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.

look sort of familiar?"

I ignored him as I went digging through his different

rental shop...a membership to a laundromat?

finally, I found his driver’s

sort of looks like that

Zac continued.

one from a few

the name on

I slowly spun around to

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s last name,"

"Noah Kennedy."

to look at the man tied up in the

thought that Miles was an underground businessman or some sort of

pull a

he have acquired problematic documents relating to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s how this job had been

sent 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

out the cloth I’d stuffed

would have agreed that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were already past the

let me go, please," he immediately started

anything.Just...don’t kill

related to Miles?" I asked, disregarding the

face blanked for a

"What about Miles?"

not answering my questions plainly.I’d

dagger into the wall directly next to

questions," I hissed, pulling the knife back out to point it at

repeat myself for the

to huff out a ‘yes’, his head

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was going to hate where this

was the last

showed up at the bar on Saturday.I

I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

was something that held my curiosity and yet I knew

questions I had already asked

my father’s dealings, it was just to carry

part of me

his death sentence

so I asked the question I knew I shouldn’t

business was Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before

an idea

the same

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

smuggler for that wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The

stopped there.I knew I should have stopped.No, I *definitely*

I

he looked at me as if I were stupid for not

this city

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a goddamn

a rivaling businessman.He was on the freaking

...I killed an employee*.

him in at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out something he shouldn’t have? And those

than most in this city what going against him entailed? There

needed to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had

regardless of the why, I was now left with a very important ‘what’; As in, what the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up and stepped away,

the jobs I’d had