Chapter 463

Jake's crew had a pretty straightforward gig today: collecting protection money from the local shops.

In this neighborhood, Jake kept things under control to keep the troublemakers at bay. Of course, there was a price for all this; he wasn't doing it for free.

As for turning to the police when things get tough? Well, the cops have to follow the law, too.

If a shop owner called 911, sure, the troublemakers might get picked up, but they'd be back the next day, scaring off customers with their antics.

The cops were stuck handling these lowlifes, but for Jake and his crew, it was a piece of cake. The police couldn't just go around throwing their weight around, but Jake's crew had no such restrictions.

In this part of town, there was this strange balance between the cops and the bad guys. As long as the bad guys kept things quiet, the cops usually looked the other way.

Daniel tagged along with Jake's crew to a shop.

The shop owner, Dione Saunders, a cheerful lady, grabbed a wad of cash from the register and handed it over.

"Tell Jake those kids have been swiping candies from my shop. It's not about the money, it's just plain annoying. He better handle those pesky kids," Dione grumbled.

Jake's guy nodded. "Sure thing, Dione. We'll have a word with those troublemakers."

Dione spotted Daniel in the background and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Is this a new face in your crew? Is he naturally ancient or just looks that way? If you're recruiting old men, can my husband give it a shot? He's been lazing around at home, getting rusty, doesn't even  bother to fix the broken toilet."

Jake's guy glanced at Daniel and replied, "No, this guy's our project. We gotta turn him into a decent guy."

Dione stood silently for a couple of seconds, then dug her finger in her ear. "I didn't quite catch that, say it again."

Jake's guy repeated himself.

Daniel wished he could disappear into the sewer outside. Maybe down there, he wouldn't feel so embarrassed.

When Dione heard about turning Daniel into a good guy, she burst into laughter. "Oh my god, that's the best joke I've heard all year. You tough guys trying to make someone good? I can't wait to see how that plays out."

Actually, these tough guys had no clue how to pull off Jake's orders.

"I reckon to be a decent person, we gotta flip the script on what we're doing now. We're collecting protection fees, so to be good guys, we should give back those fees to the shops," a wise gang member proposed.

Another guy scratched his head. "You've got a point. But what about our job? We still gotta collect those fees."

The guy who came up with the idea now looked troubled. "Yeah, if we give back the fees, we won't finish our task. But if we keep them, Daniel won't finish his. We're stuck between a rock and a hard place, can't please Jake either way."

The gang members were stumped, facing a real head-scratcher.

Dione couldn't help but chuckle, finding these guys quite the spectacle.

Daniel felt incredibly awkward. When they suggested he return the protection fees, he was floored. If he had money for that, why was he hitting up Amelia for cash?

"This is so funny. You guys have no idea how to turn someone into a good person, yet you're out here playing client service?" Dione finally burst into laughter, nearly in tears, drawing attention from passersby outside.

The gang members looked a bit awkward. One of them slammed his hand on the counter, clearly annoyed. "Then tell me, what are we supposed to do?" he shot back.

Dione took a deep breath, composing herself. She looked at the gang members and proposed, "Mr. Martinez doesn't seem loaded. Even if he wants to pay up, he's short on cash. So, how about a different kind of deal? What do you think?"

"What deal?" The gang members eyed Dione curiously.

Dione shrugged. "Instead of cash, how about he works it off? Let he work for me to settle the protection fee. Sound good?"

The gang members' faces lit up.

"Yeah, why didn't we think of that? Work instead of cash!"

"Genius idea. By the way, your toilet needs fixing, right?"

"Daniel, what's your take on this? Actually, never mind your opinion."

The gang members swiftly agreed on the new plan. Since they couldn't cough up the protection fees, they'd offer labor instead.

"What kind of joke is this? I go work for someone else, and you pocket the cash. You think I'm a fool?" Daniel yelled in frustration.

Dione shrugged her shoulders, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "Looks like this man isn't on board with this approach," she said.

The gang members grinned at Dione. "He'll come around, just give us 5 minutes."

With that, they grabbed Daniel and hauled him out of the shop despite his protests.

Soon, Daniel's cries echoed through the neighborhood.

Five minutes later, Daniel returned to Dione's shop.

His face was swollen and covered in bruises. He looked at Dione, tears rolling down his cheeks, "Please, let me see that toilet."