Chapter Sixteen

~ Miko ~

To say I was scared was an understatement of epic proportions. I was terrified. First Uncle never spoke to me unless he wanted something and it usually involved some manner of pain and humiliation on my part.

I was pretty sure he'd have to go through Jos to get to me this time. I was more concerned with who else might be in those two cars. Only First Uncle, the lawyer, and one bodyguard had climbed out. I knew there were more and they were probably just waiting for orders.

"I am no longer a member of the Kaneko family," I stated as bravely as I could, but my voice still trembled. "What is there to talk about?"

When First Uncle's eyes snapped to me, I cringed.

I should have kept my mouth shut.

First Uncle stared at me for a moment, his gaze intent, bringing back painful memories of when he had looked at me like this before.

It never ended well for me.

I almost caved, but then I heard the rapid footsteps and realized the ranch hands had joined us. For some reason, that gave me the courage to look my uncle straight in the face.

"I have nothing to say to you." My courage was bolstered when I felt Jos's arm tighten around my waist. "You never liked me and wished me dead on more than one occasion. Now that I am out of your life, I don't understand why you are here."

Unless it was to kill me, and the glare he was giving me told me he was thinking about it. Luckily for me, he had a whole lot of people to go through before he could get to me.

"Is there somewhere more...private we can talk, Mitsuaki?"

Was he really not going to leave?

"There's nothing to—"

"You can use my study, son," Monty said as he stepped up next to me and Jos. I hadn't even realized he had come out of the house.

Pure loathing flared from First Uncle's eyes as he stared at my father. I almost wanted to step between the two men to protect my father. Not that it would do me any good. He was much taller than I was. I could stand sandwiched between them and they would still be eye to eye.

I glanced up at Jos. "What do you think?" I whispered.

"If you don't want to talk to him, you don't have to. He can't force you, Miko. He might have been able to do that back in Japan, but this isn't Japan. It's Montana. We could get away with shooting his ass."

As much as I was amused by that thought, I didn't think it would solve my problem. "I don't think he'll go away until we listen to what he has to say."

Jos sighed heavily. "If that's what you want."

"What I want is your promise not to leave me alone with him or his men." I didn't trust a damn one of them.

"You have it."

"Thank you."

" Doitashimashite ," Jos replied, much to my surprise. He chuckled when my eyebrows went up. "I've been listening and learning."

That was kind of cool.

I turned back to my uncle. "I'll give you ten minutes, but then I want you gone, and I don't want you to come back."

If I never saw the man again, I'd be happy.

"I'm going to go ask Mrs. Gibbons to make some tea and coffee. Can you escort First Uncle to the living room? I don't think we need to use my father's study."

Not only was the room smaller than the living room, but it was my father's sanctuary. I didn't want First Uncle tainting it with his presence.

"If that's what you want," Jos replied.

I saw him turn towards Wade as I darted inside the house. I hope he was giving out orders for people to keep an eye on the two cars and everyone that had come in them. I didn't trust First Uncle one damn bit.

"Mrs. Gibbons," I said when I walked into the kitchen. "We have guests. Can you make some tea and coffee for everyone?"

"Of course," she replied as she turned to me. "What kind of tea would you like?"

I smirked. "Those instant baggies will do just fine. Just drop four or five of them into the teapot to seep."

First Uncle prided himself on his tea collection. He'd had it imported from all over the world. The instant teabags we had could be bought for less than three dollars for ten individual baggies.

I hoped he choked on it.

By the time I walked back into the living room, everyone was seated except Jos. He stood behind one of the large wingback chairs. He gestured for me to come sit and then stood behind the chair.

Besides First Uncle, the lawyer, and the bodyguard, two other bodyguards and an older man about First Uncle's age had joined us along with a young woman I had never seen before in my life.

I tried not to look nervous as I reached back and grasped the hand Jos had settled on my shoulder.

I doubted I fooled anyone.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" I asked.

"You need to come back to Japan."

"No." It was that simple. "I live here now."

Besides, First Uncle had made it more than clear that he hated the very air I breathed. He should be jumping for joy that I didn't want to go back.

First Uncle sent Harold Sato a deep glare. I didn't know what he had against my grandfather's lawyer, but it was clear there was a strong dislike there.

"You were never supposed to leave Japan, Mitsuaki. Your grandfather made that choice, not me," First Uncle stated. "A marriage had already been arranged for you with the Tanaka family."

That was probably why I had been spirited out of the country within hours of my grandfather's death. My grandfather probably knew what would happen to me once he died.

Kind of made me wonder why he had arranged for me to get married when I got here. Had he known about the prearranged engagement?

I glanced at the woman, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the person First Uncle had arranged for me to marry. "I'm already married."

"So I understand, but that can be changed."

No way, no how.

I patted Jos's hand when I felt it tighten on my shoulder. "I am already married to Jos." Apparently, I needed to repeat that because First Uncle wasn't getting it.

"It's a marriage of convenience so that you can stay in the United States, Mitsuaki. While divorce does not have a good connection to it, once you get back to Japan no one will know what you have done."

He said it like I should be ashamed of having married Jos.

I wasn't.

"I'll know."

First Uncle snapped his fingers. Mr. Sato opened his briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers, setting them on the coffee table between us.

"The marriage is in name only, Mitsuaki. Sign these and it will be over and you can go back to Japan and marry the woman your family has carefully chosen for you."

"It's not a marriage in name only." A warm smile spread across my lips as I tiled my head back and looked up at my husband. "It has been fully consummated many, many times."

I winced when dead silence met my statement. Maybe I shouldn't have added that last part.

"Oh, just a head's up. I'm gay so marriage to a woman won't work."

Probably shouldn't had added that either, but I was beyond caring at this point. First Uncle had made my entire life miserable and if he thought he could come in now that I had found a bit of happiness and rip it away from me, he was wrong.

I stood, making sure to keep a firm hold of Jos's hand. "Now, if that's everything you came to say, you can see yourselves out. We need to get back to work. I have a horse that needs my attention."

First Uncle jumped to his feet, his face flushing with anger. "Mitsuaki!"

I cocked an eyebrow.

First Uncle grabbed the papers and shook them at me. "You will sign these papers and you will sign them now. You know what happens if you disobey me."

I shuddered in remembrance. I was all too aware of what the man could do if thwarted. I had the scars to prove it, physical and emotional.

"Is that a threat, Mr. Kaneko?" Jos asked in a rough, low tone that should have shook the walls. "We don't take kindly to threats around here."

First Uncle's eyes snapped to Jos. "This is none of your business."

Hadn't we already gone over that?

"I'm making it my business."

"Jos," Mrs. Gibbons called out as she rushed into the room. "Mr. Walker called. He needs Miko out at their ranch. One of their mares is having trouble and the vet requested his help."

"Miko, go get your kit," Jos ordered. "I'll see our guests out."

I could hear First Uncle arguing with Jos as I took off up the stairs to get my kit. I hoped Jos was giving that old coot a good chewing out and then kicking him off the ranch. I had no desire to speak with my uncle a second longer. He had nothing to say that I wanted to hear.

When I reached the bedroom, I grabbed my kit out of the top drawer of my dresser and then raced back downstairs. The living room was empty, but I could hear angry voices outside.

I hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, unsure if I should go outside or not. I'd really had enough of my uncle. He had never been family to me, only a dark Boogeyman that I feared to make angry, and he sounded plenty angry. He was cursing Jos out in Japanese so loudly, I winced from the excessive noise. I really hoped Jos hadn't gotten that far in his language studies.

I walked over to the door and slowly pulled it open. My eyebrows peaked near the top of my head when I saw the wall of ranch hands standing between me and the front steps.

I stepped out onto the porch, pulling the door closed behind me, and then tapped the shoulder of the man directly in front of me. When he turned, I realized it was Axel. He gave me a brief nod and then stepped out of the way so that I could get through.

Huh, another wall. This one was all muscle.

I tapped Jos on the shoulder this time.

He turned and glanced at me. "Are you ready to go?"

I nodded, holding up my kit so he'd know I had it.

"Wade," Jos started, "I want everyone on alert in case this jackass comes back."

"Sure thing, Boss," Wade replied.

"We'll be at the Eagle Creek Ranch if you need us."

Wade gave a nod before going back to watching the people standing around the two cars parked in front of the house.

I wasn't sure why First Uncle hadn't left yet. It couldn't be clearer that he was no longer welcome.

Jos held a hand out to me. "Let's go, Miko."

Right.

I took Jos's hand and then followed him around the side of the house to the back steps. Thankfully, his truck was parked close to the back of the house.

Jos opened the passenger side door and then lifted me into my seat. Before closing the door, he pulled the seatbelt around me and clicked it into place. A moment later, he was in his seat and we were underway.

The two cars were still parked in front of the house when we came around to that side. First Uncle stood toe to toe with Wade, shouting at him in Japanese. Wade just stood there, arms crossed, and let the man vent, but there was an amused smirk on his face making wonder what he was thinking.

As soon as First Uncle saw us leaving, he hurried to one of the cars. I watched through the back window as the two cars started chasing after us, kicking up dust and dirt in their haste.

"Uh, Jos, I think they are trying to follow us."

"Let them."

My eyebrows shot up as I turned to look at him. "You want them to follow us?"

"No, but if they do, they do. I'd like to see them start shit at the Walker place. Ethan is a very famous lawyer from back East. He'd throw them into so much litigation, they'd need a letter from the State Department in order for them to go back to Japan."

"I'd prefer that they go back to Japan."

I really didn't want them sticking around here.