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?"

ignored him as I

store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t even know

finally, I found his driver’s

sort of looks like that

Zac continued.

a few days

I said, reading the name on

Kennedy.Wasn’t he the guy from the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at Zac, my mind

is this guy’s last name," I

"Noah Kennedy."

simultaneously, we both then turned to look at the

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

who'd tried to pull a fast one over my

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

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

and pulled out

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

go, please,"

anything.Just...don’t kill

related to Miles?" I asked, disregarding

face blanked for a

"What about Miles?"

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

m y dagger into

I hissed, pulling the

me repeat myself for

to huff out

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, already

when was the last time you

at the bar on Saturday.I

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

my curiosity and yet I knew

the questions I had already asked

investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to

of me wanted to

find out whether or not his death

so I asked the question

business was Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

Zac before he could stop

an idea this was,

was also under the same orders

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

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

I

if

in this city would be

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a goddamn

wasn’t some random criminal or a rivaling businessman.He

...I killed an employee*.

given instructions to bring him in at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on

as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most

and stop tunnelling down a thought

do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up and stepped away, my brain swimming with a million different thoughts as

wasn’t like the jobs