Page 73 of Cowboy's Sinful Bargain

Most everything I wanted to take was already in place, but we'd need food and supplies. We were just going overnight, but every little second spent with Miko needed to be savored. Times alone with him especially.

It had taken me and the others two months to get the cabin built by the lake, mostly because we had to work in shifts so we could hide it from Miko, but now it was complete. We'd even taken a note from Ethan Walker and put solar panels on the roof so we could have power.

I wanted it to be a surprise.

Once I was all done tying everything down, I walked back into the house. I wanted tonight to be perfect. Miko had been under so much stress since his First Uncle came to the States. He needed a little relaxation and I knew just what to do for him.

"We'll probably be back around lunch time tomorrow, Mrs. Gibbons. Are you sure you are okay watching Kouki?"

"It's no problem, Jos," Mrs. Gibbons replied. "Kouki and I are good friends. We'll be fine."

I hoped so. Miko would be devastated if anything happened to his dog.

I gave her a quick nod and then moved through the house to Monty's office. His door was open when I reached it, but he was on the phone. I walked over and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk and then waited for him to get done with his phone call.

I was surprised when he reached down and put the phone on speaker and said, "Ken, I have Jos in the office with me. Can you repeat what you just said?"

"Hey, Jos."

I gave Monty a confused frown. "What's up, Ken?"

"I just got off the phone with that inspector from Japan. She wanted to let me know they wrapped up their investigation into Miko's uncle. That woman wasn't lying. He'll never see the outside of a prison again."

"Good, that will be one worry off Miko's mind."

"We were able to add a couple of charges to his American ticket," Ken continued. "When we searched the suite they had at the hotel in town, we found a bunch of wire and some pliers. Hazard a guess why they had those?"

"Why?" I asked because I was drawing a blank.

"Well, it seems Sato was paranoid. He rented that suite at the hotel with the plans to hide from Kaneko, except Kaneko found him and forced him to come here."

"I'm not making the connection, Ken."

"Kaneko knew Miko was in the area, but he didn't know where because Sato swore he didn't know. Knowing Miko's abilities with healing, I guess he figured to injure enough animals that Miko might pop up and he could find him."

My stomach churned with disgust. "That's sick."

"Well, it adds animal cruelty to his charges here in America, so if for some goddamn reason they release him, he can't come back here. He'd be picked up the second he set foot on American soil."

That wasn't a bad thing.

"Were there any more animal injuries besides the ones you mentioned awhile back?" I asked.

"None that have been reported to me."

Miko would be glad to hear it.

"Hold on a moment." The line went silence for a few minutes and then Ken came back on. "I got to go, guys. Ethan Walker just punched someone down at Ray's Market again for talking trash about Colby. If he keeps this up, I'm going to toss his ass in jail whether Cooper likes it or not. That man gives me more headaches than anyone in the county."

The line went dead before either Monty or I could say anything.

I just shook my head. I'd heard about some of the antics Ethan had gotten into and I wouldn't want Ken's job for love or money. There was a reason I was a rancher and not a deputy sheriff.

"Okay, Miko should be here any time," I told Monty. "As soon as he does, we'll be leaving. We should be back sometime tomorrow."

"Got your emergency phone on you?" Monty asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Dad."

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