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

as I

a grocery store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t

then, finally, I found his driver’s

sort of looks like

Zac continued.

a few days ago.You

said, reading the

the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at

guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

then turned to look at the man tied up in

that Miles was an underground businessman or some sort of gang

pull a fast one

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

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

and pulled out the cloth

that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing

please," he immediately started

anything.Just...don’t

related to Miles?" I

a moment before

"What about Miles?"

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

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

hissed, pulling the knife back

me repeat myself for

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

"Howe"

brother,"

nose, already knowing

when was the last time you

never showed up at the bar on Saturday.I think he’s missing," he

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’.

was something that held my curiosity and yet I knew I

already

wasn't to investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to carry out his

of

his death sentence today was

I asked the question I knew I

was Miles

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before he could stop

would know how bad of an idea this was,

he was also under the same orders to not pry

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what

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

I

looked at me as if I

of course.Who else in this city would be shady enough to need

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been

a rivaling businessman.He was on the freaking

...I killed an employee*.

trying to run away or snitch on my

could make someone want to betray aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most in this city

pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a

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 away, my brain swimming with a million different thoughts

the jobs