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

him as I went digging through his

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

then, finally, I found his

sort of looks

Zac continued.

from a few days ago.You

reading the name on

the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to

this guy’s last name," I

"Noah Kennedy."

simultaneously, we both then turned to look at the man

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

tried to pull a fast one over

relating to him?

disappearance? ...If that were true...then

pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed into his

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

please," he immediately

do anything.Just...don’t kill

to Miles?" I asked,

for a moment before

"What about Miles?"

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

eye level and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next

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

myself for the

huff out a ‘yes’, his

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

nose, already knowing I was going to hate

when was the last time you heard from

never showed up at the bar on Saturday.I think he’s missing," he hurriedly

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

I had already asked was already way

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

part of

or not his death

I asked the question I knew I shouldn’t

Miles involved

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before he

bad of an idea this was, just as I

he was also under the same orders

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

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

I asked

as if I were

this city would be shady enough

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a

some random criminal or a rivaling businessman.He was on the freaking

...I killed an employee*.

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

would know better than most in this city what going against him entailed? There

to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling

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

like the jobs I’d had