Cover of Assistant to the Villain

Assistant to the Villain

by Hannah Nicole Maehrer


Genre
Fantasy, Romance, Humor and Comedy, Fiction
Year
2023
Pages
421
Contents

Chapter 8

Overview

After discovering the bomb in The Villain's desk, Evie has only three minutes to dispose of it. She sprints across the parapet to throw it over the edge, but her heel catches in a loose block and the bomb lands too close to escape. Trapped and unable to free herself, Evie faces what she believes is certain death, her final thoughts turning to her family and The Villain.

Summary

Evie stands frozen in The Villain's office, holding the bomb she discovered in his desk. The device is gold and rectangular with a small timepiece attached, and she realizes she has only three minutes before it detonates. After a moment of panic, she forces herself to act, knowing she cannot waste the dwindling seconds.

Evie considers throwing the bomb out the window but remembers that Blade and the dragon train directly below The Villain's office, making that option too dangerous. Kingsley the frog holds up a sign reading "Run," urging her to flee. Evie decides her best chance is to get the bomb away from the building and bursts through the office doors into the main workspace, where employees dive out of her path when they see the device in her hands.

Becky, a coworker Evie normally finds irritating, shouts for Evie to head toward the parapet and throws the outside door open for her. Evie sprints through, noting what appears to be genuine concern on Becky's face. She races along the parapet under the summer sun, planning to hurl the bomb over the stone rise at the far end to spare the manor and the people inside.

Just as Evie nears the end of the parapet, the stiletto heel of her boot catches in a loose cement block, twisting her ankle and causing her to stumble. The bomb slips from her fingers and sails upward but fails to clear the stone rise, clanging back down far too close to her. Evie desperately tries to free her wedged boot, scraping her fingers raw against the brick, but she cannot pull free.

Realizing she will not escape the blast in time, Evie's thoughts turn to her family—regretting that she forgot to hug her sister Lyssa that morning and wondering whether her father heard her say she loved him. She also thinks of The Villain, lamenting that she is leaving him when he needs her most. A lone tear falls as she accepts what seems to be her fate.

Who Appears

  • Evie
    The Villain's assistant who discovers the bomb and races to dispose of it, ultimately becoming trapped on the parapet.
  • Becky
    Coworker who directs Evie toward the parapet and opens the door, showing unexpected concern.
  • Kingsley
    The Villain's frog who holds up a sign reading 'Run' to urge Evie to flee.
  • The Villain (Trystan)
    Evie's boss, absent during the crisis; Evie thinks of him in what she believes are her final moments.
  • Lyssa
    Evie's sister, mentioned in Evie's regretful final thoughts about not hugging her that morning.
  • Griffin
    Evie's sick father, mentioned as she worries whether he heard her say she loved him.
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