Page 37 of Falling for the Grumpy Orc
Damn it all to hell.
My encounter with Joren Veckett earlier has left me raw, exposed, but somehow lighter. Like letting go of an anchor I'd been dragging for twenty years. Maybe that's what's messing with my head.
What if she says no?What if she has someone else in mind and that kiss is just a mistake for her?
I growl low in my chest, a sudden surge of possessiveness rising inside me like a burning tide at the idea of Cassidy with any other man. I’m pulled from my jealous train of thought by the sound of an engine coming up the deserted road.
A black pickup truck roars past me in the opposite direction, and my grip tightens on the steering wheel as I recognize Bogdan Ashvale behind the wheel.
What is he doing here?There's only one house up that road and it's the Saltwater Lodge.
Before I can think more about it, the lodge appears between the overgrown bushes up the drive and I make a mental note to trim them before the first snowfall.
It's probably nothing, I tell myself.Just a bitter orc looking at something he can't have. No big deal. It's not like he's going to try anything while I'm there with Cassidy.
And since I have the intention of staying around, indefinitely if she will allow me, then he's no threat.
The lodge windows glow warmly in the gathering dusk and I frown as I see an unfamiliar silver sedan parked next to Cassidy's beat-up Honda. A silver sedan with rental plates on it.
Someone is here with Cassidy.
My heart immediately hammers hard against my ribs, and I climb out of my truck. I don’t know who is there, but I need to make sure Cassidy is safe.
I take the porch steps two at a time in my haste to see her, then pause in the foyer. Voices drift up from the basement. Cassidy’s is tight with tension and when a male voice answers her, my blood runs cold. I waste no time going down there.
The basement stairs creak under my weight as I descend. The scene that greets me makes my jaw clench: Cassidy backed against the electrical panel, her face pale but chin lifted defiantly. A well-dressed troll towers over her, his blue-gray skin gleaming in the fluorescent light.
"What's going on here?" My voice fills the space like thunder.
They both turn to me in a single movement. Cassidy's shoulders sag with relief, the troll's face flickering with annoyance before smoothing into a practiced smile. His mottled hands fidget with the lapels of his suit, and I catch the slight twitch of his left eye. A tell I've seen too many times in folks with something to hide.
"I'm sorry, but we're in the middle of an official inspection." The troll draws himself up, but I've got at least four inches on him. "This is a private city matter."
"I'm the contractor hired to rebuild this place." I step forward, letting my size do the talking. "And Cassidy can tell me herself if she wants me to leave.”
“I want Gerralt to be here!” Cassidy is quick to say, her hazel eyes turning to me in a quiet plea. “Chief Inspector Millings is telling me that I have to redo the entire wiring of the lodge and replace this panel in a week or the entire house will be condemned.”
Her voice holds the shrill sound of panic, full of fear, and it makes my fists clench. I never want to hear her afraid.
“I know for a fact there's nothing wrong with that panel.” I cross my arms over my chest as I face the troll. “And there is certainly no need for rewiring.”
"These wires here are completely wrong for residential use," he declares, jabbing a finger at the neatly bundled wires emerging from the panel. His hand trembles slightly, and I notice a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.
I step closer, letting my shadow fall over him.
"Those wires are exactly what the code requires. Want to know how I know?"
I tap the permit stamp still taped to the panel door. "Because Inspector Martinez signed off on it himself five days ago."
The troll's Adam’s apple bobs as he shuffles through his papers, the pages crinkling under his fingers. My suspicion grows with each nervous gesture. A real inspector would know all this.
"The grounding system appears inadequate as well," he stammers, clearly grasping at straws.
"Everything's properly grounded and bonded." I bare my tusks in what might generously be called a smile, watching him squirm. "Want me to walk you through the whole system? I can quote the code numbers if you need a refresher."
His clipboard trembles more noticeably now. The stink of fear rolls off him in waves that my sensitive nose can't miss. "The branch circuits are totally—"
"Are all properly labeled and protected," I cut him off and I don't miss how he takes a small step back and his gaze shifts to the basement stairs. I've seen enough to know this man is no inspector. The real question is, what does he want with Cassidy?
