Page 70 of Cowboy's Sinful Bargain

Why was there no sound in the entire house?

When we reached the entrance that went from the kitchen to the dining room, Jos stopped and held up his hand. I frowned up at him, wondering what he was doing.

When Jos turned to me, he gestured with his hand and then mouthed, "Stay here."

That didn't seem like a very good idea.

It was all I could do to obey Jos and stay where I was when he walked into the dining room and disappeared into the darkness. I brought my arm up and started nervously chewing on my fingernail. It was a bad habit I'd had most of my life and had yet to break.

I shivered when I felt a breeze of displaced air pass over my skin. I grabbed two of my needles, turned, and threw them at the man coming up behind me. They hit him in the throat, taking him down instantly.

I spun back around and raced after Jos. I had to warn him that there were definitely people inside the house.

The scene I found in the living room just about ripped my heart out of my chest. Jos was kneeling on the floor, his hands clasped together and resting on the top of his head.

I had no idea where his hat was.

My jaw clenched when I saw the bruises on his face. I wasn't sure how they got there considering I hadn't heard any sounds, but they stood out clear as day.

When the light suddenly flipped on, I spotted my father and Mrs. Gibbons sitting on the couch, both of them bound with rope, but at least they didn't have bruises or blood on them. They didn't look to be conscious though, and that worried me.

First Uncle stood in front of the fireplace, a drink in his hand. A guard stood on either side of him. Two more guards stood at the main entrance with third standing over Jos.

"Miko, I told you to stay in the dining room," Jos stated. "Why didn't you listen to me?"

"I had a little trouble in the dining room," I replied. "I thought it might be safer with you, but I see we have company. If I'd known, I would have had Mrs. Gibbons make tea."

Maybe laced with something to knock First Uncle out long enough to get him on a plane headed back to Japan.

"Mitsuaki, we've been waiting for you."

I glanced at First Uncle. "You didn't call, you didn't send an invitation. How was I supposed to know?"

I had no idea where this sudden bravado was coming from. Maybe it was the last couple of months spent with Jos, my father, and the other people on the ranch. They'd taught me that I could stand on my own two feet and make my own decisions.

I was kind of surprised to see the woman here. After my announcement about being gay, I had expected her to catch the first plane back to Japan. Why she was sticking around? There was no way in hell I was marrying her.

First Uncle threw a folder at me. After it bounced off my chest and hit the floor, I made no move to pick it up.

"Sign this," First Uncle snapped.

"No." I didn't care what it was. I wasn't signing it.

First Uncle snapped his fingers and the guard standing over Jos pressed a knife against his throat. A brief second of fear flowed through me, paralyzing me in place.

I couldn't let anything happen to him, but what could I do?

My eyes darted around the room, calculating, formulating, devising, and panicking. There were so many ways this could go wrong and I only had one shot at it.

"Don't sign anything, Miko!" Jos shouted, but he grunted a moment later when the guard punched him.

That decided it for me.

As quickly as I could, I grabbed the needles I had hidden in my clothes and sent them flying. I spun through the room, taking the guards down one by one until I stood in front of First Uncle, my biggest needles held to the underside of his jaw.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

First Uncle's eyes narrowed. "You're the spawn of hell."

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