Page 64 of Love vs The Ooze Monster!
“I got a rifle this time, Boyd.” Rico called. From the way his voice carried, he was in a grove of trees, just across the dry lake. “As soon as you stick your head out, I’m going to take it off.” He laughed crazily. “Don’t you see? You screwed up one of my plans and I’m already starting another.”
“Which is about to fail, too.” Boyd calmly called back.
“Bullshit! I’m smarter than you! I’vealwaysbeen smarter than you!”
“You sure about that? Seems to me, I’ve been winning our battles, so far.” Boyd taunted. “And Mabel thinks I’m the brightest guy she knows. The woman isn’t often wrong.”
“Mabel is blinded by your dick!”
Boyd made a thoughtful sound. “Well, a man can hope.”
Despite everything, Mabel found herself laughing at his philosophical tone.
Boyd shot her a wink.
“You never should have led the organization, to begin with.” Rico raged, furious at Boyd’s lack of fear. “Ishould have been in charge. You’re just an uneducated ape!”
“Maybe I am, but I’m also engaged to the most successful gangster in town. From where I’m sitting, that makes me a goddamn genius.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Boyd answered him by putting two fingers to his lips and giving a shrill whistle.
For half a second, Mabel wondered what he was up to. Then, all thought was driven from her mind by the barrage of submachine guns firing. She instinctively covered her ears, knocking her ugly flowered hat askew.
At least twenty men had opened fire on the woods. She’d forgotten that Boyd had promised to send some of their new employees to the Pioneer Picnic as backup for the beer delivery. Former members of the Carmine and Irving syndicates were apparently stationed around the park and they were all eager to prove themselves to their new bosses.
Tommy guns roared, so many that the sound was deafening.
Rico let out a terrified scream. He clearly hadn’t been expecting a literal army to take aim at him. To be fair,no onecould have expected that, because Boyd Cassiday was an unpredictable mastermind when it came to violence. Maybe he didn’t go to high school, but he was simplybrilliantat crime.
It was no wonder Mabel was so stuck on the guy.
Rico might have tried to fire back. It was impossible to be sure. Either way, there were too many men shooting for it to make any difference. The entire woods shook under the assault. Dirt flew. Leaves and branches were obliterated. Picnickers fled as fast as they could in the opposite direction, as the criminal element of Volstead unleashed hell.
If Rico survived the onslaught, he surelywishedhe was dead. Nobody could come through that unscathed.
After an endless moment, Boyd stepped out from behind the tree trunk, a revolver casually held in his hand. The shooting stopped, either because the men were out of bullets or because they were waiting for Boyd to issue some new orders. Rather than instruct their many,manyarmed employees to handle the situation, Boyd went strolling towards the woods himself.
Mabel gasped in horror. “Get back here! What if he’s still alive?”
“I hope heisalive, so I can personally kill him.” Boyd reported in a gallingly cheery tone. “Wait right there, doll. This won’t take long.”
“Why do you always tell me to stay put, while you go off to shoot people?”
He flashed her an arch look. “Do you have a gun?”
“No.”
“That’swhy.” Boyd said smugly and headed down the grassy incline to the lakeshore.
Drat.
His reasoning made practical sense, when he explained it like that. Mabel really needed to start carrying her tommy gun with her, because it seemed like everybody else did. That would counter his argument.
In the meantime, she shook her head in annoyance and glanced over at their legion of guards. “Well?Youhave guns. You go help him.”
“He said to wait here…” One of the larger recruits began, looking torn.
