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 familiar?" I heard Zac say

I ignored him as I went digging through his

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

finally, I

of looks like that

Zac continued.

a few

the

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

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

"Noah Kennedy."

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

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

a fast one over

to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s how this job had been

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?

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

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

please," he immediately started

anything.Just...don’t

related to Miles?" I asked, disregarding

a

"What about Miles?"

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

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

questions," I hissed, pulling the knife back

me repeat myself

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

"Howe"

brother,"

my nose, already knowing I was going to

the last time you heard

on Saturday.I think

where he is, I swear! I’ve 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

I had already

dealings,

part of me wanted to

not his death sentence today was

the question I

Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before he could

bad of an idea

under the same orders to not pry

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

rare goods from

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

I

me as if I were stupid for not

in this city would be shady enough

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

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

...I killed an employee*.

all? Was he trying to run away or

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

tunnelling down a thought process that

was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly

like the jobs I’d had