Page 63 of Apprentice to the Villain

Ignoring him, she frowned at the shirt in her hands. “This isn’t long enough.” She dropped it and, without warning, lifted her dress over her head.

“Sage!” the boss roared, his hands waving like he was trying to put out an unruly fire.

“Oh, relax, Evil Overlord. I wear less than this to swim in the pond in my village, and the men there don’t startle,” she said, rolling her eyes and noting the wildness in his own as she tied the two garments together and promptly removed one of her shoes to give it weight.

“What are their names?” His voice was distant as she focused on her task of wrapping the tail end of the cloth around the shoe.

“Who?” she huffed, finally finishing.

“The men in your village who saw you in your undergarments.”

“I don’t remember. Why?”

“Just curious.” His voice was low.

“Got it!” She grinned at him and then promptly frowned when she saw his face. “You look like you swallowed something bitter.”

“I did,” he said through gritted teeth.

She hardly noted his response, merely gripped the shoe, holding tight to the end of their knotted clothing, and aimed it in the direction of the keys—but instead knocked over a chipped vase about four feet in the other direction.

Biting her lip, Evie looked at her boss sheepishly. “I was so excited to get the shoe knotted that I forgot I have terrible aim.”

He held out his hand for it. “If you were aiming for the vase, you are an excellent shot.” His dimple appeared. Every barricade she’d begun to build around her heart to keep him out, to protect herself, collapsed. She could deal with the grumpy villain, the murderous villain, the torturous villain, but the charming villain? That was simply unreasonable.

He began his own attempt at aiming, standing with the same posture he had on Scatter Day with the interns. Focusedattention, like he was blocking out everything but himself and the keys. He tossed the shoe, and Evie sucked in a breath, watching as it sailed through the air and…overshot the keys by a yard, knocking hard into one of the windows. It cracked, and water slowly began leaking in.

Evie tilted her head and said nothing, just let her smug expression speak for her. The Villain dragged the shoe back, glaring like it had personally offended him. “It’s lighter than I thought.”

“So you took that out on the window?” she replied.

He set up to aim the shoe at the keys once more, where water was now troublingly puddling around the table. “I’ll get it this time, now that I have the mechanics squared away.”

“Sir…the water,” she said nervously.

“It’s a little leak, Sage. Leave the theatrics to Fritz and his troupe.” He tossed the shoe again, once more slamming into the window, and the crack got bigger. “Damn it.”

She glared at him. “You hit it on purpose that time!”

“I have too much force in my throw,” he muttered grimly.

“Yes, your strength is such an encumbrance—however do you bear it?” she replied sardonically, but the effect of her words was lessened by her heart rate rising at the water now pooling at her feet, soaking up to her ankles and chilling her toes.

She took a deep inhale, trying to assure herself that someone would hear all the noise, that the water was leaking in slowly enough that there would be plenty of time.

Until a terrible, sharp sound filled the room. The glass of the window was fracturing as cracks covered the entire clear surface, and then it burst. Water rushed in without reservation, streaming in waves, and they were trapped.

With no way out.

Chapter 37

Becky

Meanwhile, back at the manor…

It was two men fighting. Of course.

Banging into each other and knocking tables and chairs over as they went. The damage reports for the broken furniture would fall to Becky, and they would takeforever.Before, she was annoyed, but now, she wasfurious.