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 heard Zac

as I went digging through

a grocery store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a laundromat?

I found his driver’s

looks

Zac continued.

a few days

I said, reading the name on the

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

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

simultaneously, we both then turned to look

Miles was an underground businessman

pull a fast one

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

whatever Miles had been up to? ...Or was I sent here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that

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

agreed that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest

go, please,"

anything.Just...don’t kill

related to Miles?" I asked,

face blanked for a moment before

"What about Miles?"

my questions plainly.I’d already had my

sunk m y dagger into the wall

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

me repeat myself for

in fear but managed to huff out a ‘yes’,

"Howe"

brother,"

bridge of my nose, already

last time

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

looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this have something to do

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

something that held my curiosity and

I had already asked was already way too

wasn't to investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to carry out his

of me wanted to

find out whether or not his death sentence today was actually because of

question I knew I shouldn’t

Miles

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before he could

know how bad of an idea

was also under the same orders to not

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best

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

businessman?" I

if I were stupid

of course.Who else in this city would be shady

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a

criminal or a rivaling businessman.He was on the freaking

...I killed an employee*.

had 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? And those documents allegedly pertaining to

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 asked and far too many answers left unknown that I shouldn’t go looking

tunnelling

was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up and stepped away, my brain swimming with a million

wasn’t like the jobs