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.

of familiar?"

I ignored him as I went

had a grocery store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a

I found his

looks

Zac continued.

from a

reading the name

the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at Zac, my mind now racing

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

"Noah Kennedy."

both then turned to look at the

his connection to him? I’d thought that Miles

pull a fast one over my

documents relating to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s

to? ...Or was I 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 me? Because of m y

over to Noah and pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed into

future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were already past the point of no

me go, please," he immediately

do anything.Just...don’t

related to Miles?" I asked,

a

"What about Miles?"

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

his eye level and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next to his head, causing him

the knife back out to point it

repeat myself

but managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his

"Howe"

brother," he

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

was the last time you heard

at the bar on Saturday.I think

like he’s just disappeared....Is that why

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

that held my curiosity and

the questions I had already asked was already way

my father’s dealings, it was just to carry out his

of me

or not his death sentence today

I asked the question I knew I shouldn’t

Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac

bad of an idea this

under the same orders to not pry

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

have stopped there.I knew I should have stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to keep going....But I couldn’t

businessman?" I

he looked at me as if I were stupid for not

of course.Who else in this city

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a

criminal or a rivaling businessman.He was

...I killed an employee*.

I been given instructions to bring him in at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he

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 many questions already

for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had no

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

the jobs I’d had