Ogreness, Black Lake-book5

Chapter 39
~

By the time everyone left, more than a little exhaustion hung my shoulders, but there was no way I was gonna call it a night. My grandpa had been so busy his entire life he’d never been able to give any one person more than a few minutes of his time, so him showin’ up alone on my doorstep felt more than a little special.

We sat out by the pool splittin’ a case of beer. Sissy whined every now and then to remind me it was past her bedtime. I don’t know why she can’t call it a night without me.

“This could be really messy,” I said after a gulp of my beer.

“Life has never been all that straight and narrow,” Klow said. “Why’s that hen so mad at ya?”

Why does he keep goin’ back to Nuel? “She’s a Northerner.”

“Explains most of it,” he said. “She was somewhat reserved around me?”

Oh, yeah. “A tad.”

“Intelligent eyes.”

I nodded to my beer.

“One sexy hottie.”

“I’ll tell Grand ya talk nasty if ya aren’t careful.”

“Yar grand was sexier and hotter than that when she was in her prime. But Nuel has other attributes.”

“Did Mama ask ya to nudge me?” I asked.

“Who says I’ve talked to yar mama?”

“Ya seemed to know a lot about Nuel when ya got here. Asked a lot of personal questions after that. I think Darshee was about to split a gut. Wizper was a tad jealous.”

“Well, ya’ve made it plain neither of them are the one.”

“I’ve told ya I like livin’ in my own space.”

“When ya get old, it’ll be different. Old goats need a hen.”

“If things change, then maybe I’ll change.”

“Yar papa was half as stubborn as ya, and I came close to takin’ him out of this world a time or two.”

“Liar. Ya adore all of yar younglings.”

He nodded. Pressed his hand against his chest. “They do remain younglings here.” He sighed. “Ya know ya’re my favorite.”

“Liar.”

“What!”

“My sister is yar favorite, mostly for havin’ so many younglings. Then Ezra for just being sweet. Ya’ll go to the hot place for lyin’.”

He finished his can of beer, squashed it into a little ball, and threw it in my pool.

“Hey! I’ll have to fish that out.”

“Just addin’ some color.”

“Ya coot.”

“Ya ever get into this concrete pond?”

“Sometimes, after a run.”

He shook his head sadly. The glass beads woven into his dreadlocks tinkled. “Thought only humans wore themselves out like that.”

“Helps me with my wind, playin’ basketball.”

“Ya play too much of that human sport. Ya’re almost turnin’ human. Bad enough ya’re such a runt.”

“I love ya too, Grandpa.”

“Ya should keep someone near, watchin’ yar back over the comin’ months. I know ya’re a loner. Don’t give me any grief. Hire someone, if ya don’t have a friend ya trust. But don’t be caught alone.”

The swift turn of conversation, especially his tone, stunned me a moment.

“Their stock exchanges have lost a third of their value,” he continued. “Will get worse as this hangs on. Won’t be the government comin’ after ya as the leader of this plot.

“There’s a lot of money involved and conglomerates aren’t above hirin’ a shady group to turn the tide, if they can make it look like their hands remain clean.”

I was pretty certain that was the longest string of words my grand had every spoken to me at once. He regularly packs his statements with TNT. Few words, big impact.

I finished my beer and drew two more out of the cardboard for us. Our piffs made Sissy look up. If an ogre could form that dirty a look, we could kill with it. I scratched her behind an ear and she set her head back into my lap.

“I mean it,” he said. “Call yar friend Zug. Get someone, or two someones here.”

“Ya’re drivin’ alone.”

“Not either. They’re sittin’ outside in their SUVs.”

“What? Bring ’em in.”

“Can’t do their job if they relax,” he said.

“Ya’re serious about all this.” Funny how being around my grand got my southern accent ragin’, like his.

“Serious as a ticked off goblin,” he said.

I pulled my phone out of my shorts, to Sissy’s irritation, and dialed Zug.

“I was expecting yar call earlier,” Zug rasped. “Ya know how late it is?”

“Ya were—”

“Yar papa’s guy called me Sunday. I’ve got three good, young bulls, who’ve put in their resignations already, agreed to hang around ya for a while. Tired of all this. No families. Ready to head to the Wildes. Packin’ up their apartments, waitin’ for my word.”

“Three?” I asked.

“There’s twenty-four hours a day,” he said. “Even trolls need sleep.”

I shot my grand a look, which he ignored. Papa was involved in this too. The family’s worried. I hate to worry them. They hated when I chose to do my post graduate up North. My brother got his engineerin’ degree down South. My sister got her education degree at another Southern university. Kriz stayed even closer. They worried about me around so many humans.

“So send them now?” Zug asked.

“Thank ya, my friend.”

“Any word about—”

“Doke was less than excited. Give me some more time. I’ll coax on him some more. Need to work some more persuasion on those he listens to.”

“Got a friend tellin’ me the Western Slopes wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Less friction if ya accept the western plains, for the short term.”

“Already a lot of ogre clans down that way,” Zug mumbled.

“We’re good neighbors.”

“Yeah. Well, humans haven’t been the best. A lot of us are ready to create our own community.”

“Hide away, huh, like a passel of orcs?” I challenged him.

“What are we gonna do on the plains?” he hissed.

“Never step on another cramped subway,” I said.

“There’s that,” he mumbled.

~ Nuel ~

Silva wore a grin that could cut glass. I told her to shut up, though she hadn’t said anything. She just held me with that silly grin, like, are you gonna tell me or not?

I told her.

She is my sorority sister.

~