coming from Chandler’s men and turns right to view a gruesome scene. Two dogs have taken down one man, and are proceeding to tear him up as the other two shepherds slowly circle the gazebo. Chandler and his men are shooting at the dogs every few seconds, but their bullets are no match for the body armor. Some of the dogs are moving slowly, having been hit in the lower legs by gunfire, but they still seem lethal despite having only three working legs. Rory finds the entire battle to be shocking: two corpses next to the pool, men getting torn apart by ferocious dogs, and he with his wounded lady, trapped in limbo in the water.
In a flight of panic, one of Chandler’s men begins to run toward the swimming pool. The dogs immediately converge on him as he fires backwards at them; aiming poorly, and not even coming close to his targets.
Rory feels himself moving quickly toward the edge of the pool again. When the man tries to maneuver past the pool to escape the dogs, Rory leaps out like a crocodile and latches onto his left leg, dragging the lower part of the enforcer’s body below the surface. The gangster is startled, and begins to fire behind his back, causing Rory to let go and swim away. However, this barrage of gunfire is soon stopped by the ferocious jaws of the dogs when they attack the enforcer from the front, tearing into his throat with their merciless killer instinct.
As he recognizes this amazing opportunity, Rory swims back to the gangster’s legs and begins to pull him into the water slowly. He is relieved to see that the dogs are aggressive in protecting their food, and greet this tug-o-war with snarls and growls. When Rory has the body submerged almost all the way in the water, one of the dogs surprises him by trotting across the man’s back and leaping at his chest. The weight of this dog immediately begins to drag Rory to the bottom, and to his dismay, a second dog enters the pool on top of him. The weight of two German Shepherds is alarming, and Rory struggles underneath them as they snap at his bare chest and stomach in the water. Within seconds he finds himself at the bottom of the pool with one dog atop his legs and the other on his chest, biting at his neck. He finds himself draped in the body armor of both dogs, and looks up in a panic to see the surface several feet above his head. In a fit of rage, Rory grips both horns on the dog’s satanic helmet, and uses them to pull his body out from beneath its heavy body. In his haste, he kicks at its chest and snout, causing the dog to bite his right calf muscle. With a quick shake of his leg, he is able to get the animal to release him.
Rory can feel the shallow wound bleeding in the water as he ascends to the surface, panicking at the urgent need he feels for oxygen after fighting off the dogs, and nearly being smothered underwater. When he breaches the surface of the pool, he takes in a mighty breath of fresh air, hearing the familiar sounds of men shouting, and sporadic gunfire. He looks down with a heartless satisfaction as the dogs struggle for air at the bottom of the pool, and soon stop moving. During the past forty-eight hours, they have gone from being seemingly loyal pets in Rory’s mind, to ferocious killers, much the same as Pezzloni.
Tina is hanging onto the edge of the pool with her right arm like an abandoned sailor, appearing to be in shock, and not wanting to move. Her dress is completely saturated, weighing her down heavily. With her broken ribs, fractured forearm, and swollen eye, Rory begins to doubt that he’ll ever be able to get her off the property.
“Hang on, girl; we’re going to get you out of here.” Rory says with a soft tone into Tina’s right ear. “They’ve been killing one another this whole time, and whenever they fall, it’s just a better chance for us to escape.” He adds with confidence, trying to inspire himself amidst the chaos.
Rory climbs out of the pool quickly, feeling uneasy with the dog and human corpses in the water. His right calf is burning as he gets to his feet, and is immediately greeting by the sight of Chandler being pursued by a German Shepherd. The gangster is running in a panic, fidgeting with a submachine gun in his hands that seems to be jammed. His left hand is covered in blood all the way up to the forearm, and appears badly wounded. The dog in pursuit of him is limping noticeably, having been shot in the rear right leg. Despite this injury, the animal seems angry, and ready to exact vengeance.
Chandler barely notices Rory as he jogs alongside the pool, attempting to make use of the submachine gun. Rory breathes out in a heavy gasp, feeling the hatred building within him as he watches his enemy fleeing. Without another thought, he sidesteps into Chandler’s path and uses his right hand to deliver a punishing haymaker to the left side of his face. The syndicate boss stops in his tracks as the blow dazes him for a moment. He looks at Rory in terror, and glances back at the dog in pursuit of him. Chandler wheels around with all of his strength, and pulls up the submachine gun to fire at the dog, but it merely clicks with a hollow failure.
“I don’t want to die this way...” Chandler says aloud, barely realizing that the words have left his mouth.
The syndicate boss begins to back away quickly as the vicious animal continues its pursuit, but Rory kicks the back of his left thigh muscle, and pulls his shoulders backwards, sending his body to the cement. To Rory’s dismay, Chandler’s body drops at an odd angle and both men stumble to the concrete, knocking over tables and lounge chairs. Rory freezes in place as the large German Shepherd is soon upon them, confused by the sight of two perpetrators. Chandler makes another impulsive movement, trying to fire his submachine gun one last time. This causes the dog to defend itself, leaping onto the syndicate leader with tenacious aggression.
Rory slinks away slowly, not wishing to alarm the dog. He gradually gets to his feet and returns to where Tina is clutching the side of the pool. Once again, he reaches down for her right arm, and gently pulls her from the water. The young woman looks haggard, still in shock from the events of the day, but alert enough to follow Rory’s instructions. With a rush of fresh adrenaline, Rory picks up the petite woman from the ground, carrying her with his right arm under her knees, and the other supporting her back.
As he glances to the right, he notices that Chandler’s remaining enforcers have holed up in the gazebo, firing their weapons at a dog that runs past every few seconds. The wounded animal looks persistent, and the blood around its legs makes it seem all the more demonic, when combined with the satanic helmet. Chandler is trapped beneath the other vicious shepherd, which has latched onto his throat, and he doesn’t appear to be moving.
Rory picks up his pace as he moves around the corner of the large mansion with Tina in his arms. When they reach the courtyard, he immediately focuses on the two limousines parked in front of the home. A tall, bald driver from Chandler’s crew is using his cellular phone next to the car. He is of Turkish descent, and is as stout and strong as any of the other enforcers who arrived with him. When he sees Rory, he sets the cellular phone atop the car, and reaches into his jacket to retrieve a nickel-plated, semi-automatic 9 millimeter pistol.
The sight of this weapon is daunting to Rory, and he instantly considers his options. Returning to the corner of the house would be too far for safety, but the passenger side of the car is only a few steps away. Rory moves rapidly toward the rear wheel on the passenger side of the car, feeling the strain on his body under the weight of Tina.
“I’m gonna’ have to set you down on your right side…” Rory mutters under his breath to Tina, feeling instant remorse at the thought of having to do so.
“Please, God, don’t!” She pleads to no avail, terrified at the thought of more pain in her ribs and left arm.
When they reach the car, Rory slides Tina gently up against the rear right wheel, ducking his head behind the thick steel and bulletproof glass. She grabs immediately at her left side as the stinging
pain returns, feeling helpless and scared. The driver steps aggressively around the rear of the car as Rory moves toward shelter at the front. His maneuvers are amusing to the driver who begins to smirk at the sight of a shirtless, unarmed man trying to escape him. Rory is kneeling between the two cars when he hears the driver door of the second limousine open. He clenches his hand into a fist and shakes his head, realizing that he is now trapped between the two gunmen.
The second driver is a tall, Austrian man with blonde hair and blue eyes. Rory has only a second to glance back at him before his body drops to the ground, spinning slightly to the right in a bloody mess. The familiar report of a sniper rifle echoes through the air, and Rory looks up at the second floor balcony to see Pezzloni aiming down at the courtyard.
In a moment of panic, the bald enforcer ducks behind the driver side of his limousine, intimidated by the sound of the powerful Barrett rifle. To Rory’s surprise, the gangster rises up with his hands atop the limousine and begins to fire his pistol at Anthony Pezzloni. While the enforcer is distracted, Rory slides around the driver side of the car, sprinting methodically with all of his strength. When he reaches the door, Rory throws it open and immediately dives inside the car, as if jumping from an exploding plane. Once inside the vehicle, he begins
The Golden Goose of Los Angeles Extended Edition Page 53
