A Gift from the Goddess

"Rae...I do believe this guy is alive," Zac said.

The two of us were peering into the cupboard, looking at a very tied up and very terrified looking Noah.

"Yep," I replied.

"Right...right....And, just to make sure we’re on the same page here, you are aware that normally I don’t see this part, right? That I come in afterwards?"

"I’m aware."

At the sound of the conversation, Noah immediately started to squirm and plead to Zac with his eyes, hoping that he would help free him.

Not that it would do him any good.

"So, what's the hold up?" Zac asked, still confused.

"Isn’t this just another Thursday for you? I’ve seen you do worse."

He was right.This really wasn’t that abnormal of a job for me to do.

But I gritted my teeth at his question nevertheless, hating how I had ended up in this situation.

"I...can’t," I said, deflating in defeat.

"I can’t do it."

"You can’t...do it...," Zac repeated slowly.

"And why is it—."

"Look, I just can’t, okay?" I said, cutting him off, irritated at all the questions.

"I’ve tried.I even tried again before you got over here.I can’t do it, I can’t do it, I can’t do it.End of discussion."

"...So why am I here? Just tell your dad that —."

"No."

Of course, Zac would suggest that.He didn’t know about every dark secret my father was hiding, only ever seeing as far as he needed to.

"No, I can’t tell him," I said.

"...And you can’t tell him either."

"Rae, the boss is expecting this guy dead," he said, taking a step back to look at me.

"I’m not really sure what’s going on, but you do realise he’ll find out sooner or later, right? You can’t just keep him locked up in a cupboard forever."

"Okay, fine! Fine...," I sighed in frustration, before slowly locking up to meet his eyes.

"...Then you do it."

Immediately, his face paled.

"What?! Rae, no! No," he blurted out.

"I don’t do that."

"c’mon, Zac," I whined.

"It’s not that different from cleaning up.Both have a lot of blood.I can talk you through it.Here...just grab this dagger like this...and then hold it in your hand facing—."

"Raven, stop!"

I'd been trying to get him to wield the weapon but he immediately held his hands up and stepped away.

"Just...chill," he said.

"I’m not going to kill someone."

"Argh! I spun around and angrily started pacing the room, beginning to get more worried as every second passed.I didn’t understand why this had to be so difficult.It shouldn't be this hard.Any other day, I could have done this job with my eyes closed.Why was I struggling to kill one random man? Who even was this guy? A small brown wallet then caught my attention as it sat on top of a table, and I walked over to inspect it.

doesn’t this guy look sort of familiar?" I heard Zac

as I went

membership to a laundromat? I didn’t even know those had

then, finally, I found his

looks

Zac continued.

one from a few days ago.You

reading the

I slowly spun around

is this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

we both then turned to look at the man tied

connection to him? I’d thought that Miles was an underground businessman or some sort of

a fast

to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s how

here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s death sentence today was because of me?

over to Noah and pulled out the cloth

to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest

please," he immediately started

anything.Just...don’t kill

Miles?" I asked, disregarding the

for a moment

"What about Miles?"

the mood for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already had my fill of that

to his eye level and sunk m y dagger into

the knife back out

repeat myself for

managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his head quickly bobbing up and

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

and pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was going to

when was the last

bar on

know where he is, I swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

something that held my curiosity and

I had already

to investigate my father’s dealings, it

of

or not his death sentence today

I asked the question I knew I

Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

Zac before he could stop

bad of an idea this was, just as

he was also under the same

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

rare goods from all over.The best at what he does, in my opinion.Even better than

stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to keep

businessman?" I

if I were stupid for

else in this city would be shady enough to

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a goddamn

or a rivaling businessman.He was

...I killed an employee*.

trying to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out something he shouldn’t have? And those documents allegedly pertaining to the

them? If they were harmful, then what could make someone want to betray aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most in this city what going against him entailed? There were too

to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had no end in

the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back

like the jobs I’d had