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

him as I went digging through

membership to a laundromat? I didn’t even know those

then, finally, I

of looks like

Zac continued.

a

said, reading the

slowly spun around to look at Zac, my mind now racing with

is this guy’s last name," I

"Noah Kennedy."

simultaneously, we both then turned to look at the man

I’d thought that Miles was an underground businessman or

tried to pull a fast one

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

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

to Noah and pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed

that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I

let me go, please," he immediately

do anything.Just...don’t

related to Miles?" I asked, disregarding

blanked for a moment before

"What about Miles?"

in the mood for people not answering my

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

asking the questions," I hissed, pulling the knife back out to

repeat myself for the last

managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his head quickly bobbing

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

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

was the last time you heard from

showed up at the bar on Saturday.I think he’s

don’t know where he is, I swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

my curiosity and yet I knew

had already

to investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to

a part of me wanted

whether or not his death sentence today was

question I

Miles involved

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before

would know how bad of an idea this was, just as I

under the same orders to

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

rare goods from all over.The best at what he does, in

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

businessman?" I asked

looked at me as if I were stupid

Reid, of course.Who else in this city would be shady enough to need

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

wasn’t some random criminal or a

...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

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

needed to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had no end

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

like the jobs I’d had