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

I ignored him as I went

grocery store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t

I found his driver’s

looks like

Zac continued.

from a few days ago.You

said, reading the name on the

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

this guy’s last name," I

"Noah Kennedy."

both then turned to look

connection to him? I’d thought that Miles was an underground businessman or

pull a

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

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 his

the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we

let me go, please," he immediately

anything.Just...don’t

to Miles?" I asked, disregarding

face blanked for a moment

"What about Miles?"

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

I crouched down to his eye level and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next

pulling the knife back

myself for the last

squirmed in fear but managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his head quickly bobbing up and

"Howe"

brother," he

eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I

the last time

at the bar on

him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

that held my curiosity and yet I knew I shouldn’t

the questions I had already asked was already way

investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to carry out his

of me wanted

whether or not his death sentence today

the question I knew I shouldn’t

was Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

Zac before he

of an idea this was, just as I

under the same orders to

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The

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

businessman?" I asked

looked at me as if I were

in this city would be shady

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a

or a rivaling businessman.He was on the freaking

...I killed an employee*.

I been given instructions to bring him in at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on my father?

would know better than most in this city what going against him entailed? There were too many questions already asked and

needed to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process

important ‘what’; As in, what the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up and

wasn’t like the