THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

protesters who rarely had their facts straight – as evidence, they thought Zane was here for a High Vision business shipment – and generally caused headaches for the bona fide animal rights organizations.
    Zane had to get rid of them without stirring up the media. How deep a hole would they dig for themselves if he handed them a shovel? “Maybe the animal being transported would enjoy this particular experiment.”
    Eyes bulged and mouths popped open like hungry guppies.
    Zane smiled at their reactions.
    The main four spouted off at the same time.
    “You’re a monster.” 
    “How can you say that?” 
    “We shall call in reinforcements.” 
    “How do you sleep at night?”
    Mr. Thornton still hadn’t commented.
    Angel gaped at Zane like he’d lost his mind. “You can’t even keep people calm in English,” she whispered tersely. “How do you stay in business?”
    He narrowed his eyes at her.
    Angel pushed past Zane to address the crowd. “Excuse me. Excuse me! ”
    The shouting died down to a rumble. Angry eyes surveyed her.
    She turned to Zane. “Your charter company would never do anything to harm an animal. Right?”
    When he didn’t say anything, she bumped her heel into his shin. “Umph.”
    Angel must have taken his grunt as an affirmative. She smiled at the crowd and asked, “What specifically is your complaint?”
    Berta’s caterpillar eyebrows ran together in a straight line across her forehead. “TAF opposes unnecessary and cruel testing on animals. We have a report that Black Jack Charters is transporting a test animal today.”
    Angel twisted sideways to Zane. “Is that true?”
    He smiled and nodded “yes” then almost busted up laughing at Angel’s incredulous face.
    “Just as we thought.”  Earnest choked out the words through a raspy throat. “He even admits to his dastardly ways.” 
    When Earnest succumbed to coughing, Valerie took a shot at Zane. “You wouldn’t be so happy if you were put in the same position as that poor animal.”
    Zane grinned. “Au contraire. If I had a willing mate waiting for a romantic weekend with me, you’d probably have to remove my smile surgically.”
    The crowd stilled. Not a sound was heard over the whirring of the wind. Everyone stared at him in shocked silence until Angel squinted in concentration and pushed for an explanation.
    “Zane, what are you talking about?”
    So much for having fun.
    His sigh vanished in the breeze. “Our cargo is a pedigreed show dog being sent for a weekend of recreational sex. The evil testing he’ll be put through is to determine if he can make little champion puppies. If it does kill him, that doesn’t sound like a bad way to go, if you ask me.”
    Wild threads of hair that escaped from Angel’s hair clip blew across her face. The corners of her mouth curled up. “You have a wicked streak.”
    “Honey, you don’t know the half of it.”  He winked at her for good measure. For the first time since leaving the apartment, he was in her good graces again. Warmth spread over him at her pixie smile.
    “Earnest, you said there was a monkey being shipped today. Where’s the monkey?”  Berta wasted no time assaulting a new target. Poor Earnest was no match.
    “Hold on, Berta. This isn’t my fault. The Thorntons said Valerie told them the same thing.”
    “Blast it all, Earnest. You’re an idiot. Valerie heard you tell me. That’s why she told them.”
    Zane had enjoyed all he could stand. “If you’ll excuse us, we have a deadline.” 
    No one so much as turned to acknowledge him as they formed a circle of finger pointers.
    A pair of men wearing green High Vision security suits walked up with a dog crate.
    It took less than ten minutes to make the transfer, load the cargo, and call for clearance to take off, a polite formality at the uncontrolled field.
    Back in the air, Zane ignored the whining going on behind him.
    Angel twisted around. “I think he’s scared.”
    “He’ll settle down in a little while.”
    “What’s his name?”
    Zane had no idea. “It was like Sir something-something Chutney.”
    Another mournful whine sounded from the cage.
    “Poor Chut.” 
    She twisted around again, like a wolf mama worried about her pup.
    “He’s a show dog, Angel. They’re high strung so don’t touch him.”
    Ignoring his warning, she yanked off the headset and unbuckled her harness then climbed out of her seat and dropped down on her hands and knees in the cargo area.
    He