The Deadly Seven

The Bad Beat End

The Black Star Lounge was fifteen minutes from The Cobra, but to Jim, it felt like it was a day’s drive away.  It was 11:34 when he had left, and he was hoping to find Lydia before the police began sniffing after him.  Smoothing his hair and neatening his bowtie, Jim began wishing he had cashed in back at The Cobra. Perhaps he could drive back and get the money?  Then again, if the police had roped it off, there would be no way to get the money.  But all that mattered was that Lydia had finally agreed to run away with him.  Smiling at his achievement, Jim pulled into the back lot of The Black Star Lounge. 

Preening himself one more time, Jim opened up his door and stepped out.  The thoughts of all he wanted to do to Lydia came in an overpowering wave.  The dream of touching her—stroking her was more than he could bear.  The thought of kissing the forbidden lips brought sweat to his brow.  Closing his eyes, Jim reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.  He re-read the message to see if it was the same as when he first read it. 

I agree.  Meet me behind Black Star Lounge.  – Lydia.

Clicking his phone off, he slipped it back in his pocket and looked around at the empty lot.  Perhaps he had missed her?  Afraid that he had missed his chance, Jim scrambled for his phone again and started a new message.  Frantically, he typed in L. y. d. i. a., but before he could select her highlighted name, the dull pop from a silenced gun sliced through the air and tore through Jim’s left lung. 

Jim’s body jolted and he stood there for a moment, processing what had happened.  Grunting in pain, Jim looked up from the unwritten message and into the eyes of a stranger.  He had never seen him before, yet, this man knew where he was.  Managing his last words, Jim said, “Where is she?  What did you do to her?”

The man emerged from the shadows and said in a ghostly voice, “Mr. and Mrs. Greene hired me.”  The man fired again.  This time, the second bullet entered the center of Jim’s brain, killing him instantly.  The hit-man vanished from the scene, leaving nothing but a line of smoke ascending from the body of James Austen.

Blue and red lights flashed outside of Rory’s house as men in blue stormed the house.  The remaining players, Rory, Finn, Winston, and Greyson, surrendered immediately.  Kale was the only one who put up a fight, making him also the first one to be handcuffed.  He and Finn were charged for carrying an illegally purchased weapon as well as intending murder with it.   Rory was charged for doing business with prostitutes, and Winston was charged for participating in the planned murder of Ryder Dannons.  Greyson was considered a valuable witness once he healed from the bullet wounds.

Like all cases involving murders, gambling, and illegal trades, the process for the five men were grueling and tedious.  Winston told the boys later, during a courtroom break, that he was written off the family business. He was in ten years of debt and had no money to even pay off one of his cars.  He couldn’t sell the house or his collectibles because he was spending time in court and jail cells.  And because of his trial, his house foreclosed and he was left with nothing.

Greyson refused to appear in court, saying he couldn’t testify to what had happened because “he wasn’t there for all of it.”   Finn and Rory were livid at Greyson, but they knew any violence towards another trial member would increase their chances of being guilty.  Kale, on the other hand, remained silent throughout most of his trial unless the judge or his attorney shouted at him to speak.  In the end, Kale was considered a mentally unstable adult and sent to a psychiatric ward.  He spent the rest of his life there, dealing with the nightmares of his past and his uncontrollable rage, which, according to the nurses, was getting worse every day.

Rory was declared innocent since he had a good attorney as well as having a tape proving the girls agreed to participate in the video.  If he had been called “guilty,” Rory wasn’t too upset—he had relatives in high places that would bail him out.

As for Finn, on his day to stand before the judge and jury, his mother came up to him and kissed him on the cheek. Surprisingly, Finn looked very attractive with his dark navy blue suit and clean cut hair.  It was almost as if Finn had dressed in a suit the same way a trouble solider dressed in his uniform before committing suicide.  Finn didn’t see his day in court as a victorious one, but rather one to end his miserable life. 

“Finn,” his mother said before they entered the courtroom, “it’s not too late to postpone this and let your brother hire you a decent attorney.  You know he can do that for you.”

Finn shook his head and replied stiffly, “No.  I don’t want his help.  He’s the prosecuting attorney.  He will do everything to make me guilty.”

“He’s your brother, Finley!”  Mrs. Hoyt said through tears.  She clutched her youngest son’s arm and looked into his gray-blue eyes, “What has happened to you?”

“You.  And them.”  Finn tilted his head towards the courtroom, referring to Thomas.  “They took everything from me.  All I wanted was for you to just, I don’t know.  But it’s too late now.”

“Too late for what?  Thomas can get you a good attorney.   And if you’re sent to jail, I will bail you out.”

Finn scoffed.  “Feels like it’s only when I’m in trouble you decide to help.”

Mrs. Hoyt’s arms fell from Finn’s arm and her face became still.  In a quiet voice, she said, “You’re so wrong, Finn.  You’ve missed all my attempts to love you.  You were so blinded by your brother’s achievements that you missed what you were competing for.  You have a chance right now to put that all behind and let your brother help you.”

Staring into his mother’s pleading eyes, Finn thought about it.  He knew his brother could help him, but if he agreed, he would look dependent in Thomas’s eyes.  He couldn’t let Thomas win.  Straightening his shoulders, he made his final decision.  “I don’t want Thomas’s help.”

His mother’s eyes widened.  “Finn, he will do his job and he will do anything to persuade the jury.  You know that.”

Finn lowered his head and remembered that his only friend was in the hospital.  He knew he wouldn’t be seeing Kale anytime soon.  And now that Jim was dead, he had no competitor.  The rest of the boys didn’t matter much to Finn—they were all just interruptions in his life.  Sighing, Finn and his mother entered the opened courtroom.  He took a seat beside his lawyer and watched as everyone found their seats.  While the judge spoke over the congregation, Finn looked over at his brother, Thomas. 

Thomas turned his eyes to Finn and, in that brief connection, asked him through a soft expression if Finn had decided on whether or not he wanted a different attorney. 

But sitting there on the hard, wooden bench, Finn refused to give in.  It gave him more satisfaction to snub his brother than letting him hold his hand throughout the rest of the trial.  Finn stared back at Thomas and shook his head slowly.  Without giving Thomas the time to respond through any form of communication, Finn set his eyes forward and smirked.   Whether he was convicted of his crimes or not, Finn knew he could face tomorrow knowing he was still the champion in his own life.  But in reality, just like the other six men, Finn had already lost a long time ago. 

THE END