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.

doesn’t this guy look sort of familiar?" I heard

him as I

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

I found

of looks

Zac continued.

a few

the name

from the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at Zac, my mind now racing with new

is this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

both then turned to look

that Miles was an underground businessman

who'd tried to pull a fast

to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s how

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

future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could

go, please," he immediately

do anything.Just...don’t

Miles?" I asked, disregarding the

face blanked for a moment before becoming

"What about Miles?"

wasn’t in the mood for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already had my fill of that

down to his eye level and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next to his head,

asking the questions," I hissed, pulling the knife back out to point it

myself

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

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

and pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was going to hate where this

was the last time you heard

up at the bar on Saturday.I think he’s missing,"

know where he is, I swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

curiosity and yet I

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 sentence today was actually

question

was Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before he

bad of an idea this

the

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

goods from all over.The best at what he does, in my opinion.Even

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

I asked

he looked at me as if I were stupid for

of course.Who else in this city

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been

random criminal or a rivaling

...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

as my father? Someone who would know better than

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

do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up and stepped away, my

like the jobs