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.

sort of

ignored him as I went digging

shop...a membership to

I found

looks like

Zac continued.

a

I said, reading the name on the

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

this guy’s last name,"

"Noah Kennedy."

both then turned to look at the man

connection to him? I’d thought that Miles

who'd tried to pull a fast one over

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

Miles had been up to? ...Or was I sent here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that

out the cloth I’d stuffed into his

victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could

me go, please," he immediately started

do anything.Just...don’t

Miles?" I asked,

face blanked for a moment

"What about Miles?"

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

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

asking the questions," I hissed, pulling the knife back out to

repeat myself for

out a

"Howe"

brother,"

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

when was the last time you heard from

at the bar on Saturday.I

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

my curiosity and

I had already

father’s dealings,

part of me wanted

or not his death sentence today was actually

I asked the question I knew I shouldn’t

Miles involved

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before he

would know how bad of an idea

was also under the same

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

in supplies and rare goods

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

I asked

me as if I were stupid

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

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

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

...I killed an employee*.

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

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

and stop tunnelling down a thought process

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

wasn’t like the