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?"

him as I went digging through

store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a laundromat?

I found his

looks

Zac continued.

one from a few days ago.You

reading the name on the

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

"Noah Kennedy."

look at the man

that Miles was

pull a

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

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 y

out the cloth I’d stuffed

was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were already past

please,"

do anything.Just...don’t

related to Miles?" I asked, disregarding the

a moment

"What about Miles?"

my questions plainly.I’d already had my

y dagger into

hissed, pulling the knife back out to point it

repeat myself for the last

managed to huff out a

"Howe"

brother," he

the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was going to

when was the last time you

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

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

something that held my curiosity and yet I

questions I had already asked was

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

part of me wanted

out whether or not his death sentence

asked the question I

was Miles

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before he

would know how bad of an idea this

was also under the

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

should have stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to keep

businessman?" I

he looked at me as if I were stupid

of course.Who else in this city would be shady enough

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a goddamn

criminal or a rivaling businessman.He

...I killed an employee*.

run away or snitch on

was in them? 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

and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had no end in

very important ‘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

wasn’t like the jobs I’d had