Hot Number (Hot Zone 2)

Take Micki to his island retreat? "Give me a break."

"The guys told me how you goaded Micki, telling her you couldn't see her hanging out at a strip club"

"I still can't." But he knew Yank was baiting him and as Damian waited for the old man to reel him in, he stiffened, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Yank cleared his throat, "Well, any idiot would know my Micki's pride would push her to do exactly what you insinuated she couldn't do. Add to that you played on her weakness." Yank poked him in the chest accusingly.

Damian frowned at that accusation. "What weakness? What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.

But even as he spoke, Micki's self-deprecating words came back to him. Good old Micki, one of the guys, she'd said. And how had he replied? If you say so.

"Holy hell." How had his life gotten so complicated in less than twenty-four hours?

"I see you get it now." Yank nodded, pleased.

And Damian resigned himself to the inevitable. "I have a full staff on the island. They'll take good care of her."

"You’ll take good care of her. No way will you dump her on the island and take off. You understand?"

Damian understood all right. Him, Micki, a luxurious house, a staff, a beach and time alone. He was so screwed.

"I'll tell her you arranged for your private plane to take her back to New York. You can deal with her from there." Yank let out a laugh. "I don't envy you when she realizes she's been had, but I'm sure it'll build you some character."

“I didn't know I needed any." Damian shoved his hands into his jeans pocket.

Just then, Micki walked out of the bathroom, her face freshly washed and her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She'd put on sweats in addition to the large shirt he'd chosen last night but her eyes were still glassy and red.

"I want to go home " she said. 'I promise to lay low once I’m there. There's a difference between running away and being cautious about the agency's reputation."

"We were just discussing that," Damian said.

"I'm not in any shape to argue with you two-?”.

"And we're not going to fight you. You obviously know what's best" Damian hated lying to her, especially when he'd be the one to face her anger later, but Yank counted on him to get her away from emotional harm. He only hoped she'd thank him and not throttle him when they reached his island retreat.

He sighed. He'd bought the place for himself and had never before taken a woman there. He didn't have a good feeling about doing so now.

Yank glanced around the hotel room he'd booked for the night. Sophie would be staying next door, probably so she could keep an ear out for him. But he couldn't be pissed. Sophie was a good girl. When she'd gotten the call about her sister being in trouble, she'd contacted him and they'd hightailed it to Florida pronto. Yank was proud of the girls and how they stuck together.

At this point he was proud of himself, too. He couldn't have planned a better way to get Micki and Damian together. Micki had tried to fight it, of course. She'd wanted Damian to attend the autism event, but under Yank's glare, Damian had insisted on accompanying her on her flight home instead.

If Yank had had any qualms about Damian, they'd been erased last night when he'd taken care of Micki. Yes, those two would be a dang good fit-as long as Damian could handle her when she found out they'd lied and shipped her off to a remote island.

With Micki settled, hopefully soon, he could turn his sights to Sophie. His sights. Now that was a good joke.

If you listen to Sophie, you might have a chance to save your eyesight. There was that voice again.

Yank cursed aloud. "Yeah well and then what'll have? My eyesight and a lonely life." Though he had no trouble fixing up his nieces, when it came to himself, Yank had concluded he was more afraid of commitment than he was of his condition. If he avoided fixing his eyesight, he had an excuse not to fix his relationship with Lola.

He smacked his hand against the wall and an electronic voice said, "Twelve fifty-five p.m." He'd lied when he'd told the girls he didn't need the watch. It was so much easier than squinting into the fog to try and read the numbers on the tiny face.

Never thought you were a coward. He didn't know if the voice was referring to his eyesight or letting Lola go. Either way, that voice was right. But at least as far as his eyes went, he'd made a big decision, one all three girls would agree with.

He decided he'd been acting like a pansy. Sophie had made him a doctor's appointment first thing Monday morning. He intended to keep it. It was time for him to deal with his health because he couldn't make any decisions about his personal life until that issue had been resolved.

No woman will wait around that long.

Maybe, Yank thought, but that was a risk he'd have to take.