Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 147967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 740(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 740(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
“It’s Millie,” she told him.
Matthieu shot her another look before unlocking the car. Millie climbed into the back.
“Good, you brought a car that can fit the puppies,” Millie said. “I was getting worried that you weren’t coming.”
“Matthieu was driving like a grandma,” she said, turning to Millie. “I couldn’t get him to speed up.”
“Just because I didn’t want to drive like a maniac, doesn’t mean I was going slow. Getting caught speeding by the cops in this town isn’t a good idea.”
Yeah, Maya knew he was right.
“Well, you’re here now,” Millie said. “I’ve used the time to come up with a plan.”
Millie had on black yoga pants and a black sweater. Maya didn’t know her well, but she’d never seen her wear black. And there were no dinosaurs in sight.
“I’m going to hazard a guess that Spike doesn’t know you’re here,” Matthieu said to Millie.
“Of course not!” Millie replied. “Sheesh, do you think I’m an idiot? There’s no way Spike would approve of this.”
“And what makes you think I’m not going to tell him?” Matthieu asked.
“I didn’t take you for a snitch,” Millie said to Matthieu.
Maya tensed.
Uh. How was Matthieu going to react to that? He wouldn’t get upset with Millie, would he? Matthieu seemed remarkably calm in most situations, but still, being called a snitch was never a good thing.
“You can call me a snitch if you like,” Matthieu replied evenly. “I would rather be known as a snitch than you get hurt and I did nothing to prevent it.”
“I’m not going to get hurt,” Millie scoffed.
“You trailed David here,” Matthieu pointed out. “He could have spotted you at any time and confronted you, hurt you. You’ve been spying on this house until we got here, apparently. From the photos that Maya showed me, you had to have been up high to take some of them. I’m guessing a tree or something of similar height. Something that you could have easily fallen out of, hurting yourself.”
“I was fine,” Millie muttered. “I didn’t fall or even scratch myself.”
“Good. Because I hate to think of Spike’s reaction if you had,” Matthieu said in a dark voice. “I can only imagine what he’s going to say about you sneaking onto that property and taking photos through the window. I’d be willing to bet that he would tell you how foolish and risky that was. And then I’d be willing to bet good money that you won’t sit comfortably for a week.”
Maya winced. Oh no. She should never have told Millie and Livvy about the puppies. And she definitely shouldn’t have let Millie follow David. This was her problem and she had no right getting anyone else involved and risking their safety.
“I’m so sorry!” Maya cried, drawing their attention to her. “This is my fault. Blame me. You can tell Spike it’s my fault. He can spank me instead.”
As soon as she said that, she wished the words back. She didn’t really want anyone spanking her.
“He will not be spanking you,” Matthieu said in a dark, cold voice.
Oops.
“Look, everything will be fine. No one is at fault. What we have to do is simple . . . we just don’t tell Spike,” Millie said. “And Maya, I chose to help. I don’t want to leave those poor dogs in this situation. So, I have a plan.”
“No,” Matthieu said firmly. “No plan. No rescuing dogs. And no keeping anything from Spike. What is going to happen is that I am going to follow you home, Millie. And you are going to explain to Spike exactly what you were doing tonight. And then I am going to take Maya home—”
“We cannot leave the dogs in this situation!” Maya cried. She couldn’t believe that Matthieu would just walk away.
“We really can’t,” Millie said. “What if some of the puppies die? They’re living in terrible conditions. It’s overcrowded. Who knows if they’re getting good vet care or if they’re being fed properly.”
“They’re probably being forced away from their mom when they’re too young,” Maya said. “They might get some vet care just before they’re sold but who knows? The puppies I saw at puppy yoga looked fairly healthy, but they’re probably the ones they take care of to take photos of for selling on dodgy sites. I cannot believe David finds it okay to use puppies from a place like this!”
“He’s so evil,” Millie agreed. “He knows what situation he’s taking them back to and he doesn’t even care! What kind of meanie does that?”
Her boss. That was who.
The biggest meanie of them all.
“Matthieu, we cannot leave them here! I’ve seen farms like this before. The puppies can end up so ill from worms and fleas that there’s no saving them. Please, Matthieu.”
She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes.
“You’ve seen this before?” Millie asked.
“This isn’t my first rescue,” she admitted. “I’ve helped with a number of animal rescues. I belong to a group that operates outside the law, let’s say.”