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.

doesn’t this guy look sort of familiar?" I heard Zac say

him as I went digging through his

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

then, finally, I found his driver’s

of looks like that

Zac continued.

one from a

reading the name on

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

this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

look at

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

who'd tried to pull a fast one

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

into his disappearance? ...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s

walked over to Noah and pulled out the cloth I’d

talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing

let me go, please,"

anything.Just...don’t

Miles?" I asked,

for a

"What about Miles?"

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

the questions," I hissed, pulling the

me repeat myself

to huff out a ‘yes’, his head quickly

"Howe"

brother,"

bridge of my nose, already knowing I was going to hate where

when was the last time you heard from

showed up at the bar on Saturday.I

know where he is, I swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

that held my curiosity and yet

I had already asked

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

of me

his death sentence

question

was Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

I repeated, interrupting Zac

an idea this was, just as I

also under the same orders

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

I should have stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted

I

he looked at me as if I were

city would be shady

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a

some random criminal or a rivaling

...I killed an employee*.

Was he trying to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out something he shouldn’t have? And those documents allegedly pertaining

as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most in this city what going against him entailed? There were

stop tunnelling down a thought process that had no

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 as for what I

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