Page 29 of Her Fearless Ronin

The man gave me a grin that was almost too wide. As if he had a secret. “Chill out, Hope. We’re all friends here.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, detailing his appearance. He was much younger than Jiro, probably closer to my age, and was wearing his hair up in a bun and shaved to the sides, a little like Jiro; however, the similarities stopped there. He was dressed like a grunge nineties kid reliving his past glory. He wore a pair of ripped jeans, Reebok hi-tops, a faded band T-shirt, and an oversized plaid shirt.

“And you are?”

He leaned back, acting all mysterious with a taunting smile. “Oda. Just call me Oda.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Oda? Like, the random dude who just plopped into my coffee time?”

He chuckled, a low rumble that grated on my nerves. “Coffee time… Right. Whatever you were about to do, sweet cheeks, I’ll ask you to reconsider.”

I crossed my arms, my patience wearing thin. “And what do you want, Oda?”

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “I’m here to keep an eye on you.”

Jiro!I cursed internally. I stared at him, not sure if I should be amused or annoyed. “Keep an eye on me? Seriously? Am I, like, a criminal or something?”

He shook his head, that annoying grin still plastered on his face. “Not a criminal. Just someone who obviously needs a bit of looking after.”

My irritation bubbled up, and I couldn’t help the sarcasm that dripped from my words. “Oh, how nice of you! But let me guess, I’m not allowed to cross the street by myself either, right?”

Oda’s grin widened as he pointed to the bar across the street. “Listen, when I see where you were planning to go? Abso-fucking-lutely.”

I let out a huff of exasperation. “Right. So he’s sent you here to babysit me now. It’s getting too boring for him?” I had to admit that no matter how irritated I was, this one stung quite a bit, too. Jiro was now delegating my safety.

Oda’s laughter was genuine this time. “Not exactly babysit, more like… ensure you don’t stumble into trouble.”

“I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for years.”

He leaned in again, his eyes twinkling. “I believe that. But you see, Jiro’s a bit overprotective when it comes to you.”

I fought back a snort. “Overprotective? And this is why he sent a Nirvana fanboy to keep me safe… No offense.”

Oda chuckled with a shrug. “None taken, Nirvana’s lit, and he does care about you, you know.” He tapped his knuckles on the table. “Him assigning me to you is a huge statement of that.”

I sighed, my annoyance softening in resignation. “And why is that?”

He shrugged again. “It just is.”

I let out a growl of frustration. “See! That, right there!” I pointed an accusing finger toward him. “The half-truth, the… the…” I waved my hand dismissively. “He’s not letting me be part of finding Leo, and he’s just treating me like I’ma waste of space stuck to his feet… A hindrance.”

Oda’s grin faltered for a moment, and I relished in that small victory. “You’re reading this all wrong, and you know what? I’ll tell you more. You think you know the world your brother is in, but you don’t. It’s nothing like the films or the TV shows. They will not care if you’re cute or innocent. I’ll be honest. Having you around in this investigation would actually help. Using you as bait to get to Valdez or your brother would be the fastest way, but Jiro…” He shook his head. “He doesn’t accept the truth yet.”

“Which is?”

He smiled. “You are not just anyone for him, and by making me come here, he admitted to everyone… if not to himself. So you see, if you’re so determined to walk in there…” He pointed at the window again. “I won’t stop you, but I’ll come with you, and then Jiro will ride my ass and not in the way I like.”

I slumped back in my seat in defeat. “So what do I do now, huh? Just stay put and wait for the men to save the day?”

“Oh no.” Oda’s smile turned wolfish. “Now we help Jiro understand.”

“Understand what?”

“What it would mean to let you slip away.”

I stood in front of the mirror, my reflection staring back at me with a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. The dress I was wearing was far more daring than anything I had ever worn before—a black number that hugged every curve and left little to the imagination. Oda’s words echoed in mymind, urging me to take a bold step, to push Jiro’s buttons a little. It was crazy, reckless even, but something in me wanted to take that leap.

As I looked at myself, doubts gnawed at my confidence. Was this really the way to get Jiro’s attention? Dressing provocatively, going to a club owned by the Valdez cartel? Stepping into the lion’s den to both sniff my brother or Valdez out and drive Jiro to act on whatever was stopping him? It did sound a little simplistic, but then again, if Jiro’s protectiveness was anything to go by, maybe a little jealousy was exactly what he needed.

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