CHAPTER 4
“Come on. You can’t stay here.” Beau gripped Aurelie’s arm and urged her toward the door.
“This is my house.” She shook free of his hand and stared at the destruction, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “How could someone do this?”
“I don’t know. There’s plenty of trouble in this world without making more here at home.” He touched her arm. “We need to report this to the sheriff.”
“Damn right, we do.” She reached for a photo frame lying on the floor, the glass broken, but the picture still intact.
He stopped her before she could pick it up. “Don’t touch anything,” he said. “They’ll want to dust for fingerprints. Maybe they can find a match in the criminal databases.”
She stared at the photograph. “We took that picture of the three of us on our last vacation together before my mother died.” Her fists clenched at her sides as she drew in several ragged breaths. “Bastard!”
“Since neither of us have functioning cell phones, we have to go to the sheriff’s office.” When she didn’t move, Beau added, “I’m not leaving you here. You have to come with me.”
“Okay.” She drew in another breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t suppose I can grab some toiletries and clothes?” She shook her head even as she said the words. “Yeah. Probably not. Leave it as is and let the sheriff sort through the evidence.”
She spun on her booted heels and marched out the door without looking back.
Beau followed, using his foot to pull the door closed behind him, not wanting to touch the doorknob in case a print could be lifted off its surface.
Aurelie climbed up into the passenger seat of his pickup, her face set in stone, a muscle ticking in her jaw. “Bastard!” she muttered again. “I hope he burns in hell.”
Beau slid into the driver’s seat, backed out of the driveway and onto the street. After one last glance, he drove to the sheriff’s office in Bayou Miste. They spent the next hour with a deputy reporting the incident, giving their fingerprints and filling him in on everything that had led up to the break-in.
By the time they were done, Aurelie’s shoulders were drooping, and shadows had formed beneath her eyes.
Once they were back in his truck, Beau shifted into drive and headed out of Bayou Miste.
“I don’t even have my purse. It’s in my father’s car,” Aurelie said. “No phone. No credit cards. No house.” Tears welled and spilled down her cheeks. With an angry swipe of her hand, she brushed them away, her lips pressing into a thin line. “I guess I could go stay with my father. God, he’s going to be horrified and insist I move back in with him permanently.” She pushed her hand through her hair. “I love my father, but I want a life of my own.”
“It’s getting late,” Beau said. “You can stay at my place for the night. We can figure things out in the morning.”
She turned her head toward him, giving him a skeptical frown. “Your place... We...” She shook her head. “This isn’t your problem. It’s mine. You’ve already done enough. Just drop me off at the nearest homeless shelter. I’ll be all right.”
Beau chuckled. “Right. That’s not going to happen.”
Leaning her head back against the seat, she closed her eyes. “I should’ve had Lucie’s charm on me tonight, and maybe none of this would’ve happened.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in Voodoo.”
“If it keeps me out of trouble, I might start believing.” Her head popped up. “Seriously, you should’ve left me at the sheriff’s office. They might have an empty cell they could let me sleep in tonight. It’s that or drive me to Baton Rouge to stay with my father. Forget it. It’s too far.” Her head moved from side to side. “I’m so fucking tired I could sleep in your truck. What do you say? I promise not to drool on your leather.”
“You’re not staying in my truck. It’s too far and too late to go to Baton Rouge. I’ll say again, you can stay at my place. It’s not much, and it’ll only be for the night. Tomorrow, we’ll find an alternative.”
“Where is your place?” she asked. “I know so little about you besides the fact your family is extremely fertile.”
“I’m staying in a boarding house not terribly far from here.”
“Oh.” She frowned without opening her eyes. “A boarding house?”
“I told you I recently left the military. I’m still looking for a more permanent place to live. You can have the bed; I’ll sleep on the floor.” He sighed. “And no, I’m not a pervert who’ll jump you in your sleep. If you prefer, I can sleep outside the door to my room. You can lock yourself in.”
She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before asking, “Where is this boarding house?”
“Bayou Mambaloa,” he answered.
“That’s not far.”
“No, it’s not. It’s where I grew up.”
“You left the service and came home,” she said softly.
He nodded. “That’s right. If I know my mother, she’ll find a place for you to stay while your place is being investigated, cleaned up and restored.”
Aurelie snorted. “And to think, I chose Bayou Miste to get away from the crime in the cities.”
“While we’re looking for a place for you to stay, we need to be thinking about who has it in for you,” he said. “Who did you piss off so badly that they want you dead?”
“I’m sure there are a number of people,” she said.
“Why?”
“My work for my father’s philanthropy puts me crossways with corporations, business owners and the Cajun mafia.”
“Damn.” Beau shot a glance her way. “What philanthropy is that?”
“My father loves this state and wants to do right by it and the people who live here. He’s vowed to do everything in his power to preserve the bayou for future generations.”
“And how does that make people hate you?” Beau asked.
“I’m an environmental advocate. I look for corporations violating EPA guidelines. For example, those companies dumping toxins into the bayou…” She waved a hand in the air. “I gather evidence and blow the whistle on them. Sometimes, the businesses are fined and forced to get it right and clean up their mess. Other times, they’re shut down, and the people who work there are out of jobs.”
“I can see where that would make you unpopular,” Beau said. “Why does your father have you do the dirty work?”
“He didn’t want me to; I insisted.” She gave an abrupt laugh. “Stupid, huh?”
“Not stupid,” he said. “Obviously, you care.”
“I love my state as much as my father. I hate seeing it destroyed by people who ignore the rules put in place to protect it. I don’t set out to close down businesses and cost people their livelihoods. If the corporations would follow the guidelines and quit cutting corners that end up poisoning the bayous, I could go to work in a souvenir shop selling keychains to tourists and be perfectly happy.”
“Why isn’t the EPA doing the so-called dirty work?” Beau asked.
“They aren’t seeing what I’m seeing,” she said. “The companies do just enough to cover their tracks while the EPA agents are there, then they go back to their destructive ways once the agents’ backs are turned.”
“What has happened recently that would make someone come after you with such a vengeance?”
Aurelie shrugged. “That’s what’s crazy. My work hasn’t shut down anyone recently.”
Beau frowned. “When did you start getting death threats?”
“I got the first one two weeks ago.”
“Did anything in your life happen two weeks ago that might’ve triggered the hate?”
She shook her head. “I’ve been busy with my father’s campaign since he formally announced his run for reelection. He was teetering on a decision to retire but finally decided he was all in for another term.”
“When did he make the formal announcement?”
“Three weeks ago, give or take a day or two.” Her brow furrowed. “You think the death threats against me have to do with my father’s reelection?”
“The timing seems to indicate it could be.”
“But why go after me?” She held up a hand. “Not that I’d want them to target my father. But if someone doesn’t want my father to run, you’d think they’d go after him.”
“Would that be too obvious?” Beau suggested. “Who’s his opponent?”
“Jason Gousman,” Aurelie said. “He’s a corporate attorney out of New Orleans, running on a bring-more-jobs to Louisiana platform. He’s younger than my father, good-looking and charismatic, but youth, looks and charisma aren’t everything.”
“Sometimes, it is,” Beau said. “Especially if the voters are bombarded with his name and face in advertisements.”
Aurelie sighed. “And it’s our job to educate the voters about what they’re getting in my father. Gousman has only worked for major corporations. He claims it makes him perfect for negotiating deals to move production facilities into the state. He doesn’t have a track record for public works or representing the people like my father does.”
“It can be an uphill battle to educate voters who are more worried about paying the rent than getting out to vote.”
“I know.” Her lips pressed together. “Though our work to preserve the natural resources has caused some job loss, my father has brokered deals with major corporations to bring their foreign operations to the state. He’s worked to get them tax incentives while they’re establishing their operations. They brought jobs. Employed Louisianans.”
Beau laughed. “You’re preaching to the choir.” He slowed to a stop and shifted into park in front of the boarding house. Hank Patterson, the founder of the Brotherhood Protectors, had purchased it to provide temporary housing for the new team of men hired to staff the Bayou division. It gave them and new hires a place to live until they could secure more permanent lodging. “We’re here.”
Aurelie sat up. “You weren’t kidding when you said you were staying at a boarding house. It looks like something out of the early nineteen hundreds.”
“Probably because it is.” He pushed open his door and dropped to the ground. Aurelie met him in front of the truck and walked with him to the front entrance. “How many people live here?”
“Six, at last count.”
“Male-female ratio?” she questioned.
“All men.”
She stopped and faced him. “Is this going to be a problem bringing a woman into an all-male boarding house?”
“It’s only all-male because there aren’t any women renting rooms here at this time.” Which was one hundred percent true. He didn’t tell her that the men all worked for the Brotherhood Protectors. Hopefully, he wouldn’t run into any of them. If he did, they might blow his cover. He would talk with Senator Anderson tomorrow and see if he would reconsider telling his daughter why Beau Boyette was following her around like a shadow. Lying by omission was as bad as bold-faced lying, and the longer it went on, the madder Aurelie would be when she found out.
“It’s just for the night.” He opened the door and held it for Aurelie. “We’ll find suitable accommodations for you tomorrow.”
Her frown remained, denting her forehead with her displeasure.
Beau couldn’t blame her. A lone female in a house full of six men was enough to make any woman want to turn around and run.
“I’ll make sure no one bothers you,” he whispered as they entered the foyer. “Including me.” He cupped her elbow gently, led her up the staircase to the second level and turned right. His room was the last one on the left. They made it all the way to his door before the door they’d just passed opened.
His teammate, Rafael Romero, poked his head out. “I thought I heard someone.” He grinned, his eyebrows rising. “Well, well. Who do we have here?” He came out of his room wearing a black T-shirt, gym shorts and nothing else. A strand of black hair fell over his forehead, giving him a rakish charm.
Beau tensed as his teammate turned up the wattage of his smile.
Rafael held out a hand. “I’m Rafael Romero. And who is this vision of loveliness?”
Beau wanted to punch the man in the face for his blatant flirting. All women found him hard to resist.
Aurelie laughed. “Seriously? My makeup is probably smeared, my clothes are still damp, my hair is a mess and I smell like swamp water. Save your flowery words for the giddy girls who probably fall for them. Aurelie Anderson.” She gripped his hand, shook it and released it quickly. “Now, I’d like to shower before the stench becomes permanent.”
Not to be deterred, Romeo chuckled. “A woman with class and sass. I like it.”
Beau stepped between Aurelie and Romeo. “I wouldn’t mess with her if I were you,” he said. “She’s had a rough night.”
“If she’s hanging with you, I can understand completely.” His eyes rounded. “Oh, wait... Is she?—”
“Senator Anderson’s daughter?” Beau jumped in before Romeo could call her his client. “Yes. And we’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything about her being here.”
Romeo met Beau’s gaze. “Got it.” He made a motion like he was zipping his lips together. “I won’t say a word.” He turned his smile on Aurelie again. “But if you happen to be at the local bar, I’d like to buy you a drink. You can tell me why my pal Beau made your evening so rough.” He winked, lifted her hand and brushed a quick kiss across her knuckles. As quickly as he’d appeared, he disappeared into his room.
Aurelie’s gaze followed Romeo until that door closed between them. She faced Beau with a twisted brow. “Is your friend always so...”
“Annoying? Repulsive? Cheesy?” he suggested. “Yes.”
“I was going to say suave, charming and effusive.” She lifted her shoulders. “But cheesy fits.”
Beau used a key to unlock his door, pushed it open and stood back, waiting for her to enter.
Aurelie gave him a narrow-eyed glance as she entered his room.
He glanced over her shoulder. Had he left it tidy that morning? He usually did, but he’d gotten the call for the protector job right after his workout, and he couldn’t remember if he’d tossed his sweaty clothes into the clothes basket or onto the bathroom floor.
Once she was inside the bedroom, he slipped through the door and closed it behind him. “I just want to grab a few things and be out of here. You can have the room to yourself.”
“Are you really going to sleep on the floor outside that door?” Her brow dipped low on her forehead.
“Yes, ma’am. As you’ve pointed out, we’re strangers. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable by insisting on sleeping in the same room, even if I slept on the floor. You don’t know me from Adam.” He crossed to the sturdy oak dresser and pulled out a couple of T-shirts, two pairs of shorts and one set of boxer briefs. On second thought, he grabbed a second set of boxer briefs.
After separating the items, he handed a T-shirt, boxer briefs and shorts to Aurelie. “It’s sexy lingerie, but you can wear them to sleep in and feel comfortable wearing them out of the room tomorrow. You might have to cinch up the waistband to keep the shorts from falling off.”
She took the stack of clothes from his hands. “Thank you. I’ll get these back to you when I can get to my own clothes.”
“No hurry,” he assured her, then ducked into the bathroom, calling over his shoulder. “Fresh towels under the sink. Toothpaste in the drawer, new toothbrush still in the package in the same drawer. You can use my brush. It’s in the second drawer. Help yourself. Shampoo in the shower. If you need conditioner, sorry. We can pick up some tomorrow.”
Aurelie winced. “Yeah. I’ll need some to get through all the tangles.”
“If you don’t need anything else, I’ll be just a few steps away.”
“Don’t you want to shower the bayou water off you?” she asked.
“When you’re done. I know you’re uncomfortable in your wet clothes and boots. Take a long hot shower. Let me know when you’re done, and I’ll jump in to rinse off.”
He crossed to the entrance. “Don’t stand in the windows. The light from the room will silhouette your body, making it a perfect target to aim for. Again, I’ll be close. Just yell.”
She nodded.
Beau backed into the hallway, his gaze locked with hers as he pulled the door closed.
While she showered, he’d pull in the big guns. If tonight was any indication of what more was to come, he needed to bring his team in to help solve the mystery of who was terrorizing Aurelie. Between law enforcement and the assets available in the Brotherhood Protectors, they should be able to nail the guy sooner rather than later.
Preferably before the bad guy nailed the beautiful and feisty senator’s daughter.