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Edward laughed.

“It was in this register,” Scarlett said, pushing the notebook to Dave. “I’ve looked through it twice and I have no clue where it might have been hiding.”

Dave opened the document and began reading it. It was a standard five-year fixed-rate loan, using the sanctuary as collateral. He blinked. Had he read that right? He looked over it again, coming to the terms of the loan once more. "Who signed it?"

“Maisie,” Scarlett replied. “Shouldn’t it have had both of our signatures? Shouldn’t you have looked at it first before she signed anything?”

He nodded as he continued to read. Maisie not only put the sanctuary up for collateral, but also the family home in Boulder, and the small gift store/online store they ran to make extra money. It didn’t make sense to him why Maisie would be so stupid or careless. As it stood,Hearts and Pawsoperated part of the year in the black, the rest of the time, like the coming winter, they’d be working in the red, depending on credit to purchase most of their supplies. God forbid if one of the big cats got sick, it would bankrupt them for sure.

“First and foremost, what did this money go toward?” He placed the paperwork on the desk before taking another bite of his lunch.

Scarlett frowned. “I have no clue. We’re operating on a short budget as it is.” Kenny nudged her and she pursed her lips. “Maisie also mated a pair of tigers. She swears the lion was already pregnant when we brought her in and the other set of lions, well... I suspect Sheba and Thadeus were brought together as well.”

“How many more cats does that make?”

“Seven,” Kenny answered. “And counting.”

“What?” Scarlett dropped her fork. “What are you talking aboutand counting?”

Kenny rubbed his forehead. “A cheetah is pregnant.”

Scarlett pushed away from the table. Rage replaced the arousal pouring through her veins. “What do you mean, a cheetah is pregnant?”

“We found out this morning. Fabien confirmed it.” Kenny shifted in his seat. “Normally, I’d think Maisie was being eccentric, but this... I think she’s gone Cruella de Ville on us.”

“Big cats aren’t dalmatians,” Edward said. “And there’s not a hundred and one of them either.”

Dave barked out a laugh.

Scarlett frowned. “How far along?”

Kenny shrugged. “At least a month or two? She could have them any day now. Fabien wasn’t sure.”

“You’ve got a problem, Scar,” Dave said.

"You think. The timing of these ‘pregnancies' almost syncs up exactly to when Maisie received the loan."

"Longer," Dave uttered. "For the cubs and kits to arrive after the paperwork had been signed, Maisie would have had to have been tracking their seasons for at least a year, if not more. I think the luck came with the already pregnant lioness."

“Shit.” Scarlett pressed her palms to her face. “What have I been missing? How did I not see this?”

“How could you have?” Edward placed his hand on her arm. “You’ve taken to being in the periphery most of the time. Maisie... She’s conniving. According to what I’ve heard from the workers, she’s been banging one of the veterinarian staff members.”

“Fabien?” Dave pressed.

Edward shook his head. "Fabien wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole. He's gay and has a boyfriend, Paul."

Kenny shook his head. “Who’s the part-time lover for Maisie?”

Edward shrugged. “Not sure, but he could also be Samantha’s father.”

All of the blood drained from Scarlett’s face. It was instantaneous and Dave was by her side. Things had never normalized after the accident. While Scarlett had been shunned by everyone, including her parents, Maisie rose to power within the family. She’d sat on the outside and watched the interactions within the family. Maisie thrived on the influence she’d cultivated and now it seemed, it had manifested into authority as well. “Scar, what’s wrong? You can tell us.”

“This is all too much.” She shook her head. “I thought... A small part of me thought the reason Maisie wouldn’t tell us who the father was, had been because of her being assaulted.”

“Now,” Kenny hedged.

“Now, I think my sister is manipulating the whole sanctuary including us.”