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When she finally emerged from her room, Timothy by her side, she found the guys sitting at the small kitchen table she'd hardly used. Someone had found the leopard print placemats she'd found at a discount online store and put them on the table along with two of the long stem candles she'd kept in case the power went out.

“Wow,” she said, crossing to the chair Kenny held out for her. “What are we celebrating?”

“You,” Dave answered. “We thought after everything you'd been through; you deserved a night of elegance.”

“Elegance, huh?” The corner of her mouth tugged upward. “With paper plates?” Since her parents’ death, Maisie controlled their parent's estate, which meant she owned all of their parents’ good china. Not that she minded. Scarlett didn't cook much so when she did, paper plates made for easy cleanup.

“We're improvising,” Dave said with a lift of his shoulder.

“I can dig improvising if I'm treated to delicious food all the time.”

“I'm going to hold you to it,” Edward said, cutting into the lasagna.

She waited patiently as he served up each of them a square of noodly goodness then added a bit of salad from the bamboo bowl situated beside the casserole dish. The dressing had already been added to it, a special recipe from Edward's family.

Once everyone had their food, she began to eat. The spice of Italian sausage paired well with the sweetness of the tomatoes and basil. Each bite was like an explosion of flavors on her tongue. She gave a happy hum of approval wiggling in her chair. It'd been a long time since she had a homemade meal.

“I think she likes it,” Dave stated, laughter tinging his voice.

“Or she was really hungry,” Edward said before popping a piece of bread into his mouth.

“I love it,” she said. “It's really good.”

“Leave room for dessert,” Timothy said. “I may have made something.”

“What are you guys? Culinary chefs?” she teased.

“When you live alone, you tend to either sink or swim,” Kenny said. “We all cook. We all clean.”

“I only cook when I have to and then it's something simple,” Scarlett said.

“I won't ask the stupid questions,” Dave muttered. “With us, you'll learn.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Thanks, I think.”

He laughed. “Don't look so suspicious. We'll have fun. Don't worry, Scar.”

“Easier said than done.”

Dave inclined his head. “Touché.”

“So, how did the meeting with the district attorney go?” Kenny asked.

“It went about as well as we could expect,” Dave stated. “I think he'll help us, it's mostly a race against a clock none of know when it will run out.”

“We had to choose one or the other,” Scarlett added. “Either we went after the selling of the cubs or we went after her for fraud and forging documents.”

Kenny blew out a breath. “Shit. Both are bad.”

“Sure,” Dave said. “However, when Marcus explained it, getting Fish and Game out to check on the cubs and the documents for each of the preserve, could end up netting nothing for us. As long as the refuge has the proper paperwork and licenses, they're not doing anything wrong. Plus, they're taking the cubs off of Scarlett's hands. In the eyes of the court, it would've been seen as no harm no foul. The fraud and forgery, on the other hand, have a better chance. We know everything so far has been a farce. Marcus is going to take a look at everything we have then present it to a judge for a warrant. When he has it, he'll let us know. Until then, we have to act as if nothing has changed.”

“Is there a chance Benji might squeal?” Timothy asked.

“No. I think he was in the dark the whole time. Victory though... I believe she's in all the way,” Dave said. “I wouldn't be surprised if Maisie gave the girl kickbacks for her help and not investigating anything.”

“I'll be happy when this is over with,” Edward said. “Every time something happens, it's like it gets worse instead of better.”

“It will get worse before we can breathe again,” Dave replied. “It's always like that.”