Page 93 of The Very Virile Viking

"All right. Juan and I will stick on Gunther's tail till we hear from you."

"Do not let him out of your sight. And Torolf…"

"Yea?"

"Be careful, son."

Magnus clicked off and returned the device to his belt clip.

Everyone stared at him expectantly.

"Torolf? That was Torolf? Where is he?" Angela asked in alarm. She stood abruptly and her napkin flew to the floor.

"He is busy on an errand I assigned him." He continued to eat, as if unconcerned. He was, in fact, very concerned… and excited. There was naught like a good battle to get a man's juices going. And he was bloody well sick of taking a defensive mode with the scoundrels who victimized the Blue Dragon. He hated just waiting for something to happen, like a milksop cowering in a corner. 'Twas past time to take the offensive.

"Does this involve Gunther?" Grandma Rose asked, just as disturbed as Angela. No doubt she would be sneaking off any moment now to smoke one of her toe-back-hoe sticks to calm her nerves. Juanita, standing behind her, was wringing her hands in her apron as she listened.

"You have no right… you should have consulted me… I mean…" Angela sputtered her outrage at him.

"What have you done, Magnus?"

You do not want to know. Truly. "Nothing… yet." He continued to eat—even the dish of greens, which he was developing a taste for, especially when he put huge spoonfuls of creamy dressing on top to cover the bitterness of the weeds. His eating in the face of her fury made Angela even more furious. So

he took another helping of everything. "Since you took action on your own, by excluding me from your meeting with Gunther, I have taken some actions on my own."

"I… Grandma and I… own the Blue Dragon."

"I have an interest in it."

"The money?"

"Nay, not the money." You .

Angela blushed. "Tell me what you are planning."

"Nay."

"Nay… uh, no?"

Women and their incessant questions! With all the inventions they have in this new land, you would think some man would have invented a zip-her fora talksome woman's mouth. "I cannot disclose our secret plan. What if Gunther returned and you decided to meet with him again, alone, and he tortured our plan from you?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

Ridiculous am I now? That mouth zipper is looking mighty good. "Well, I am done eating." He stood and motioned toward Miguel. "Are you ready to drive me into town, my good man?"

Miguel nodded and grabbed his hat, which was sitting on the counter. Juanita appeared as if she might have a worry fit.

"By the by, Angela, I have arranged to start taking driving lessons on Monday. Torolf is coming, too."

Her mouth dropped open.

Finally, a way to stop her blathering. Magnus walked over and gave Lida a kiss on the cheek, trying his best to avoid all the rice sauce.

"Goo," Lida said. Then, "Fa-Fa."

"That is what I like. A woman of few words."

He swore he could hear Angela gritting her teeth behind him.