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?"

ignored him as I went digging through

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

I found his driver’s

of looks like that

Zac continued.

a few

reading the name

days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at Zac, my mind now

is this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

look at the man

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

pull a fast one over my

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

I sent here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s death sentence

over to Noah and pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed into his

dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we

let me go, please," he

anything.Just...don’t kill

I

a moment

"What about Miles?"

answering my questions plainly.I’d already had my

his eye level and sunk m y dagger into the wall

the questions," I hissed, pulling the knife

myself for the last

but managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his head quickly bobbing up

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

of my nose, already knowing I was going to hate where

last time

at the bar on

I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

curiosity and yet I knew I shouldn’t

already asked was

to investigate my father’s dealings,

a part of me

out whether or not his death

the question I

business was Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before he could stop

how bad of an idea this was, just as

was also under the same orders to not

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

in supplies and rare goods

should have stopped there.I knew I should have stopped.No, I *definitely*

businessman?" I

he looked at me as if I were

of course.Who else in this city would

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

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

...I killed an employee*.

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 documents allegedly pertaining to

than most in this city what going against him entailed? There were too many questions

and stop tunnelling

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 and stepped away, my brain swimming with a million different thoughts

wasn’t like the