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

ignored him as I

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

then, finally, I found his driver’s

sort of looks like

Zac continued.

one from a few days

I said, reading the name

days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

to look at the

to him? I’d thought that Miles was an underground businessman or some sort

pull a fast

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

been up to? ...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 of me?

to Noah and pulled out

talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were

me go, please," he immediately

do anything.Just...don’t kill

Miles?" I asked, disregarding the

a moment

"What about Miles?"

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

and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next to his head,

the knife back out

myself for the

out a ‘yes’, his head

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

my nose, already knowing I was going to

was the last time

on Saturday.I think he’s

swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

that held my curiosity and yet I knew I

questions I had already

to investigate my father’s dealings, it was

part of me wanted to

find out whether or not his death sentence today

the question I knew I shouldn’t

was Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before he could

bad of an idea

he was also under the same orders to

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

for that wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what he does, in

knew I should have stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to keep going....But I couldn’t seem to

I

he looked at me as if I were stupid for

Reid, of course.Who else in this city would be

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

criminal or a rivaling businessman.He

...I killed an employee*.

or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out something he shouldn’t have? And those documents allegedly

aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most in

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

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

the jobs I’d had