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

I ignored him as I went digging through his

rental shop...a membership

then, finally, I found his driver’s

of looks

Zac continued.

a few days

I said, reading the name

few days ago?" I slowly spun

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

turned to look at the man tied up in the

him? I’d thought that Miles

who'd tried to pull a

he have acquired problematic documents relating to him?

Noah involved in whatever Miles had been up to? ...Or was 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

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

victim was possibly the dumbest

please," he immediately

do anything.Just...don’t

related to Miles?" I asked, disregarding the

for a moment

"What about Miles?"

answering my questions plainly.I’d already had my fill

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

questions," I hissed, pulling the knife

repeat myself for

huff out a ‘yes’, his head quickly

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

my nose, already knowing I was going to

the last time

never showed up at the bar on Saturday.I

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’.

my curiosity and yet I knew I shouldn’t

I had already asked was already way too

to investigate my father’s dealings,

a part of me wanted to

out whether or not his death

so I asked the question I

was Miles involved

"Rae—."

Zac before

would know how bad of an idea this was, just

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 he

I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to keep going....But I couldn’t seem

businessman?" I asked

he looked at me as if I were

else in this city

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

some random criminal or a rivaling

...I killed an employee*.

him in at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out

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 too many answers

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

left with a very important ‘what’; As in, what the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back

the