Page 7 of Her Fearless Ronin

As I watched Anna’s vibrant smile on the screen, my heart ached with the weight of the past and the pain it brought to both Hope and me.

“I know! You’re always right, Mom.” The sorrow in her voice, the fragility of her smile—it all resonated deeply within me, stirring an impulse I hadn’t felt in years.

At that moment, I wanted to be her source of comfort and strength. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around her, hold her tight, and promise her I would do everything in my power to make things right. I wanted to assure her that despite the darkness I carried within me, her life would be different, better, and brighter from that point onward.

Her mother was acting like I was not even there, which was somewhat of a relief because I was uncertain how I would deal with this version of her.

Her mom nodded and turned back toward the TV as if she had now forgotten that Hope was here too.

Hope’s fake smile, though strained, remained on her lips as she glanced at me. She was putting up a brave front, concealing her true emotions from her mother. At that moment, I realized the depth of her strength and resilience.

“Come on, let me show you to Leo’s room.”

As we walked down the corridor, I couldn’t help but notice a room with two twin beds. Hope was sharing this room with her mother, and the realization tugged at my heart. The cramped space and lack of privacy spoke volumes about the challenging living conditions they were enduring.

As I stepped into the small room she’d just opened for me, I couldn’t help but let out a low whistle. It looked like a hurricane had swept through, leaving belongings scattered and overturned. “Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you already searched his room. You turned it upside down,” I commented, hoping to lighten the mood.

She leaned against the threshold and shook her head. “No, it was just like… it was always like that,” she said before sighing with resignation.

I wrinkled my nose at the pair of dirty underwear on the side of the room. I might have been obsessively organized, but her brother was a true pig.

“What happened?” I asked as I continued to search the room, my eyes scanning for any possible hiding places or clues that could shed light on her brother’s whereabouts.

“About what?” she replied, her voice trembling slightly.

“Your mother,” I clarified gently, my gaze focused on the task at hand. I knew it would be easier for her to share if I didn’t look directly at her, giving her the space she needed.

“A stroke,” she responded, her voice filled with sorrow. “It happened the day before my high school graduation. I think that’s why…” Her voice trailed off, leaving the rest of the sentence unspoken.

I glanced her way, and she had difficulty swallowing,blinking back tears.

The pain I felt on her behalf was almost overwhelming, and I was not certain why it was so intense.

“I think that’s why she thought I was Anna. I just… I just didn’t want to remind her.” As Hope spoke, her voice trembled with emotion, her words punctuated by a heaviness that weighed on her heart.

I nodded, unsure she would have appreciated what I really wanted to say. It was not okay that her mother just erased her from her mind; it was not okay that she pretended to be her dead sister just to keep her mother happy. It was not okay for her brother to be a waste of space, causing her unnecessary worry. Nothing was okay.

Instead, I pushed her brother’s bed to reach the vent on the floor. I crouched down and retrieved the small screwdriver from the kit in the side pocket of my leather jacket.

“Are you always traveling with a screwdriver?”

I smiled despite not seeing her; I could imagine the frown of confusion on her delicate brow.

“You know the saying, right? Always be prepared.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the Scout motto.”

I turned my head to the side and grinned. “Well, Mafia men are Boy Scouts. Everybody knows that.”

I felt like a superhero when she let out a little laugh because, despite being short, it was genuine, and I felt damned good for providing her even a few seconds of amusement.

I removed the air vent to find multiple things stacked inside it.Gotcha!

“Won’t you get into trouble for helping me?” she asked as I was getting everything out.

I kept my back to her to shield her from whatever I would find inside this, but also to keep my emotions in check. I was used to wearing a poker face, hiding my true feelings behind a mask of stoicism and detachment. But Hope, with her presence and her story, had weakened that facade, leaving me exposed and raw.

“What do you mean?” I asked as I went through a stack of poorly taken photos of her brother in various sexual positions with a few men and women.

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