen so…”
    Juan Carlos looked at his son, “You kids got separated …”
    Scotty was surprised to see that Juan Carlos seemed saddened by that.
    “You never met Tyrone. He’s four now. Mom hooked up with Beady’s father and had Tyrone. Well Beady and Tyrone’s grandmother is Miss Gloria and she took in those two. She was willing to take in Ginger, Erica and EJ as long as I was able to bring in money on the side to help out.”
    Juan Carlos looked down with a frown. “What about Alphonso?”
    “He and I got a place together in Garden Hill Top.”
    “How did you manage that?” Juan Carlos asked.
    “We just got some guy we hang out with to put his name on the lease.” No one bothered them—well other than the numerous girls that Alphonso brought around. He might be fifteen but he whored around like he was twice that. It surprised Scotty that his brother didn’t have children … although the two were very much in consensus that there was no need to bring any more children into the world.
    Scotty reached for another cigarette; his brow was creased with anxiety. “Do you remember Leelah James?”
    Juan Carlos paused in lighting his own cigarette. “Leelah,” he said softly. “She never let me come back. When I messed up with her there was no going back.”
    “Leelah’s dead,” Scotty said bluntly.
    The cigarette fell from Juan Carlos’ hands. He stared at his son ignoring the smoldering cigarette that lay on the concrete floor between his feet.
    “How?” He eventually asked and this time his voice sounded brittle like the polar ice caps.
    “Raped and murdered … while she was tricking.”
    Juan Carlos rose to his feet. He walked to the cell door and clung to the bars, his back to his son.
    “Who did it?” he whispered.
    “It’s still unsolved.”
    Juan Carlos looked over his shoulder towards Scotty. “How long ago?”
    “About two years.”
    “And what about Vanessa?” Juan Carlos asked after a long pause.
    Scotty considered lying and saying that he didn’t know. He thought about the lack of pictures of them and how Juan Carlos hadn’t been around. How the only thing that the man had to gloat and be proud about was a legacy of pain for bringing two young women into that life; one murdered in the street, the other HIV positive and strung out. And then what about the children with a father that couldn’t protect them, and how about him dropping out of school last year so that he could work his hustle full time.
    Scotty was happy to knock the smile off Juan Carlos’ lips. Because skipping down memory lane wouldn’t be any fun for him.
    “Vanessa lives with