~ Unknown
Present Day
Sakura
I’m sitting in my house at the kitchen island, staring down at the steaming cup of coffee in my hands. It’s the first week of June and my air conditioning isn’t pumping out cool air fast enough. Slowly, I’m sweating until I become a puddle on the floor— or so I think. We’ve hit a record of 117 degrees. One that hasn’t been hit since 2017. Fuck, I’ve never hated being in Las Vegas more than I do right now.
Everything has been pretty quiet here today, especially since Cobra and Izzy left early this morning to see his mom. It’s the first time Izzy will be meeting her, so fingers crossed it goes well. Knowing Izzy though, everything will go smoothly. You can’t hate a bone in that woman’s body.
My doorbell rings so I release the grip I have on my cup and walk out to the front, surprisingly seeing my godfather. “Uncle Eduardo?” I say in complete shock.
He smiles sweetly, placing a hand on my shoulder as he comes inside and shuts my front door behind him. “Hello darling, I hope you’ve been well.”
“W-what are you doing here?”
“Tsk, mija. You of all people should know why I’m here. You do something stupid and I come here.” He draws his brows together and I take note of how the one stress line he had across his forehead has turned to three in the last couple of months.
I roll my eyes, aggravated he’s choosing this moment to speak in riddles. “If you have something to say, then say it.”
“Do you know who I just got off the phone with? Hmm!?” Wow. Someone took his daily dose of sassy today.
“Obviously not, since I’m not a psychic.”
“When did you tell your boyfriend Lucian to take you out of his system?” Fuck. He didn’t. Lucian seriously couldn’t have called my godfather and tattled on me like I’m still a little girl who has to ask permission.
“First of all, Lucian isn’t my boyfriend,” I huff, walking back into my kitchen. If I’m going to have this conversation than I need coffee to help get me through it. “Second of all, how is this any of your business anyway?”
His eyes nearly pop out of his head and his face turns blood red. I guess what they say about Latinos and their tempers is true. I’ve never been unlucky enough to experience it firsthand, though. “Because I’m trying to keep you alive! Have you forgotten your father wants your head for defying him!?”
Picking up my cup of coffee, I take a sip, hating how fucking hot it is. I’m not a fan of iced coffee but the heat of the summer may end up changing my mind. “I’m not the only one he wants dead now, am I?” I counter back, cocking a brow.
“You and I have completely different circumstances.”
“Right,” I roll my eyes yet again. I know my uncle is trying to watch out for me, but he can’t always be my guardian. Sometimes, I’ll have to be the one rolling up my sleeves and getting in the trenches.
Essentially, my uncle and father aren’t getting along because my uncle came to Japan on behalf of his cousin, Francisco, who is the head of the Mexican Cartel. He’s also going into the corrupted political system of Mexico, genuinely trying to right the wrongs of his predecessors. He was hopeful that because of the connection my uncle and father have, he’d be able to get his endorsement and have a potential trade agreement between Mexico and Japan that would be mutually beneficial. My father, being the smug bastard he is, wasn’t interested in the least bit. He told my uncle he shouldn’t get involved in the mess that is politics, and he’s better at doing what he does currently, running the Diaz gang.
It was a slap in the face to my uncle, for that to be said when it’s so important for not only the Diazes but the Lopezes to help their country— not hurt it.
“Your boyfriend, Lucian, he said that he took you out of his program this morning so you won’t be masked over any surveillance cameras anymore. The only reason you’ve been safe thus far is because he was helping cover your tracks. What will you do now?”
“He is not my boyfriend!” I bark, trying to make this old man understand just because two people fucked in the past, it doesn’t automatically mean they’re in a relationship.
“Right,” He mocks me, rolling his eyes like I did earlier. It only further irritates me.
“I’m a big girl who can handle herself. The Reapers are providing me protection since I helped them get Orion back when that crazy man took him. I will be okay,” I doubt my uncle believes it, but it doesn’t matter if he does, because I’m the only one who needs to.
“You cannot seriously say you’re going to be fine going up against your family. What will you do, Sakura?” His tone grows more serious with every word and his stare reminds me of the way I was tested in college.
“I will go up against the Dragon, and I’ll win.”
“I love you dearly, mija, but you won’t win. You will be burned to ash like every man has been before you.” The Dragon is another word for my mother. It’s what the locals call the head of the Yakuza. Part of me wonders if what he’s saying is a cruel metaphor. One that ended up happening to my sister, burned alive in the place where she felt the safest.
I stare into his dark eyes and speak with the most confidence I ever have in my entire life, “Uncle, I love you . . . but please don’t think so little of me. I will find a way to get out of this. I promise. I will find a way. Even if I have to cut the head off the Dragon myself.”
He comes up to me, wraps his arms around my body and holds me close. I wrap my arms around him as well, feeling ten times lighter just being entrapped in his embrace. My uncle is the only one I can count on right now. The only person who I know would never turn his back on me.
Even though the Reapers have welcomed me with open arms, I’m still a stranger. Even though my sister was loved and adored by every member of this club, I can’t change one thing— I’m not Asami, or Saffron as they all knew her. I’m much different and I hope they’ll learn to love me in a fraction of the way they loved her.
I bury my head in his chest and keep every fear, worry and anxious thought at bay. Regardless, I will get through this because I simply don’t have another choice. The stones have already been cast, and I can’t change the past. Not that I would. I did what I knew in my heart was right. It wasn’t just right though, it was the best thing for me.
If I’ve learned anything over the last couple of months, it’s that I should’ve put myself first a long time ago. I wasn’t happy being a pawn, doing someone else’s bidding and being their eyes and ears at parties and galas. I needed to be my own person and I finally am.
I won’t let anyone take this from me, because it’s precious and I feel at peace— even if I may end up losing my life for it. My choice was worth it.
I’ve never felt so free.
Chapter Two
“Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.”
~ Maya Angelou
Sakura
My uncle and I sat in the kitchen drinking coffee and iced green tea for a couple hours while we caught up. Over the last couple months we haven’t seen too much of one another. He’s been helping Francisco with whatever he needs on his venture to change the current state Mexico is in. Which means he hasn’t had much time for me. Meanwhile, I’ve been here, protected by the safety that is the Reapers MC.