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

I

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

then, finally, I found his driver’s

looks like

Zac continued.

one from a few days

reading the

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

is this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

to look at the man tied up in

Miles was an underground businessman or

who'd tried to pull a

he have acquired problematic documents relating to

was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s

Noah and pulled out the cloth

was possibly the dumbest thing

let me go, please," he

do anything.Just...don’t

to Miles?" I asked,

a

"What about Miles?"

not answering my questions

crouched down to his eye level and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next to his head, causing him

I hissed, pulling the

myself

but managed to huff out

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

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

was the last time you

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

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 do with him? ...Or the

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

that held my curiosity and yet I knew

I had already asked was already way too

dealings, it was just to carry

a part of me wanted

whether or not his death

the question

Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before he could

how bad of an idea this

under the same orders

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what he does, in my opinion.Even

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

businessman?" I asked

me as if I were

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

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a goddamn

criminal or a rivaling businessman.He was

...I killed an employee*.

had I been given 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

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 many questions already asked and far too many answers left unknown that I

needed to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process

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 should

wasn’t like the jobs I’d had