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.

sort of familiar?" I heard

him as I went digging

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

then, finally, I found his

of looks like that

Zac continued.

from a few

the name

guy from the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

both then turned to look at the man tied up in the

him? I’d thought that Miles was an underground businessman or some

pull a fast one over my

relating to him?

sent here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were true...then didn’t

pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed into

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

let me go, please," he

anything.Just...don’t kill

Miles?" I asked, disregarding

face blanked for a moment before becoming

"What about Miles?"

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

into

the knife back out to point

me repeat myself

managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his head

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

my nose, already knowing I was going to hate where

when was the last time you heard

showed up at the bar on Saturday.I think

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

that held my curiosity and yet I

I had already asked was already way

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

of me wanted

whether or not his death sentence today was

the question I knew I

business was Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before he

how bad of an idea this was, just as I

under the same orders to not pry too

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

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

I

looked at me as if I were stupid for not

this city would be shady

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a

or a rivaling businessman.He was on the

...I killed an employee*.

at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out something he shouldn’t have?

was in them? If they were harmful, then what could make someone want to betray aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most in this city what going against him entailed? There were too many questions

a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had

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 jobs I’d