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 went digging through his different

rental shop...a membership to a laundromat?

then, finally, I

sort of looks

Zac continued.

from a

I said, reading the

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

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

simultaneously, we both then turned to look at the

that Miles was an underground

to pull a fast one over my

he have acquired problematic documents relating to him?

was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s death sentence today was because

and pulled out

was possibly the dumbest thing I could

please," he immediately started

anything.Just...don’t kill

related to Miles?" I asked, disregarding

blanked for a moment

"What about Miles?"

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

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

the

me repeat myself for the

huff out a

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, already

when was the last time you heard

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

like he’s

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

held my curiosity and

I had already asked was already way too

father’s dealings, it was just

of me

out whether or not his death

so I asked the question I knew I shouldn’t

Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

Zac

of an idea this was, just as

he was also under the same orders to not pry

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

for that wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best

I should have stopped.No, I *definitely*

businessman?" I

looked at me as if I

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

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

wasn’t some random criminal or a

...I killed an employee*.

to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out something

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

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

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

the jobs I’d had