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.

of familiar?"

him as I went digging

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

I found his driver’s

of looks like that

Zac continued.

a few days

reading the name on

the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to look

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

"Noah Kennedy."

then turned to look

Miles

who'd tried to pull a fast

to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s how this job had been

in whatever Miles had been up to? ...Or was I sent here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were

pulled out the

future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever

go, please," he immediately

do anything.Just...don’t

related to Miles?" I asked, disregarding the

for a moment

"What about Miles?"

not answering my questions plainly.I’d

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

pulling the knife back out to point it

repeat myself

managed to huff out a ‘yes’,

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

of my nose,

the last

showed up at the bar on

been looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

curiosity and yet I knew I shouldn’t

questions I had already asked was already way

my father’s dealings,

a part of

his death sentence today

so I asked the question I

business was Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

Zac before

of an idea this was, just

the same orders to not pry too

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

a smuggler for that wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what

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

businessman?" I asked

he looked at me as if I were

Reid, of course.Who else in this city would

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been

some random criminal or a rivaling businessman.He was on the

...I killed an employee*.

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 allegedly pertaining to the

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

to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down

left with a very important ‘what’; As in, what the hell was I going to do about Noah?

wasn’t like the jobs I’d had