Page 57 of Apprentice to the Villain

WANTED VILLAIN REVEALED:

TRYSTAN MAVERINE

REWARD: A THOUSAND GOLD PIECES.

“We caught The Villain!”

Chapter 32

Evie

“I’ve never been tied up before,” Evie said, “but I am almost certain you could be doing that more gently. I’m going to get rope burn.”

“Theodore, gag her like we did The Villain! I can’t listen to her squawking any longer.”

Anger pulsed as Evie was jostled against her boss, who for some godsforsaken reason had done absolutely nothing to get free of his own bindings. Why wasn’t he using his magic?

To his credit, he was not shy about using brute force.

As soon as the largest of the men—Theodore, she believed—yanked her back and shoved a rolled-up cloth in her mouth, The Villain went berserk. His feet, which were not bound, came up and kicked the goon hard in the nose with a loudcrack. Three other men were on him in seconds, pinning him as he yelled against his gag, a furious, muffled sound.

Evie choked on the cloth as Theodore shoved it even farther in and then covered it with another cloth tied around the bottom of her face. She couldn’t talk her way out of this, just listen to the rattling quiet as the boat carried them down an unknown canal to an unknown destination. She felt sick.

Creak, creak, creak.

Her breathing became labored as she felt the bile rising in her throat. The leader of the group, who was being called Fritz by hiscompanions, had silver hair, but he otherwise appeared young, perhaps only a decade older than Evie. He grinned at her, but it wasn’t friendly.

“You look awfully familiar,” Fritz said as he inched even closer. The Villain began thrashing again, but Evie didn’t move. She was through with letting herself be intimidated by men. “Did I take you to bed last month?”

She frowned and shrugged, looking down at the gag still in her mouth. The intrigue in Fritz’s eyes only grew as he untied the cloth, and Evie spit the filthy-tasting handkerchief from her mouth. She smirked. “No, I don’t think I’ve ever beenthatdisappointed.”

Fritz paused, raising his hand like he would strike her, but the blow never came. Instead, he brought his hand down against his thigh hard, then hollered, “That was very good, little lady! Disappointing in bed!” He motioned to a quiet blond man with glasses in the corner. “Write that one down, Douglas. I wanna use it in the next performance.”

Performance?

Douglas gave Evie a considerably distasteful look before turning to write in his tiny black notebook.

The boat jostled again, and The Villain finally settled back against the seat.Use your magic!she urged him with her eyes. But he didn’t. He merely sat there in silent fury.

She didn’t have magic. She didn’t have physical fighting skills. But she did have her mind and her optimism. They would have to be enough.

Evie pushed her shoulders back. “If it’s gold you want, The Villain can double whatever the king’s ransom is.”

Fritz laughed again and pointed at her like they were buddies sharing an ale over a rowdy game of cards. “Ah, but can he pay his ransomandyours, Evie Sage?”

Her mouth parted and her pulse climbed as the man pulledanotherwantedflyer from his pocket. This one was a perfect rendering of…her.

THE WICKED WOMAN

EVIE SAGE

WANTED FOR TREASON

COLLUDING WITH THE VILLAIN

ARMED

DANGEROUS