Benny the Bean was a prick. While that wasn’t necessarily something to be killed for by itself, when he was caught with his grubby little fingers skimming off the top of one of the South Side’s businesses, it certainly wasn’t working in his favor. The Bean had made a life of making others’ much harder than they needed to be and the upper bigwigs had grown tired of it all. It wasn’t like he was bringing in double tribute or anything of that sort, if anything he was costing more and more. 

Benny was also a creature of habit. So much so that he was predictable by this point, almost down to the minute. Normally, this would have been one of those things that Dick took care of from a distance, staring down a scope but he was given specific instructions to make it as loud as he could. He was to send a message to anyone else who may have been as stupid as Benny the Bean and he was to send a very specific, very painful message to The Bean himself.  The former being the much more important of the two. However, if he did the latter correctly, the main part would take care of itself.

Checking the rear view mirrors periodically as he drove, it didn’t take Dick long before he pulled up in front of Benny’s favorite restaurant, the same one he visited every Thursday night. Shifting the car into park, Dick inconspicuously pulled the zipper open on the duffel bag that sat on the bench seat beside him. He swiftly cocked the Tommy Gun that he pulled out, the click echoing slightly in the close confines of the car.

Dick glanced down at his watch, there were still a few more minutes until The Bean would be exiting the establishment, surrounded by, at the very least, four of his most loyal and trusted body guards. That was what Dick was expecting though and he had planned accordingly. Grabbing another drum of ammo and tucked it underneath his arm. Before stepping out of the vehicle, he drew a hit from his flask before tossing it on the seat beside himself.

Leaning against the trunk of the car he puffed on his cigarette, drawing deep inhales as he waited for Benny the Bean.

Dick flicked his cigarette away as he glanced down at his watch just as the front doors pushed open, right on time. The first of Benny’s thugs stepped forward followed by The Bean himself. They didn’t seem to be very good at their jobs as the laughed and joked, none of the bodyguards checking down alleyways or up and down the street for any threats. Dick shouldn’t have been surprised. Someone who had made as many mistakes as Benny wasn’t going to hire the most reliable henchmen, he was going to hire the cheapest, warm body that he could find. 

With a half step forward, Dick readied himself. Tightening his finger on the trigger as the gun in his hands exploded its bullets forward in a barrage that sent the men falling to the ground as they struggled to free their own weapons. Small chips of brick kicked into the air behind them as Dick continued firing, well after all of them had hit the ground and stopped moving. 

Pacing forward, Dick kept the trigger squeezed until the drum ran empty, swiftly replacing it with the one tucked under his arm as he reached the other side of the street. A couple of the bodyguards gurgled and tried to move but their injuries were all life threatening and it was only a matter of time before they passed from this world.

Lying in the middle of his men, Benny the Bean stared upwards, his body already riddled with holes as he struggled to breath. It was complete fear that plastered on his face. He never thought that it would end this way, or at all for that matter. 

”You knew the deal Benny.” Dick stood over him for a second before he let the Tommy Gun tear him to shreds in the middle of the New York sidewalk. 

Dick casually strolled back across the street as if this was something that he had done a thousand times before. With the way things had been, he wasn’t too far off from that number actually. There might have been a pang if regret before he remembered the type of person that Benny the Bean was. Dick knew that he wasn’t necessarily a good person but he knew that his targets were worse. They all hurt innocent people. The same people that Dick was tasked to protect.

Reaching his car, Dick pulled the trunk open, tossing in the Tommy Gun before covering it with a blanket that was stored there. He wasn’t in any rush, other than the dead and dying across the street, he was alone here. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out his pack of smokes and his lighter, quickly flicking the flame alive as he drew a deep inhale. 

As he slid into the driver’s seat he picked up the small notebook that was sitting on the bench seat beside him, flipping it open and crossing off Benny the Bean’s name off of the list. It truly looked like the list wasn’t getting any shorter no matter how much work he was putting in. It seemed never ending but he made it his purpose to soldier on. He didn’t have any problem with it. He wasn’t going to lose any sleep over any of the vile names etched onto the paper. Maybe he was over simplify things but it worked for him. It was a purpose. Not exactly the best one but it was something. 

Before he turned the key in the ignition he took a small sip off of his flask before tucking it back away. The warmth hit his chest as he shifted the car into drive and headed towards his next destination.

No rest for the wicked after all.