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.

this guy look sort of

I ignored him as I went digging through his

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

I

of looks like

Zac continued.

a few days

I said, reading the name

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

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

simultaneously, we both then turned to look at the man tied up in the

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

to pull a fast one over my

acquired problematic documents relating to him? But...‘clean

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

and pulled out the cloth I’d

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

go, please," he immediately

do anything.Just...don’t

related to Miles?" I asked,

a moment before

"What about Miles?"

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

m y dagger into the wall directly next to his head, causing him to jump in

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

repeat myself for the last

to huff out a ‘yes’, his

"Howe"

brother,"

closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I

the last

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

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

something that held my curiosity and yet I knew I

the questions I had already asked

investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to

a part of me

death sentence today was actually because of

I asked the question I knew

was Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

I repeated, interrupting Zac before

of an idea this was, just as I

was also under the same orders to not

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

rare goods from all over.The best at what he

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

businessman?" I

as if I were

of course.Who else in this city

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a

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

...I killed an employee*.

run away or snitch on my

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 already asked and far too

pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a

going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up and stepped away, my brain swimming with a million different

like the jobs I’d had