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.

guy look sort of familiar?" I heard Zac say behind

I went digging through his

membership to a laundromat? I

then, finally, I

of looks like

Zac continued.

one from a few

the name

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

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

then turned to look at

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

tried to pull a fast one

else would he have acquired problematic documents relating to him? But...‘clean

had been up to? ...Or was I sent here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s

to Noah and pulled out the

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

go, please," he immediately started

anything.Just...don’t

I

for a

"What about Miles?"

in the mood for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already had my

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

the questions," I hissed, pulling the knife

myself

out a ‘yes’, his head quickly bobbing up

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

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

the last time you heard

at the bar on Saturday.I think he’s missing,"

he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this have something to do with him? ...Or the

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

that held my curiosity and

the questions I had already asked was already way too

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

a part of

or not his death

the question I knew I

Miles involved

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac

how bad of an idea this was, just as I

the same orders

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

rare goods from

I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to keep

I

if I were stupid for

of course.Who else in this city

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a

some random criminal or a rivaling businessman.He

...I killed an employee*.

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

was in 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

and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had no

with a very important ‘what’; As in, what the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up

wasn’t like the jobs I’d had