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.

look sort of familiar?" I heard Zac

I ignored him as I went digging

one...a rental shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t even

finally, I found his driver’s

looks like that

Zac continued.

one from a few

the name

a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at Zac, my

this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

both then turned to look at

that Miles

pull a

he have acquired problematic documents relating to

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

out the cloth I’d stuffed

dumbest thing I could ever do...but I

please," he immediately

anything.Just...don’t kill

to Miles?" I asked, disregarding

blanked for a moment

"What about Miles?"

wasn’t in the mood for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already

sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next to

pulling the knife back out to point it at

repeat myself for the

to huff out a ‘yes’, his

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was going to hate where this was

last time you heard from

never showed up at the bar on Saturday.I think he’s

is, I 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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

something that held my curiosity and yet

I had already

dealings,

of me wanted to

or not his death

I asked the question I knew

Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

Zac before he could stop

how bad of an

also under the same orders to not

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

and rare goods from all over.The best at what he does, in my

stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t

I asked

me as if I

this city would be shady enough to need a

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a goddamn

or a rivaling businessman.He was

...I killed an employee*.

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

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?

stop tunnelling down a thought process that had

‘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

like the jobs I’d had