Accomplice to the Villain (Assistant and the Villain Book 3)

Evie

The sun had barely risen the next morning when Evie sat upright in bed, clutching her chest, feeling a yawning ache, like someone had hollowed her out and left nothing but emptiness behind.

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Lyssa snored quietly beside her, not even flinching when Evie sprang up and dressed, completing all her morning ablutions before gently shutting the large wooden door. Her sleep schedule had been abysmal as of late; she often woke several times during the night until she finally gave up.

The sunlight had just begun to show itself as she crept toward a window, leaning her arm on the ledge to peer out over the wide range of Hickory Forest. She was so lost in thought, she didn’t hear footsteps approaching.

“Good morning, Ms. Sage!” Marv called, nearly dropping a crate that was teetering too far to the left.

Evie rushed to grab the other side, helping Marv place the crate on the ground. “My goodness, Marv. Are you moving?”

Marv pulled at his collar, sheepish, shyly looking upon the box. “No, just taking the donations down to the entryway until they can be transported. Lots of treasures for the less fortunate! It was your sister’s idea.”

The box was filled with keepsakes—an oval portrait of a very pretty woman, a paperweight in the shape of a flower, a cluster of pens, a small toolbox, and a few other odds and ends.

Evie bent down and picked up a fresh pack of quills for writing reports. “Why don’t you place this in the storage closet just down the hall? There’s plenty of room in there, and you won’t have to travel as far with something so heavy.”

Marv blushed, fiddling with his fingers. “That’s most generous, Ms. Sage. Thank you.”

She patted his cheek and picked up the box, but she had overestimated her own strength. As the bin clattered back to the floor, the toolbox rattled out, and the lid cracked on the stone. Out fell a small hammer, a smaller screwdriver, and several shiny new screws.

Marv calmly went to his knees to pick them up, placing them back in the box. “Oh, my. Now I’ve made a mess. My apologies, Ms. Sage.”

Something about the screws looked familiar, and Evie wasn’t certain why…noveldrama

Until she heard a creaking sound above.

“Ms. Sage! Look out!” Marv cried, tugging Evie to the ground just out of range of a collapsing air vent cover, falling down atop her and guarding her body with his own. The metal clanged against the stone floor with a ringing so loud that the door it had collapsed in front of swung open.

Trystan’s room.

“What the blazes was that?” Trystan roared, shirtless and disheveled, freezing when he spotted Marv atop Evie just a few feet away. “Marv.”

Marv looked skittish and frightened. “Yes, sir?”

“Get off her now. If you please.” Marv scrambled off of her, and Trystan was already at her side, tugging her to her feet.

“Don’t be rude to him,” Evie scolded. “He just saved me from being squished.”

Marv frowned down at the screws, connecting something Evie had already started to. “Hey. These screws… Did someone try to unscrew the vent? But why?”

“To squish me on purpose,” Evie guessed, remembering the manor’s collapsed ceiling a while back and its perfectly intact screws somehow coming loose.

“Or me,” Trystan rumbled beside her, coming to the same conclusion. “Marv. Whose tools are these?”

Marv’s eyes dipped, saddened. “I don’t recall. The crate was left out for any items to be discarded in the office. It’s been sitting there all night, sir. I should’ve been more vigilant; shall I gather the workers for questioning? Or you could question me!” Marv offered generously, always eager to assist.

“Not necessary, Marv. I’ll find the answers on my own,” Trystan stated, and Evie felt her hackles rise.

“I could help,” she argued.

Trystan shut his eyes tight, releasing a breath before returning to his chambers, muttering as he walked…

“No. You can’t.”