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.

guy look sort of familiar?" I heard Zac say behind

him as I went digging

rental shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t

then, finally, I found

of looks like

Zac continued.

from a

reading the name

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

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

"Noah Kennedy."

both then turned to look

that Miles was an underground businessman or

to pull a fast one over my

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

disappearance? ...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s death sentence today was because of me? Because of m y accidental lapse in

to Noah and pulled out the

the dumbest

let me go, please,"

do anything.Just...don’t

I asked, disregarding the

a

"What about Miles?"

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

to his eye level and sunk m y dagger into the

the

repeat myself for

managed to huff out a ‘yes’,

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

of my nose, already knowing

was the last time you heard from

on

he is, I swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this have something to

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

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

questions I had already asked was

to investigate my father’s dealings, it was

of me

whether or not his death sentence

the question I knew I shouldn’t

was Miles

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac

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

he was also under the same

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

stopped there.I knew I should have stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t

I asked

at me as if I were

city would be

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

a rivaling businessman.He was on

...I killed an employee*.

trying to run away or

If they were harmful, then what could make someone want to betray aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most in this city what going against him entailed? There were too

for a moment and stop tunnelling

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

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