CHAPTER 3

Millie

The white Benz came to a stop in front of a luxury building in downtown Manhattan. Millie, Nicole, and Knuckles stepped out the Benz and made their way to the front of the building. Immediately they were met by the doorman.

“And who are you here to see?” the doorman asked politely.

Millie ignored the doorman and walked past him as if he was invisible, continuing on towards the elevator.

“Millie, I think that guy was talking to us,” Knuckles pointed out.

“We don’t talk to strangers.” Millie patted Knuckles cheek gently as the trio boarded the elevator. The elevator reached the eighteenth floor before the doors dinged open. Millie strolled down the hallway until she found the door she was looking for and rang the doorbell. Seconds later a Spanish man in an expensive looking suit answered the door with a smile on his face. “Millie, Millie, Millie,” he sang showing every last one of his teeth. “What a pleasant surprise.” He stepped to the side so the trio could enter.

“Cut the shit, Julio. You know why I’m here,” Millie huffed. “Before I went to prison you were paying 15% for protection fees. As soon as I went to jail your payments suddenly stopped and now I hear that for the past year you’ve had your men in territory that belongs to the Mason family.”

“Let’s have a drink,” Julio walked over to his bar area and poured everyone a drink. Millie stepped further into the luxury apartment and spotted several half-naked women sitting around. Julio returned and handed Millie a glass. Millie disrespectfully slapped the glass out of Julio’s hand.

“I’m here to talk business!” Millie snapped. “I’m going to need you to start paying for protection again. And instead of 15% now I’m going to have to charge you 30% since you have your men on territory that belongs to me.”

Julio chuckled. “Listen Millie, this ain’t back in the day no more. You’ve been gone a long time and a lot of things have changed.” Julio wasn’t about to let Millie walk up in his spot and change how he’d been doing things, especially since she had been gone for almost twenty years. “Millie, you know I got nothing but love for you. I heard about the hardship that you and your family has been going through so if you ever get a little strapped for cash you can always come and work for me,” Julio said with an evil smirk on his face. That last comment got a few giggles out of some of the ladies that sat around.

Millie took a step closer toward Julio. “I didn’t come here to fuck around and since you want to be a smart ass the price just went up to 40%,”

“Stop fucking playing with me, bitch!” Julio barked. “You ain’t getting shit from me so you can take your taxes and shove them up your pretty little ass!”

“That’s not how you should speak to a lady,” Knuckles stepped in.

Julio looked at Knuckles and busted out in a dramatic laugh. “Listen, you retard. I talk how I want in my shit!”

As soon as Knuckles heard the word “retard” leave Julio’s lips, he snapped. “I’m not retarded!” he roared as he grabbed Julio by his shirt and tossed him across the room as if he were a baby. Julio crashed violently into the wall unit. Before Julio got a chance to recover, Knuckles was already on top of him rearranging his face with each punch landed. Millie looked on with a smile on her face. She kept Knuckles around for a reason. He was a good person but if you got on his bad side, it was hell to pay. Knuckles stomped Julio out then reached down and lifted Julio up over his head. Without warning, Knuckles ran and tossed Julio out the eighteenth floor window. Just as the ladies in the house were about to scream, Nicole pulled out her silenced .380 and put all five of the half-naked women down before they could even process what was going on. Millie walked over and rubbed Knuckles back gently. “Calm down, it’s going to be alright.”

“I’m not retarded,” Knuckles whined as his chest heaved up and down. He knew he was different but there was something about being called out that drove him over the edge.

“Listen Knuckles, I’m home now. You don’t ever have to worry about anything ever again,” Millie promised. She didn’t know how Knuckles had made it this long with her being away for such a long time. Ever since they were kids, Millie had always looked after Knuckles and treated him like a normal person when everyone teased and made fun of him. “Come on; let’s go get something to eat.”