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.

this guy look sort of familiar?"

ignored him as I went digging through his different

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

then, finally, I found his

looks like

Zac continued.

one from a few days

I said, reading the

Kennedy.Wasn’t he the guy from the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at

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

"Noah Kennedy."

we both then turned to look at the man tied

to him? I’d thought that Miles

to pull a fast one over

to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s

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

over to Noah and pulled out the cloth

have 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

go, please," he immediately started

anything.Just...don’t

to Miles?" I asked, disregarding the

face blanked for a moment

"What about Miles?"

for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d

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

pulling the

myself for

but managed to huff out a

"Howe"

brother,"

nose, already knowing I was going to hate

the last time you

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

he’s just disappeared....Is that why

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

curiosity and yet

I had already asked was already way too

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

a part of me wanted to

not his death sentence today was

I asked the question I

Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

I repeated, interrupting Zac before

know how bad of an idea this

under the same orders to not

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what he

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

businessman?" I

at me as if

this city would be shady enough to

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been

some random criminal or a rivaling businessman.He was

...I killed an employee*.

instructions to bring him in at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out something he shouldn’t have? And those documents allegedly pertaining

harmful, then what could make someone want to betray aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most

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

do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up and stepped

wasn’t like the jobs I’d