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 heard Zac say

as I went digging

shop...a membership to a laundromat?

then, finally, I found his

sort of looks like

Zac continued.

a few days

the

he the guy from the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly

is this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

to look

his connection to him? I’d thought that Miles

who'd tried to pull a

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

...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

Noah and pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed into his

possibly the dumbest

me go, please," he immediately

anything.Just...don’t

Miles?" I asked,

blanked for a moment before

"What about Miles?"

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

into the wall directly next to his head, causing

the

myself for

out a ‘yes’, his

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

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

when was the last

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

for him but it’s like he’s just

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

held my curiosity and

questions I had already asked was already way

dealings, it was just to carry out his

a part of me wanted to

death sentence

asked the question I knew I shouldn’t

business was Miles involved

"Rae—."

Zac before he could

would know how bad of an idea this was,

under the same orders to not pry

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from

I *definitely*

businessman?" I asked

at me as if I were stupid

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

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a goddamn

some random criminal or a

...I killed an employee*.

instructions to bring him in at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on my

know better than most in

a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought

what the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood

like the jobs I’d had