It Comes Naturally

Bonus Chapter

Following their boss to the waiting SUV, the two guards he trusted with his life were having a hard time keeping their faces straight.

"What is it now, Ace?" one asked.

"I feel like a lackey for that boy of mine. Why do I have to get mixed up in this crap? I should be rocking a grandkid to sleep and listening to the other one is telling me of their day. This is a waste of time," the older man grumbled. 

"So you expected two little ones from the young boss?" "Doesn't he have a company to run?"

"Are you two on his side? Did he order you guys to trump on my heart? When did I raise such a callous boy?" Ace continued. His guards gave up and laughed heartily at their boss's pouting. 

"No, he didn't boss. Give it time, he's still young. Are you sure you want to add all of this to his workload? He's doing a lot in New York."

"It's not big of an empire like Delacourde's or Poscov so he will be able to keep it running wherever he is. He knows how to prioritize. Look at the job young Lucifer had him do. It's time," Ace countered. 

The drive to downtown became quiet, having Bryan take over from Ace was an important act for the older members of the gang. They only saw him as the perfect heir to it all. Younger members came in the same time Ace took in Bryan as his son, believing one of them was better suited. 
"The best we can do is wait. He's probably thinking the same. Not only he has to make changes but he has a family to grow," one commented, breaking the silence.

"I know."

                                                                            *****

"He's around the corner with our newbies. He came back a day after Joker had a talk with them." 

Ace sighed after hearing the full report on the Russell kid, he knew they should have simply gotten rid of them. He hated to come back to stubborn and foolish people. The warning from his son was a courtesy, if they were handled by the teenage joker, someone would have been missing a son. Marriage and adulthood tamed the wild card a bit but if bothered that crazy Joker will be back. 
"Ten minutes." Not saying another word, Ace hopped out of the parked van onto the dimly lit street. Dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and a weathered leather jacket, he looked the part of a down-and-out druggie. Clutching the folded forty bucks in his right hand, he began his slow distracted walk and turned the corner. His face was known on these streets, but Russell never saw him. Ace stayed hidden knowing he would have harmed the kid on the first chance. No one has ever been so bold to start selling their shit on his streets. He knew the kid was warned by his men but his cocky attitude was the basis of his bravery. 
The sidewalk was filled with the normal Friday night stragglers. Three clubs, five bars, two 24hr hotels, and two restaurants occupied both sides of the street. It was a money-making two-way for both legal and illegal businesses. Ace had a hand in both. Walking through the milling crowd, a few people recognized him, giving him a wide berth and quick nod they knew something was up. His days for roaming the streets were over but this pick-up required his personal touch. Passing four loud talking youths leaning against the wall, he saw in his peripheral when they moved and began to follow him at a moderate pace. 

He was nearing the designated spot for his men when he spotted Russell joking around with the two of them. Before he approached them two older gentlemen were leaning against a post both taking lazy pulls of their cigarettes, keeping a watch of the area. 

"Hey, kid. How's it doing? How your pops?" Ace called out to Russell when he got two steps away from him. Offering him, his right hand in a show of greeting, the kid was quick on the uptake for the sale but not his surroundings. He didn't notice when the two guys on either side of him disappeared and were replaced.