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

as I

rental shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t even know those

then, finally, I

of looks like that

Zac continued.

one from a few days ago.You

the name on the

the guy from the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at Zac, my mind now racing

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

simultaneously, we both then turned to look at the man tied up in the

him? I’d thought that Miles was

a fast one over

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

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 accidental lapse in control? "Ah

and pulled out the cloth I’d

that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing

go, please," he immediately started

anything.Just...don’t

I asked,

blanked for a

"What about Miles?"

wasn’t in the mood for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already had my fill of that from Kieran

I crouched down to his eye level and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next to his

pulling the knife back out to point it

myself for

in fear but managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his head quickly bobbing up

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was going

was the last

on Saturday.I think he’s missing," he hurriedly

I swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

curiosity

the questions I had already asked was

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

part of me wanted to

whether or not his death sentence today

question I knew I shouldn’t

was Miles involved

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before he could

know how bad of an idea this was, just as

also under the same orders to not pry

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

and rare goods from all

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

businessman?" I asked

at me as if

of course.Who else in this city would

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a goddamn

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

father? Someone who would know better than most in this city what going against him entailed? There were too many

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

now left with a 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 a million different thoughts as for what I should

wasn’t like the