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 familiar?" I heard

ignored him as I went digging through his different

rental shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t even know those had

I

sort of looks like

Zac continued.

one from a few days

the name on the

few days ago?" I slowly spun

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s last name,"

"Noah Kennedy."

look at the man tied

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

pull a fast

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

I sent here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s death sentence today was because of me? Because

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

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

me go, please," he immediately

anything.Just...don’t kill

I asked, disregarding the

for a moment before becoming

"What about Miles?"

mood for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already had my fill of that from

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

hissed, pulling the knife back out to point it at

repeat myself for the last

managed to huff out

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

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

when was the last

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 why you’re

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

was something that held my curiosity and yet I knew I shouldn’t

the questions I had already asked was already way too

dealings, it was just

part of me

out whether or not his death sentence today was actually because

asked the question I knew

Miles

"Rae—."

I repeated, interrupting Zac before he could stop

an idea this was,

he was also under the same orders

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what he

knew I should have stopped.No, I *definitely*

I asked

looked at me as if I were stupid for not

else in this city

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been

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

...I killed an employee*.

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

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

pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had

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

the jobs