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 went digging through his different

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

then, finally, I found his driver’s

sort of looks like that

Zac continued.

from a few days ago.You

said, reading the name on the

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

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

look at the man tied

Miles was an underground businessman or some sort

tried to pull a

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

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

pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed

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

please," he immediately started

do anything.Just...don’t kill

Miles?" I asked, disregarding

for a

"What about Miles?"

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

down to his eye level and sunk m y dagger into

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

myself for the last

squirmed in fear but managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his head quickly bobbing up

"Howe"

brother," he

closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was

last time you heard from

never showed up at the bar on Saturday.I think he’s

I swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

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

already

job wasn't to investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to

a part of me wanted to

out whether or not his death sentence today was actually

asked the question I knew I

Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

Zac before he could

bad of an idea this

all, he was also under the same orders to not pry too

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

goods from

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

businessman?" I

he looked at me as if I were stupid for

city would be shady enough to need a

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a goddamn

wasn’t some random criminal or a

...I killed an employee*.

to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out something he shouldn’t have?

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

tunnelling down a thought process that had

‘what’; As in, what the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up and stepped away, my brain swimming with a million different thoughts as for what I

the jobs I’d had