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.

sort of

I ignored him as I went

shop...a membership to a laundromat?

I found his

sort of looks like that

Zac continued.

from a few days ago.You

reading the name on the

guy from the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

then turned to look at the man tied up in

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

to pull a fast one

have acquired problematic documents relating to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s how

in whatever Miles 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 death sentence today

out the cloth I’d stuffed into his

the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were already past the point

please," he immediately

do anything.Just...don’t

to Miles?" I

blanked for a moment before becoming

"What about Miles?"

not answering my questions plainly.I’d already had my fill

and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next to his

pulling the knife back out to point it at

me repeat myself for the

fear but managed to huff out

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

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

when was the last time

the bar on

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

was something that held my curiosity and yet

had already

investigate my father’s dealings, it was just

part of me wanted

find out whether or not his death sentence today was

the question I knew I

was Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before he could stop

bad of an

the same orders to not

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

for that wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what he does,

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

I

he looked at me as if I were stupid for not

city

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

wasn’t some random criminal or a rivaling businessman.He was on the freaking

...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 find out something he shouldn’t have?

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

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

As in, what the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood

wasn’t like the jobs I’d had