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

him as I went digging

rental shop...a membership

finally, I found his driver’s

sort of looks like that

Zac continued.

from a few days ago.You

I said, reading the name

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

guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

turned to look

I’d thought that Miles was an underground businessman

a fast one over

would he have acquired problematic documents relating to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s how this

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 m y accidental

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

victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I

go, please,"

anything.Just...don’t

related to Miles?" I asked, disregarding

a moment before

"What about Miles?"

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

crouched down to his eye level and sunk m y dagger into the wall

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

me repeat myself for the

to huff out a ‘yes’, his

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose,

last time you heard

never showed up at the bar on Saturday.I

where he is, I swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this have something to do with

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

held my curiosity

questions I had already

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

a part of me wanted

or not his death sentence today was actually because

so I asked the question I knew I

business was Miles

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before

an idea

all, he was also under the same orders to

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

for that wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what he does, in my opinion.Even

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

businessman?" I asked

he looked at me as if I were stupid for

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

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a goddamn

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

...I killed an employee*.

why had 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

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

needed to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had no

regardless of the why, I 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

the jobs I’d had