Page 169 of Papa's Bébé
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.”
“I do not like what you are saying,” Matthieu said in a low voice.
“Hate to tell you, but you’re being very negative today,” she told him with fire.
“Now is not the time to flex that sassiness at me,” he warned.
“I agree with Maya, you’re being a real downer,” Millie told him.
He turned to Millie. “And I do not need you to agree with her. You are in enough trouble.”
Millie huffed out a breath. “That’s rude. And this isn’t my first animal rescue, either! Maybe I’ll join this group that you belong to, Maya.”
Um.
Well, Maya wasn’t so sure about that. It was kind of dangerous and she was learning that having friends meant that she really wanted to protect them. She didn’t want anything happening to Millie.
“No, you will not,” Matthieu told Millie. Then he turned to Maya. “And you will have nothing more to do with them.”
Well. She couldn’t agree to that.
“What sort of rescues have you been on with them?” Millie asked.
“Um, well, all sorts. I’ve rescued animals from abusive situations. And I’ve been to protests about animal testing and stuff. Anyway, let’s get this situation sorted first. What is your plan?”
“I thought that someone could create a distraction while the other two people go in and grab all of the puppies,” Millie suggested.
Hmm. It had potential. It just needed a bit of tweaking.
“What sort of distraction were you thinking?” Maya asked. This could make or break the plan.
“I was thinking . . . fire or maybe a car accident. I could crash my car into a power pole. Or into the front fence. Yeah, that would work. That would bring everyone in the house running out.”
“How many people are in there, do you know?” Maya asked. That plan did sound like it might work. But it would depend on how quickly she and Matthieu could work to grab the dogs. They needed some more hands.
