Billionaire Gone Missing [Dated for June 13th, late Afternoon]

[heirtogotham]

The hearing went as Bruce had suspected it might; Chill was let off on parole for being a snitch against Carmine Falcone, whom he had spent some time in a cell with in prison. It wasn't fair, to say the least, but it was what it was, and Bruce knew more than ever that things had to change or people like Falcone and Chill would continue to go free for the crimes they committed.

 There was only so much one person could really do, and Harvey and Rachel, as idealistic and headstrong as they were, could never do it alone. It was time for Bruce to face the music and get on with his life, the new path he knew he needed to take to become the very thing the city needed him to be.

 His only regret was the way it would hurt Harvey and Rachel.

 They would understand, in the end. They had to.

 Bruce stood out in the halls of the courthouse, waiting to see Chill carted off, released from prison, and as he leaned against the wall, eyes meeting the gaze of the man who murdered his parents, Bruce saw the suddenly panic and pain there. The sound of gun going off was the only thing heard around the reporters and police, and a woman was carted off in cuffs and Chill lie dying on the floor, bleeding to death.

 That was that; Bruce felt nothing else at that moment was dread and relief, so consumed now with the need to move forward.

 ---

 A text sent to Harvey explained that Bruce was going to run some errands and he would be home later. A lie, but he would apologize in the letter he sent out, no return address, to the manor for Harvey. Where Bruce was actually headed was the restaurant where Falcone frequented, along with every other corrupt cop and judge in the city, who took bribes from the mob to keep their nose out of their business.

 Bruce, however, was taking something Harvey said to heart; someone had to stand up and show the mob that people weren't afraid of them. The billionaire was going to do just that.

 It wasn't hard to get in, Bruce had been patted down, checked for weapons, and shoved in front of Falcone, who just looked at him, and remarked about something to do with Bruce not having been armed. Bruce stood silent, reading and watching the man, the uncle to the kid who made his life hell a month ago, turned his world upside and made him second guess everything.

 Maybe he should be thanking him, but the words that came out weren't that at all. "I'm not afraid of you."

 "Ya should be kid, it'd do you good to know your place."

 Bruce didn't know he'd done, but the rage in his chest swelled and he hopped over that table so quick the guards couldn't get to him before he sucker punched Falcone right across the jaw. Three pairs of hands were on him, dragging him back, and Falcone was laughing, snickering and praising.

 "Ya got guts, Wayne." No nodded to the men. "Take him out back. Let him go. He ain't worth the time. I've heard stories. Worthless. "

 And he was tossed out onto damn rain slicked street, a punch to the gut and slap across the face, and they left him there, seemingly unharmed and free to go. They thought he was joke, heard stories no doubt from someone in the Falcone ring about what happened with the man's nephew and him, fabrications no doubt of what the event had actually been.

 Fine. That was fine. They would fear him later. He vowed that much.

 He shucked off his jacket, handed it and all his cash over to a homeless man, mentioned to him to be careful who saw him with it, someone would be looking for him at some point, and then he took off, walking slowly across the bridge, removing his suit jacket, tossing it into the water, his tie as well, anything of value he couldn't afford people seeing him with. down to just his slacks and a undershirt, he saw a large cargo ship about to depart. A quick overview and he realized it was head to Europe. No better place to start, he thought.

 He looked down at his cell phone, the last bit of his belongings in hand, and threw it into the sea.

 "I'm sorry, Harvey," he whispered before stealing away on board the ship.