After being forced to drink an entire bottle of liquor, the Ringmaster braced a hand on the edge of the table and tried to get up to go somewhere. But his head lolled to one side, and he collapsed unconscious on the floor.
Ririko stood and kicked him hard twice, making sure he really was out cold.
Selina set the bottle aside. "What now?"
Ririko took her hand. "Let's lie down first."
She found the softest patch of carpet beside the table and lay down, adjusting her position and spreading out her hair before closing her eyes.
Before long, footsteps sounded outside the tent.
Mary lifted the flap and walked in, followed by a burly circus member.
She glanced at the unconscious Ringmaster beside the table, then at the two figures "passed out drunk" on the floor, and frowned.
"How can he be so useless? He was only dealing with two women, and he managed to drink himself unconscious."
She turned to the man behind her. "Tie those two women up and pack them away. They'll be here soon."
The burly man crouched down, but the sight of Ririko's stunning sleeping face stopped him in his tracks.
Where would he ever see a woman this beautiful in a place like this? He glanced at the rope in his hands, actually forgetting what he was supposed to do next.
"What are you standing there for? Get on with it!"
Mary urged him on as she smoked.
She had originally wanted Jack to handle this, but after dealing with that archer yesterday, he had vanished for the whole day. Had he gone off to the next town to fool around again?
After that scolding, the burly man had no choice but to bend down and bind both women's wrists and ankles with