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.

of familiar?" I

I ignored him as I went digging

membership to a laundromat? I didn’t even

I

sort of looks like that

Zac continued.

one from a few days ago.You

said, reading the name on the

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

this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

look at the man tied up in

to him? I’d thought that Miles

tried to pull a

documents relating to

I sent here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were

out the cloth

would have agreed that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt

go, please,"

do anything.Just...don’t kill

related to Miles?" I

blanked for a moment before

"What about Miles?"

answering my questions plainly.I’d

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

the questions," I hissed, pulling the knife back

myself

in fear but managed to huff out a

"Howe"

brother," he

nose, already knowing I was going to hate where

when was the last time you heard from

on Saturday.I think he’s

like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this have something

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

was something that held my curiosity and yet I knew I shouldn’t

already asked was

my father’s dealings, it was just to carry out his

of me wanted to

not his death

question I

business was Miles involved

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before he could stop

know how bad of an

under the same orders to not pry too

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

in supplies and rare goods from

have stopped there.I knew I should have stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t have

I asked

if I were stupid for

this city would be shady

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

wasn’t some random criminal or a rivaling businessman.He was on

...I killed an employee*.

he trying to run away or snitch

were harmful, then what could make someone want to betray aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than

and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had no

about Noah? And I quickly stood back

like the