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.

doesn’t this guy look sort of familiar?" I

ignored him as I went digging through his different

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

I

looks

Zac continued.

a

I said, reading the name on

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

this guy’s last name," I

"Noah Kennedy."

turned to look at

what was his connection to him? I’d thought that Miles

pull a

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

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 was because of me? Because of m

pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed into his

the dumbest thing I could ever do...but

me go, please,"

do anything.Just...don’t kill

related to Miles?" I

blanked for a

"What about Miles?"

my questions plainly.I’d already had my fill of that from Kieran

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

the questions," I hissed, pulling the knife back

myself for

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

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

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

the last time you heard from

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

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

something that held my curiosity and yet I knew

I had already

father’s dealings, it was just

a part of

death sentence today was actually because

question I knew

Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before

of an idea this was,

all, he was also under the same orders

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

smuggler for that wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all

I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to keep going....But I couldn’t seem to stop

businessman?" I

as if I were stupid for not

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

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

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

want to betray aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most in this city what going against him

to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down

about

the jobs