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.

guy look sort of familiar?" I heard Zac say

him as I went digging through

store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t even know those

then, finally, I found his driver’s

sort of looks like that

Zac continued.

a few days

I said, reading the name on

clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s last name,"

"Noah Kennedy."

both then turned to look at

thought that Miles was an

who'd tried to pull a fast one over my

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

was I sent here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were true...then

over to Noah and pulled out

the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever

go, please,"

do anything.Just...don’t kill

Miles?" I asked,

for a moment

"What about Miles?"

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

dagger into

I hissed, pulling the knife back out to point it at

me repeat myself for

out a ‘yes’, his head

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was going to

last time you heard

at the bar on Saturday.I think

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 him?

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

something that held my curiosity and yet

already asked

job wasn't to investigate my father’s dealings,

of

death

so I asked the question I

Miles

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac

of an idea

he was also under the same

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

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

I asked

me as if I

city would

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a

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

...I killed an employee*.

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

know better than most in this city what going against him entailed? There were too many questions already asked and far too

for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had

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

the jobs I’d