Page 45 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
“One of my operatives is actually here for this event. I wanted you to meet them in my presence so that there will be no … misunderstandings.” Duke Wyldon looked over his shoulder toward the door. “Jack?”
An all too familiar face stepped through the door. His clothing was tasteful, a tunic and vest and tight leather pants. His face was clean-shaven and attractive, and his hair swooshed to the side with a very manly swoosh.
Brownie immediately recognized the man. “You!”
CHAPTER 23
The Only Slave Trader Who Ran Away
Rufus
I unconsciously moved between Jack and Minstrel Bronwynn when I heard the worry in her voice.
“Iam Jack Laverick.” The well-dressed man bowed in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“We’ve already met,” the minstrel said dryly. “When you kidnapped me.”
“No helping it, but Idoapologize to Minstrel Bronwynn.” He ran a hand through his sideswept ear-length hair. “If it helps, Jacques was just my undercover persona, and I would have rescued you when we reached the drop-off.”
“Thatdoeshelp,” she stated blandly. “And it explains why you were the only slave trader whoran away. Here I thought you were just a coward.”
Jack countered with a confident smile. “I am very good at running, thank you. It is hard to perfect a well-timed retreat, and I’m one of the best! You had rescued yourselves, so there wasn’t much to do except return and report to Duke Wyldon.”
“Furthermore,” the duke coughed, “I would like to add that we had no ideawhothey were planning to kidnap, only that Marquess Chadwick was up to something nefarious. It was a rare opportunity to get proof of his crimes in action.”
I crossed my arms and cut in. “At least the man is in the mines now.”
“My other operative, Jess, made it to the mansion where they locked up the Dark Lord.” The duke nodded. “We were gathering proof when the princess burst in and saved him.”
“I’m surprised, actually,” I said. “I thought Servalt’snobilitywere highly respected for their honor, while your merchants were corrupt. I guess the times are changing.”
There was a quiet moment as they all stared at me with mixed looks: Bronwynn pleased, Jack surprised, and Wyldon exasperated. Provoking the duke was on the list of small tasks my king had given me while traveling, but it was proving a very enjoyable chore.
“I do not think thatyouhave any right to judge our entire noble class on the actions of one,” Duke Wyldon finally retorted. “You have an arachne general. They areliteralcann—”
“Ah, ah, ah!” I interrupted. “I thought you werejustsaying how we shouldn’t base the actions of one on the many? At least take a breath before you lead into hypocrisy.”
Bronwynn was gaping with unfettered glee. I was glad to see she was enjoying herself.
Jack, a true master of his craft, had silently moved toward the door. He bore no noticeable weapons except a small dagger that poked out of his boot, so if our heated words came to blows, he was probably aiming to run out and summon the guards.
“You’ve gone too far!” The duke’s complexion had turned grayer as I spoke, and I could almostseethe man’s blood pressure spiking. I’d finally broken through his defenses. “I—”
A knock interrupted my victory, and we all turned to see the female attendant from before wheeling in a trolley. She looked about innocently. “Tea?”
“For myguests,” Duke Wyldon ground out. “I have more important matters to attend to. Jack, come with me.”
It looked like Jack wasn’t the only one who had skill in a well-timed retreat.
“That wasimpressive!” Bronwynn plopped herself back down in her chosen armchair and slouched into the seat. “I’m impressed.”
“Thank you.” I rejoined her in the other armchair and turned to the waiting attendant. “And thank you. For the tea.”
She passed me a cup of steeped honeybush tea, a gentle drink with a slight citrus scent. She looked a little worried. “My pleasure. Though I hope I didn’t interrupt anythingtooimportant … I’ve never seen the duke leave like that.”
“He’s not angry at you.” Bronwynn piped up from her chair. She happily accepted her tea as well. “We might have been discussing heavy politics, and emotions were running high.”
An excellent way to put it. I approved.
