by Eric Asher
Now, more than two years later, it was I who was hooked. As I looked into her saddened brown eyes, a piece of me died. A part of me disappeared that day because it was at that moment I realized I loved her. No, I mean really loved her. The thought of her not in my life killed me.
“Please say something, Faith? I know I’ve messed up. Let me try and fix this.” My voice oozed with concern. Maybe she would believe me. Believe that I would do anything in my power to take her hurt away.
“Ronin,” she sighed. God, the way she said my name tugged at my heart. “Just give me some time. All of this.” She moved her hands in a circular motion. “This is going to take some time to process. I had no idea my parents owned this escort service and that you were screwing my mother.”
“I understand. Let me go get some clothes out of my room. Help yourself to anything in the house.” I gave her a small smile before retreating to my room. This situation was so beyond messed up. She, of all people, shouldn’t have to go through something like this. After all, it was her mother who had done this to her. She knew exactly what she was doing—not only when she hired me, but when she had me get Faith. Maybe I should pay a little visit to her dad. Let him know what Nykoda was really up to and to see if she liked people meddling in her life just as she had done to mine.
I threw a few clothes into a bag and headed to the guest bedroom. As I passed by, I could see Faith sitting on the couch with her face in her hands. That sight made my heart break. Knowing I had something to do with causing her pain even more. My phone buzzed in my pockets scared the living daylights out of me. My heart sank when I saw Nykoda’s face on the screen. What the hell could she possibly want so soon?
“What is it?” I growled into the phone. There was heavy breathing coming from the other end of the line. “What is it?” I repeated.
“RONIN!” Nykoda shouted into the phone almost loud enough to have pierced my eardrums. “RONIN!” she shouted again. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes, I can. So stop yelling.” The heavy breathing was back and I heard heels clicking on the ground.
“There is someone following me.” She was whispering now.
“Why do you think someone is following you?”
“Because I ducked into this coffee shop and the guy is looking around for me.” Her voice was shaking as she described the man to me.
“Have you ever seen him before? Maybe a past client you convicted?” I questioned her
“I don’t recognize him. I’ve put away so many.”
“Have you called Greg? In fact, why are you calling me and not him?” That had just occurred to me that she called me instead of her own husband. Greg needed to be the one on the other end of this phone call, not me. There was nothing I could do to help her.
“I don’t know. You were the first person who popped into my head,” she confessed.
“Well, call Greg, then call the police. They will be able to get to the bottom of this.” I hung the phone up. She had some nerve calling after the scene she had just caused in my house. I lie on the bed wondering how my life suddenly turned into a soap opera. I heard a tiny rap on the door. I looked up to see Faith standing in my doorway.
“Can you, um...” She looked nervous. Her lips pressed into a hard line. “Can I borrow your car to go to the store? I need to get a few things and I need out of this house.”
“If I let you go to the store, you’re not going to come back. I can take you where ever you want to go.” She rolled those golden brown eyes at me.
“I’m too tired to argue. Let me get changed and we’ll go.” Thank God, because frankly I was too tired to argue myself.
Faith returned a short while later in some skinny jeans and a t-shirt. Not her usual style, nonetheless, the girl could pull off anything with her body. I watched as her body moved toward the car. When we reached the garage, I opened the car door for her.
“Pulling out all the stops, are we?” She rolled those eyes again.
“Anything for you, sweetheart. You know that.”
After getting her safely inside, I hurried and jumped in the car. As I was backing out of the garage, her phone rang. She answered quietly.
“Yeah,” she answered. “Is that right?” She sounded kind of torn. “Thank you for your help. Payment will be delivered soon.” She hung up without a goodbye.
“What was that about?” I asked, nervously awaiting her response.
“Nothing. Let’s just get to the store. My head is killing me.” She leaned her head back on the rest with her eyes shut.
The rest of the day was uneventful. After we had got back from the store, Faith went straight to her room. It took everything in me not to go check on her. She said she wanted space. And space was what I was desperately trying to give her.
Dusk had arrived, so I decided to whip up some dinner for Faith and me. In the process, I flipped the TV on to the news. I had always tried to keep up with current events. In the fridge, I pulled out the fixings to make a chicken Caesar salad. It seemed simple and quick. Besides, Faith loved my chicken salads. As I was chopping the lettuce, something on the screen caught my attention. I stopped cutting and reached for the remote to turn up the volume so I could hear the report. The reporter looked to be standing in front of a parking garage. The words on the screen read ‘Attorney Nykoda Summers found dead in a parking garage.’ All the blood drained from me and made me feel lightheaded. I ran to Faith’s room beating on the door. She needed to hear this. She needed to know that someone had killed her mother. The door flew open.
“Come quick, it’s your mother,” was all I could get out before yanking her to the living room.
“Faith, your mother. She’s been murdered.” And what she said next, I wasn’t prepared for.
“I know.”
FAITH
“You know? How?” He groaned in frustration. He was shocked—completely and utterly shocked. “What the hell do mean, you know?” Ronin asked looking terrified of my answer. Deep down, he knew the answer.
“Well, she had is coming,” I said smugly. He was leaning up against the breakfast bar staring at me intently. “Don’t look at me like that, Ronin. You knew I’d get my revenge, and I’ve met a few unsavory characters in this business.”
“Why would you kill her? She was only trying to keep you safe, Faith. She always only had your best interest at heart,” he muttered.
“Because she was a fraud and because she was going to leave the business to you.” I laughed at the concept of Ronin running the business. “You couldn’t run that business even if you tried.”
“What do you think I’ve been doing for the past two years?” He began to pace in the kitchen. “This was stupid, Faith. Not only do we have Mr. Kirkwood to deal with, now we have your mother, too.” He looked pissed—seriously pissed. “How did you arrange this so fast?” he questioned
“I did it while we were at the store. There was a guy who had been obsessed with me for months. I called in a favor from him.” Was I sad that my mother was dead? Of course, I was. I’m not that heartless. Nonetheless, she needed to be dealt with. She had to have known what my feelings for Ronin were. I talked about him obsessively whenever I was home. She never seemed interested in meeting him and now I know why. Because she wanted him to herself. She wanted to keep screwing him behind my back.
“This is so crazy, Faith. What am I supposed to do now? There is no way we can be together now? The police are going to be digging around and find out about the escort service she had. Everything is about to come out in the open. Thanks for that,” he snapped at me. He had some nerve snapping at me. What he didn’t know was I had taken care of that little tidbit as well.
“Well, then you are free to leave at any time. I have plans to finish this to the end. Just so you know, the cops won’t find out about me. As far as they know, I’m just a college student trying to finish my degree and work full-time. When I meet with them, they will see a child weep for their mother.” As if on cue, my phone rang with m
y father’s picture on it.
“Hey, daddy,” I chirp to him happily.
“Hey, baby girl.” He voice breaks. This was going to be the hard part. The part where my dad suffered. “It’s about your mother.” He choked up. “She’s been killed,” he finally said.
Never once had I heard my father cry or even a hint of crying. And to hear him sobbing on the phone broke my heart into a million pieces. On the other hand, he was better off without her. He didn't need a lying, cheating whore as a wife.
“What?” My sobs echoed through the phone. We both became eerily quiet, neither of us knowing what to say. “Does Jessica know?” I whispered to him.
“Yes, she does. We’re both headed down to the police station to answer some questions. You need to meet us there. I’m sorry, baby girl.” He breathed a sigh before telling me goodbye.
Ronin was still staring at me. “Who are you? I have no idea who you are right now. You basically just lied to your father about not knowing your mother is dead. You killed her, you sociopath.” He jumped at me, scaring the bejesus out of me. Ronin had never acted like this since I’d known him. Him being this pissed off really turned me on. Sociopath might be the right word to describe me. After all, I did enjoy putting the hit out on my beloved mother. I smiled at the thought of her cold dead body lying in a parking garage. My only regret was that I didn’t get to kill her myself.
“What are you doing?” I moved from his reach. “I need to head down to the police station to meet my dad and Jessica. They have some questions for us. Can you drive me or should I call a cab?”
“What are you going to tell them?” His lips were pressed into a thin line.
“The truth,” I stated matter-of-factly. “She came over to my house, we chatted for a bit, and then she left. And that, my friend, was exactly the last time I saw her alive.”
“I hope they catch you,” He spat out at me in disgust. “Call a cab. I have no interest in being party to any of this.”
I gave him a wide toothy grin. “Oh, but sweetheart, you already are. If I go down, you are, too.” I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and pressed the play on the record button. “You see, I recorded the entire interaction with my mother. If they catch on in any way, I’m bringing you down with me.”
“How... When...” he stuttered, looking like a freaking fool.
“Don’t worry about how. Just know, Ronin,” I crossed over to him and looked him dead in the eyes, “if you cross me in any way, you are going down with me. I’m in charge NOW. So you best get the car and take me down to the police station.”
He turned, yanked the keys from the shelf, mumbling something under his breath I couldn’t make out. “You know I hope you burn in hell.” With that, he turned back to me, grabbed my arm, and kissed me hard. I mean, really hard, biting my lip. I felt and tasted blood on my lips as he pushed me away. “Remember, I can fight as dirty as you can, sweetheart. Now, get in the car so we can get this over with.” Shockingly, I followed him to the car as we were about to find out our destiny. I loved this part of Ronin, the dark side of him that only I could bring out. I grinned at him as he once again backed out of the driveway.
RONIN
I didn’t know the woman who was sitting next to me. The woman who sat next to me used to be kind, sweet, and loving. The person who sat next to me now had a demon within her. She was humming to the music playing on the radio with a grin on her face. She had no regard for life, not even her mother’s life. She had her killed because she wanted to take over the escort service. I bet, if she’d expressed interest to her mother, Nykoda would have handed it over to her. Her humming was getting on my last nerve.
“Will you shut the hell up?” I snapped. How anyone could be happy at a moment like this was beyond me. We were headed to the police station to talk about the murder, for Christ’s sake.
“Is it bothering you, dear Ronin?” she asked calmly and sweetly. Bile was beginning to rise from my stomach at the thought of the entire situation.
“I wouldn’t have said it if it didn’t.” I sighed as the police station came into view. “You are too calm for comfort. After all, this is your fault.” I pulled the car into the lot to park. Her father and sister were on the stairs as we approach. Jessica was sobbing into her father’s arms, apparently shaken by today’s events. Faith’s facial expression was indifferent.
“Hey, baby girl.” Her father engulfed her into his arms hugging her tightly. I saw Faith shed a few tears as her sister became more and more hysterical.
“Oh, Daddy. I’m so sorry this happened. Who could have done such a thing?” What the hell? She’s actually playing this part up.
“We don’t know. They think it was a mugging because all of her stuff was gone and her car had been broken into.”
“That’s horrible. What do the police want to talk about?” she asked him
“They want to try to account for her whereabouts before and up until her death.” He was clearly upset.
“Can’t they do this on another day?” As she was talking, her father’s eyes moved up to me. He hadn’t noticed me until now.
“Who is he?”
“Oh, I almost forgot he was here. Dad, Jessica, this is Ronin. Ronin, this is my father, Greg and sister, Jessica.
“Nice to meet your, sir. Although I wish it were under better circumstances.” I held my hand out for him to shake.
Greg looked at my hand, then back up at me. “Why is he here?” he asked Faith without regard to me.
“He’s my boyfriend, Dad. He’s trying to be supportive,” she answered him confidently.
“Look, Ronin or whatever your name is. This is a family matter, and I appreciate you being there for Faith, but we can take it from here.” He narrowed his eyes at me as if to dismiss me.
“Dad!” Faith said shockingly. “Don’t be rude.”
She turned to me. “I’m going to have my dad drop me back off at your place a little later. Okay?” I nod, kiss her cheek, and then head back to my car. I was happy when she told me that. It was just too bizarre for me to watch her pretend she had no clue what was going on.
By the time I made it back home, my head was killing me. Making my way to the kitchen, I saw something shiny out of the corner of my eye. When I reached it, there was her mother’s drivers license tucked neatly into the side of the couch.
“Son of a bitch!” I yelled. She was trying to frame me. I raced into my room and all of her things were missing. “Wait what?” Before I could look any further, there was a knock on my door. I knew Faith couldn’t be back that quickly. Making my way to the door, I slipped her mother’s ID into my back pocket. I looked out the peephole and saw two police officers standing at my front door. “Shit.” What had she told them?
They knocked again. “Mr. Delarose. This is the Portland PD. We have a couple of questions we’d like to ask you in the death of Nykoda Summers,” one of the officers said sternly. Before he could knock on the door again, I opened it. And in the background was good Faith grinning from ear to ear. I knew I was screwed.
FAITH
At the station, my father questioned, “Was that the bastard your mother was screwing?” My father was a sharp man. I suppose you’d have to be in order to be one of the best cardiac surgeons in Portland. He came to me about two months ago when he found out mom was sleeping with Ronin. To say I was furious was an understatement. It was then we devised a plan to get back at both of them. Dad always had a feeling I worked for Mom but didn’t want to admit it. My mother, on the other hand, thought I was stupid enough to think I didn’t know she was the owner.
However, I didn’t know she was screwing the love of my life. I thought Ronin was different. He was supposed to only belong to me and no one else. Well, now he’ll learn not to screw with me or my family. Poor Jessica was still clueless to this whole thing until today. Everything was about to come out in the open. Everything about my mother, the escort service, and her affairs.
You see, Ronin wasn’t the onl
y one she had affairs with, but he was the one I loved. She knew I loved him, yet chose to break my heart. My father was out for blood, it being her umpteenth time cheating on him. A person can only take so much before they snap.
“Yes, it is. Are you sure you want to do this?” I questioned him. He raised his eyebrow as he ushered me into the station. There were two detectives waiting for us as we arrived in one of the interview rooms. Both Jessica and I held onto my father’s hands as we continued. Hmm, that detective sure is cute. I thought to myself as he continued to question us. Questions like, did my mother have any enemies or was there anyone looking to hurt my mother. And the age old question of where were we when she was killed. Of course, I told them about being with Ronin, and how I had just found out my mother and him had been sleeping together. My father filled them in on her Escort service business.
“Why have you all kept this from me?” Jessica pulled her hands away from my father and began to pace. “I don’t know any of you.” She stormed out of the room extra dramatically.
“Well, we have enough now. We’ll need to speak to Mr. Delarose, of course.” My father nodded, as do I, to the cute officer.
“Let me go to the restroom before you take me back to Ronin’s place.” I hurried to the bathroom not realizing I had to pee so badly. After using it and washing my hands, I peered into the mirror at myself. My eyes were bloodshot, tearstained, and I looked a mess. It was absolutely perfect.
When I rejoined my father, he was in mid-conversation with the cute detective. “Faith, Detective Rush is willing to take you back. He’s going to question Ronin.” I gave a weak smile to the detective. Inside, I was giddy as this was the end of Ronin and of me taking over the escort world. The only thing that would hold me back was Jessica. She was oblivious to this entire world and knowing her, she would get her vengeance as well. Jessica always could play a good victim. Guess I learned from the best of the best.
