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.

look sort of familiar?" I heard Zac say behind

him as I went digging

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

I found

sort of looks

Zac continued.

from a

the name on

I slowly spun around to look at Zac, my mind now racing with new

this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

simultaneously, we both then turned to look at

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

a fast one over my

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

Noah involved in whatever Miles 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? Because of

to Noah and pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed

victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were already

please,"

anything.Just...don’t

related to Miles?" I asked, disregarding the

blanked for a moment

"What about Miles?"

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

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

I hissed, pulling the knife back

myself for

managed to huff out a

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

of my nose, already knowing I was going to hate

when was the last time

on Saturday.I think he’s missing,"

looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this have something to do

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

was something that held my curiosity and

had already asked was

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

of me wanted to

death

the question I knew I shouldn’t

business was Miles involved

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before he could stop

how bad of an

the

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what he does, in my

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

businessman?" I

he looked at me as if I were

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

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a

or a

...I killed an employee*.

I been 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

know better than most in

tunnelling down a thought process that

was 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

like the jobs I’d had