Page 56 of Her Fearless Ronin

Valdez shifted his focus. “Is Hope Myers the sole individual you’re claiming?”

I understood his unspoken query—was Leo Myers also under my protection? Before I could respond, Hoka intervened, his tone carrying a fierce edge. “Yes, she’s the only one.”

“Alright then.” Valdez gestured toward Hope. “Take the girl and go.”

With that motion, my world shifted. There it was, the tattoo that had haunted my nightmares for over a decade. It was the bizarre image of a snake entwined around an eagle’s talons, the serpent biting into the bird. It felt surreal, like a figment of my imagination. Memories of an alley flooded back, and my hand instinctively reached for my gun,pointing it at Valdez’s head.

“Jiro…” Hoka’s voice rang with an unfamiliar caution.

I cocked the gun, the metallic sound cutting through the tense air, accompanied by a symphony of other guns being readied—Valdez’s men, most likely, preparing to aim at me. Yet, I was heedless of their presence.

“Jiro!” Hoka’s tone sharpened, his command aimed squarely at me. “Lower your weapon, now!”

My hand trembled, my finger twitching near the trigger. The burning hatred and vengeance ignited a fire within me that made it difficult to breathe.

“He struck first, Hoka. He tried to end me,” I spat, the words sharp and accusing. The memories of that alley resurfaced, mingling with the searing pain of Anna’s loss. “I have every right to take his life.”

“What are you talking about? I’d never be stupid enough to cross a yakuza,” Valdez countered, raising his hands in a slow, deliberate gesture. Around the room, I heard the distinct sound of guns being uncocked, but my grip remained resolute.

“Jiro!” Hoka’s voice sliced through my turmoil. “Lower your weapon.”

My finger hovered over the trigger, the maelstrom of emotions clashing within me.

“You shot at me twelve years ago like I was a rabid dog. I saw those tattoos when your arm came out of the car, and you fired at us, killing Anna.” I pointed toward Hope. “Hersister. I have every right to take your life.”

“I wh—” Valdez raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t know it was you. You weren’t even supposed to be there.”

“What does that mean?” Hoka’s voice broke the tense stillness, pulling me back from the precipice of my anger. His presence was a lifeline, grounding me in a reality that seemed to waver.

I looked around the room, my eyes flicking between Valdez’s guarded expression and Hoka’s concerned gaze. The only thread of rationality I had left was barely stopping me from pulling that trigger.

The memories surged, vivid and raw. Anna’s lifeless form sprawled on the ground, her eyes empty, haunted my thoughts. I could still feel the desperation that had gripped me as I had crawled toward her as the world around me crumbled. And then, out of that chaos, Hoka had emerged like a guardian angel, yanking me away from the brink.

Yet, there was resentment that lingered; part of me had hated him for saving me. It had been easier back then to share my self-loathing with him, to let him bear some of the weight of my guilt. I suspected he understood and accepted the unfair burden of my anger without a word.

But right now, in this room, the ghosts of the past seemed to loom larger than ever. I needed to push back the overwhelming tide of emotion and focus on the present, on the man before me who held answers.

“What do you mean I wasn’t supposed to be there?” My voice trembled with anger and pain, the memories flashing before me like shards of glass.

I tempted a look at Hope, and despite the tears in her blue eyes, seeing her there, with her focus on me, took some of the pain away. How was that even possible?

Valdez’s posture changed as he threw a look full ofdisdain at Leo before concentrating on me again. “I had no clue who you were, nor did I care that a yakuza was present. Those were different times, and I was still acting under my father’s command back then.”

A heavy silence fell upon the room, the words sinking in like stones dropped into still water. I lowered my gun, my hand shaking slightly, the anger that had fueled me now mixing with disbelief.

Valdez turned his attention toward Leo again, his gaze seething with contempt. “Did you let him carry the weight ofyourmistakes? Do you always like to play the victim?”

Valdez’s words pierced through the room, a reckoning that seemed to be long overdue. Leo’s face twisted with a blend of guilt and defiance, and he took a step back but was blocked by one of Valdez’s men.

“It’s not as simple as that!” Leo spat violently. “Yakuza are bad news; one way or another, my sister would have ended up dead! Look at Hope now, tied to a chair!” He pointed at Hope, who was glaring at him despite the tears running down her face.

Valdez snorted, “You’re delusional. Your sister being tied to this chair surrounded by armed men is a hundred percent on you.” He sighed, his attention returning to me. “Let me enlighten you, yakuza. Back then, Leo was the star quarterback of his high school, so we approached him for a ‘partnership.’ You see, there’s a lot of money in high school and university games. Leo’s greed had no end, and he saw this as an opportunity to fuel it even further. He started making deals with other parties, which could have spiraled out of control.” Valdez shrugged.

“The sister’s death was… unfortunate but necessary. Leo’s greed needed to be controlled, and that was the warning he understood,” he continued, his tone steady but heavy with the weight of the past. “A message to keep on the straight and narrow. Leo had been warned many times. But it seems his desire for more blindsided him to the dangers.”

A shiver ran down my spine as the puzzle pieces began to fit together, revealing a portrait of deceit and manipulation that I had never suspected. I’d never been the one to blame for Anna’s death. It was Leo… Leo, whose tears at Anna’s funeral were more about the weight of his guilt than genuine sorrow. Leo, who had traded his sister’s life as if it were a commodity, cared little for the past they shared.

“Unfortunately, it seems that guilt, or maybe karma, who knows, played its part because, after his sister’s death, our Leo was no longer capable of influencing the outcome of a game, but…” Valdez shook his head. “He was good at recognizing desperation and greed in other players like him. He’s been our best recruiter.”

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