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

I ignored him as I

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

I found his

looks

Zac continued.

from a few days ago.You

said, reading the

slowly spun around to

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

turned to look at the man tied up

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

tried to pull a fast one

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

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

out the cloth I’d stuffed into his

talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could

please," he immediately

do anything.Just...don’t kill

to Miles?" I asked,

blanked for a moment before becoming

"What about Miles?"

for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already

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

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

repeat myself for

to huff out a ‘yes’, his

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was

was the last time you

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

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’.

my curiosity and yet I

had already asked was already way too

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

of

or not his death sentence today was

so I asked the question I knew

business was Miles

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before he could

an idea this was, just as

was also under the same orders

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

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

I

me as if I

city would be shady enough to

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

criminal or a

...I killed an employee*.

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

want to betray aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than

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

to do about Noah?

the