Snake Ayes

A casino located within the city limits had long been sought after and coveted by Chicago officials. Suburban and northwest Indiana casinos had dotted the landscape for decades - as in many communities across the country - but somehow, for all of the significant tax base, the dream remained illusively just out of reach. Blame the politicians, the ever-present bureaucracies or all of the opposing vested interests - like organized crime syndicates which even still stood to lose much.The faces and modes of organized crime still acting within the city had dramatically changed, but the 'outfit' was still no less powerful. Despite numerous crackdowns and federal indictments handed down against the old established cronies at the top, they managed to continue to hold a substantial amount of sway on city governance and the overall political scene. The current mayor's father had not overtly stood in their way when he held the same position himself, that was for certain.Mayor Sean Callahan, on the other hand, was even more of a political hack than his old man had ever been, and he took advantage of every opportunity to play politics. Sean was all in when it came to making a showing to anyone who would listen in an effort to publicly undermine all that the 'mob' stood for, much to the chagrin of his staffers who had told him that the word was outdated and only led to his own ridicule. In end, though, the man still always knew where his bread was buttered and he would be damned if he was ever going to allow any of the 'P.C. police' to stand in the way of either of their interests. What had also remained outside of public knowledge or perception was the fact that there was more in play between them than just a city casino, as they were apparently firmly in cahoots with each other on other matters.The risks and the rewards behind a city casino had, for the first time, actually become a realistic possibility, however. Low and behold, along came consultants and proponents with their own agenda to make sure such grand plans eventually came to fruition. One of these participants actively engaged in the process of securing a city casino - willfully or otherwise - was Jake Sinclair. The former outfitter had, at first, more to lose than to gain, but city officials were dealing with more scandals at any one time than they could possibly handle, and they needed a captivating moment - a big political victory. This was it.Meanwhile, both a relative and a former lover of the city's mayor - who each have long-lost connections to the man currently running City Hall - may both yet still return to play a much larger role in multiple impactful and gripping outcomes than either of them could possibly know or understand in their own plights that they find themselves in. For both, in varying degrees, it will be a matter of either staying hidden, keeping secrets hidden, or conversely revealing the salaciousness of the past and its present ramifications. Only the emotionally stronger of the two in their own game of chicken will truly have a say in the final result of this riveting thriller.As everything is coming to a head all at once, 'Jake the Snake' is still trying to do all that he can for what he believes to be the cause of justice. After all, by this point in his life Jake just wants the truth to prevail, having seen how catastrophic his past life of lying, deception and resentment can be. Will his help be enough and will it be in time to change the course of the city's history and its leadership, with whom he oddly is working with for his own salvation as strange bedfellows? If Jake is successful as an unlikely hero, he may finally find his own lasting freedom. Or, will the final roll of the proverbial die be 'snake eyes'? Just as the die is about to be cast for a yea or nay vote - with much more than money hanging in the balance - only time itself, and an enveloping scandal taking place one thousand miles south of the city,