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?" I heard

I ignored him as I went digging through his different

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

then, finally, I found his

looks like

Zac continued.

one from a few days ago.You

I said, reading the name on the

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

this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

we both then turned to look at the man tied up

what was his connection to him? I’d thought that Miles was an underground businessman or some sort of gang

tried to pull a fast one over my

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

...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s

pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed into

that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were already past the point of no

please,"

anything.Just...don’t

I asked, disregarding

a moment before becoming

"What about Miles?"

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

and sunk m y dagger into the

asking the questions," I hissed, pulling the knife back out to point it at

me repeat myself for

managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his head quickly bobbing up and

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

of my nose, already knowing

when was the last time

at the bar on Saturday.I

don’t know where he is, I swear! 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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

was something that held my curiosity and yet

already

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

of me wanted to

whether or not his death sentence today was actually because

asked the question

Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac

of an idea this was, just

was also under the

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

a smuggler for that wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all

I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to keep going....But I couldn’t seem

businessman?" I

if I were stupid for not

in this city

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a goddamn

random criminal or a rivaling businessman.He

...I killed an employee*.

in at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on

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

stop tunnelling down

a very important ‘what’; As in, what the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up

like the jobs I’d had