Chapter 3 - The Threat in the Dark
The night fell hard over Memphis, bringing a cold wind that rattled the metal awning of Maize.
Jolene sat at table one, her head in her hands. The restaurant was dark, save for the single amber light hanging over the counter. Mabel was asleep in the back office on a makeshift cot, clutching her grandmother’s old recipe notebook like a stuffed animal.
"I can't lose this place, Clara," Jolene whispered to the empty room. "It’s all we have left."
The front door opened softly. The bell didn't ring—someone had taped the clapper.
Jolene gasped, jumping to her feet, her hand instinctively grabbing a heavy cast-iron skillet from the counter.
"It's me, Jolene," a quiet, deep voice called out.
Knox stepped out of the shadows, wearing his dark coat, his face weary but alert. Behind him, Perry remained outside, patrolling the rain-slicked sidewalk.
"Mr. Sheridan," Jolene breathed, lowering the skillet. "You shouldn't be here. Marcus is dangerous. He's reckless when he’s cornered."
"I’ve dealt with men like Marcus my whole life," Knox said, walking over to her. He pulled a thick paper document from his coat pocket and laid it on the table. "This is the deed to Unit Seven. And the three units next to it."
Jolene stared at the document, her eyes widening. "How... how did you get this?"
"Marcus has a lot of debt he doesn't want the federal regulators to know about," Knox said simply. "I bought his markers. By dinner tonight, he owned nothing on Lamar Street. Maize is safe. You have a ninety-nine-year lease, rent-free."
Jolene’s eyes filled with tears. She looked at the document, then up at the man who had spent his life surrounded by violence, yet had used his power to build a shield around her dream.
"Why are you doing this for us?" she asked, her voice cracking. "We barely know you."
"Your mother saved my life, Jolene," Knox said, his voice dropping to a soft, intimate whisper. "She showed me that the world wasn't just cold concrete and fists. When I sit in this room, I don't feel like the Don of Memphis. I feel like... like I'm home."
Before Jolene could answer, the glass of the front window shattered.
A brick wrapped in a burning cloth sailed through the air, landing in the middle of the dining room. The smell of gasoline filled the air instantly as flames began to lick the wooden floorboards.
"Fire!" Jolene screamed.
Knox didn't hesitate. He grabbed Jolene, pulling her behind the thick brick counter just as a second brick crashed through the remaining glass.
May you like
"Perry!" Knox roared.
Outside, the sound of gunfire echoed through the street.
