CHAPTER 12
Beau woke the next morning, his arm numb and his hip sore from lying on his side on the hardwood floor. Aurelie snuggled up against him, the pup curled in the crook of her arm.
As sore as he was from sleeping on a hard surface, he wouldn’t change a thing.
This woman had captured his interest and possibly his heart from the moment he’d met her. Making love with her had been magical and something he wanted to do again and again. He could be perfectly content to make love with her every night and wake with her snuggled up against him every morning for the rest of his life.
But maybe on a mattress instead of the floor.
He had it good.
Too good?
How had he been lucky enough to come home when the members of his Ranger squad hadn’t been so fortunate?
Beau’s euphoria threatened to fade as he remembered the faces of his fallen battle buddies. His mental therapist had encouraged him to look for the reasons he had been miraculously spared. The entire time he’d worked as a mercenary, guarding general contractors in Afghanistan, he hadn’t seen any reason why he should have lived while his friends and brothers had died in the crash.
The memory of a man dressed all in black, throwing a woman over the boardwalk railing into the alligator-infested bayou, had made a believer out of Beau. If he hadn’t been there, Aurelie might have drowned. If she had managed to fight her way to the surface, that alligator could have gotten to her before she’d found her way out of the water.
He’d been spared to save her.
And Aurelie had been spared her bayou death to save Lady, the abandoned stray.
In effect, Beau had been spared in the fiery crash so that he would be there to save Aurelie, who, in turn, saved Lady.
The gray light of dawn crept through the living room window, growing brighter with each passing minute.
Lady stirred in Aurelie’s arm, waking the woman who’d saved her.
Beau remained on the floor, though his hip hurt and he couldn’t feel his arm. He wanted the quiet of the morning to last just a little longer.
It lasted another five seconds until Lady crawled over Aurelie’s arm to lick Beau’s face.
He grabbed the mutt and eased his arm from under Aurelie, trying not to wake her.
Lady danced on his chest, licking his chin, his cheek and his ears before Beau finally gave up, scooped the dog into his arms and rose from the floor. She probably needed to go outside.
As he tiptoed past Aurelie’s inert form, her groggy voice murmured, “Put a leash on her. She might get scared and make a run for it.”
With the dog tucked under his arm, Beau returned to the laundry room, where he’d found the clippers and located a small harness and a leash.
Lady turned circles in anticipation of going for a walk, making it difficult for Beau to get her into the harness and snap the lead onto it.
Once they were ready, Beau unlocked the laundry room door and walked out into the morning mist with what amounted to a dog that looked more like a rat and could possibly fit into a woman’s purse.
Free of her heavily matted hair, Lady pranced out onto the porch and down the steps. Once out in the grass, she did her business, barked at the birds and trotted back to the porch, more than ready to return to the relative safety of the house.
Beau climbed the steps to find Aurelie seated on a porch swing, her hair sticking out in odd directions and her face rosy from sleep.
Lady ran to her and let Aurelie lift her onto her lap, where she settled, resting her chin on her paws, perfectly content to be held.
Beau leaned against a post and studied the woman and the little dog lying across her thighs. “If you had any doubt, you can now be assured that is a lap dog.”
Aurelia smoothed a hand over the dog’s back. “She probably feels safe for the first time in a while. I’d like to take her to a veterinarian today and have him check her over.”
“We can do that,” Beau said. “I’m pretty sure there’s one here in Bayou Mambaloa.”
“I need to check my calendar. I’m pretty sure I have a meeting this afternoon with the CEO of one of the companies we’ve been monitoring for EPA violations.”
“Can you postpone or cancel that meeting? I’m not sure it’s safe for you to be out and about.”
Aurelie’s brow wrinkled. “I refuse to be bullied into stepping back from all the work I’ve done to ensure the bayou’s future. I might be the only person in Louisiana who cares enough to make the tough calls to save the bayou from the ravages of corporate greed or climate change.”
Beau gave her a brief nod. “Okay, then. After breakfast, we’ll swing by the veterinarian’s office and get Lady checked out. I’ll call my mother and have her check with Pearson’s family to see if they know anything about the dog.” His brow dipped. “What if she’s just a stray? What do you want to do with her?”
Aurelie stared down at the dog in her lap. “I’m not taking her to a shelter if that’s where you’re going with this conversation.”
Beau dropped to his haunches in front of the pair and scratched the dog behind her ear. “I think you just found your new person, you lucky dog.”
Lady blinked several times and then closed her eyes.
“I’ll make breakfast.” Beau straightened. “How do you like your eggs? And do you want bacon and toast?”
“Over easy and all the above. I’d help, but my hands are full, and my lap is otherwise occupied.”
Beau glanced around the clearing where the cottage nestled. It appeared to be peaceful and safe. Experience had proven that appearances could be deceiving. Someone could be in the shadows at the tree line, waiting for an opportunity to pick her off or steal her away.
“I’ll cook, but I can’t keep an eye on you if you’re out here and I’m inside.” He tipped his head toward the door. “There’s a comfortable sofa in the living room. An added bonus for me is that I can see the living room from the kitchen.” He raised his eyebrows. “What do you say? Or you might consider feeding the little rat while I prepare our food.”
“That’s a good idea.” Aurelie gathered Lady into her arms and stood. “Since we’re feeding her smaller quantities, it should be more often until she gets used to eating regular meals.”
Beau held the door for Aurelie and the dog. Once they were inside, he closed and locked the door, glad she’d decided to come inside while he fixed breakfast.
While Beau cooked eggs, bacon and toast, Aurelie poured a small amount of dog kibble into a bowl and refreshed the water bowl for Lady. “I’ll wait to put the food down until we’re ready to eat,” she said. “That way, Lady can eat while we do.”
“Bacon’s done, and the eggs are almost ready.” Beau used a spatula to lift eggs from the skillet to the waiting plate. “Just waiting on the toast.”
Aurelie checked the doggy door in the laundry room and found a lever she could set to lock the door.
Beau carried two plates to the dining table.
Aurelie carried glasses of orange juice.
Beau returned to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee. “Do you want a cup?” he asked.
“Please.” Aurelie carried her cup of coffee and Lady’s dog food bowl into the dining room.
Lady ate her dog food while Beau and Aurelie ate their breakfast.
After cleaning his plate, Beau sat back with his cup of coffee, reviewing what he knew about the attacks and the information she’d shared with the sheriff and Remy. “You say your work to preserve the bayou has gotten certain corporations in hot water with the EPA. How so?”
“A couple of businesses claimed they were following the EPA’s guidelines for disposal of toxic chemicals generated in their manufacturing processes.” Aurelie laid down her fork and lifted her coffee mug. “One company flat-out lied, and their records were fabricated.”
“How do you know that?”
She gave a grim smile. “I got a tip from an insider who knew the truth. He gave me a date and a location in the bayou where the toxic chemicals would be dumped. I rented a boat and made sure I was there to capture the act on video. They came to the same spot the next night. I had an EPA agent and the sheriff for that parish with me that time. They caught them in the act.”
“Wait.” Beau frowned. “Were you alone the first night?”
Aurelie nodded. “I knew I wouldn’t get law enforcement or the EPA to listen unless I had evidence. The video was very convincing.”
Beau shoved a hand through his hair, shocked that this woman had gone out into the bayou alone, at night, to a location where men were performing an illegal act that could get them thrown into jail. “Were the men dumping the chemicals armed?”
“Yes.” She grimaced. “When they tried to escape, the sheriff had two other boats nearby to block them from getting away. They exchanged gunfire.”
Beau couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “They let you go with them? An unarmed woman?”
“I had to show them where to go,” she said. “When shit hit the fan, they couldn’t let them get away, and they didn’t have time to drop me off before pursuing the bad guys.”
“You’re lucky to be alive,” he said solemnly.
“The point is, they caught them,” Aurelie said. “In a plea bargain, the men doing the dirty work told the EPA agent everything they needed to know about where the chemicals came from and who’d given the order to dump them in the bayou. They paid a visit to the company and shut them down until they put the process in place to safely handle and dispose of toxic byproducts.”
“The man you have a meeting with today...is his company violating EPA guidelines?”
“I won’t know until I conduct my investigation.” She took a cautious sip of her coffee and swallowed. “I start by looking through their records. If anything jumps out as a red flag, I dig deeper.”
“How?” he asked, afraid of her response.
“I observe.” She lifted her chin. “Sometimes, I sneak onto their grounds or follow their trucks.”
“Oh, babe.” Beau shook his head. “No wonder they’re after you.”
Aurelie frowned. “If they were doing what they were supposed to, I wouldn’t have to go to such extreme measures.” She leaned forward. “Don’t you see? What they’re doing to the bayous is killing them. Maybe even killing the people who live there. If I didn’t do anything about it, who would?”
He set his cup on the table and took her hands in his. “You have great intentions, and you obviously care about the bayous and the people. Is it worth your life?”
Her fingers curled around his. “If not me...who?”
“That’s a job for the EPA and law enforcement. You shouldn’t be sneaking onto corporate grounds. They could get you for trespassing. You could end up in jail.”
“True,” she said, her brow knitting. “But I’m not trespassing when I follow their people out into the bayou or when I test the bayou waters near their facilities.”
“I realize saving the bayou is your father’s philanthropy, but with you going the extra lengths, are you helping his cause or hurting it?”
“How can it hurt the cause if we stop companies from poisoning the bayou?”
“You said yourself that sometimes the EPA forces the companies to shut down until they put measures in place to clean up their acts.” He squeezed her hands gently. “That puts people out of work. When people don’t have work, they don’t have money to feed their families. They’re less likely to care about saving the bayou and more likely to back whoever keeps the factories open.”
“Jacob Gousman,” she whispered. “My work to save the bayou could cost my father the election.”
Beau nodded.
She stared at their joined hands. “I need to back off my investigations until after the election.”
“Is that what this afternoon’s meeting is about?”
She nodded. “I’m going to talk to Patrick Holzhauer at JBK Chemicals. I got a tip from an anonymous informant that they’re not reporting all their industrial waste.”
“What do you hope to gain by speaking with him?”
“Maybe an explanation. I don’t know who my informant is. He could be wrong.”
“Have you received tips from this guy before?”
She nodded.
“Has his information been accurate each time?”
Again, she nodded.
Beau sighed. “You’re going to talk to Holzhauer despite almost being killed, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “At the very least, I hope to encourage him to leave the world a better place than he found it. For his children. For the future.”
“I’m going with you.”
She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “I set up the appointment in my name only. It’s a secure facility. All persons entering their complex are required to submit their names at least a day in advance so they can conduct a background check.”
“Call them.” Beau said. “Tell them that, based on a recent attack, you’re bringing your bodyguard.”
Aurelie met his gaze. “Okay.” She pulled her hands free of his, rose and walked into the living room where she’d left her cell phone on an end table.
Lady, having finished her food, trotted along behind her.
Beau smiled at the picture they made.
Aurelie returned a few minutes later. “Done. Your name is on their guest list.”
“Good, because if they wouldn’t let me in, I’d have to raise some hell.”
Her lips turned upward. “I would’ve paid good money to see how that went down.”
Beau and Aurelie gathered their dishes and entered the kitchen together. He washed, she dried. They stood so close that their shoulders bumped against each other, making Beau want to pick up where they’d left off before the invasion of the matted mop now named Lady.
Lady stood by Aurelie’s feet as if afraid she’d disappear and abandon her.
“I’ll need a few minutes to pull myself together,” Aurelie said.
“I’ll call my mother,” Beau said, “and let her know about Lady.”
Aurelie’s gaze met his.
He cupped her cheek in his palm and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Don’t worry. I’ll let her know that you’ll take her if the family isn’t interested.”
“I’ll take her, even if they are interested,” she murmured. “I’ll give her a good home.”
“I’ll let my mother know how you feel. She’s an excellent negotiator.”
Aurelie grabbed her gym bag and entered the bathroom. She waited for Lady to follow and then closed the door.
Beau dressed quickly in black jeans and a black polo shirt, aiming for the bodyguard vibe. He had a pair of mirrored sunglasses in his truck to add to the look.
With Aurelie still in the bathroom, he grabbed his cell phone and stepped out onto the back porch, leaving the door open so that he could listen for Aurelie.
The first call was to his mother.
“Beau, sweetheart. How was your night in da cottage?”
“Interesting,” he answered.
“Oh. Tell me.”
He skipped the part about making love with Aurelie and got straight to the home invader, Lady.
“A small white dog, you say?” His mother paused. “I seem to recall Myra Pearson carried a little white dog wit’ her everywhere before she died a year ago. I hadn’t t’ought about it since den. It could be hers. I’ll contact da family and ask what dey want to do wit’ it.”
“Maman, while you’re talking with them, ask them what they want for this place, as is.”
“Do you know someone interested in buying it da way it is?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” The idea had barely taken root in the back of his mind. Now, it was firmly embedded. He’d wanted a place of his own with acreage and preferably on the water. So, it needed work. He wasn’t afraid of that. “Maman,” he said. “Tell them your buyer wants the dog with the house. Non-negotiable.”
“Da dog?”
He hadn’t been sure about his reason for surviving. He hadn’t been sure he would ever fit into civilian life. But he was sure about this. “Yes, ma’am. The dog.”
Another call came in on his cell phone. He glanced at the caller ID. Remy Montagne.
“I have another call coming in I need to take.”
“I have what I need,” his mother said. “I love you, son. Glad you’re home.”
He ended the call with his mother and accepted the call from Remy. “Boyette speaking.”
“Just heard from the sheriff in Bayou Miste,” Remy said. “They got a match on the fingerprints found in Miss Anderson’s home.”
“Anyone we know?” Beau asked.
“Not unless you’re familiar with Cajun mafia hitmen.”
Beau’s gut clenched. “No shit?”
“No shit,” Remy confirmed. “Big Johnny Lansky. He’s the primary suspect in a number of execution-style murders.”
“Why’s he still running loose?” Beau asked.
“They can’t come up with sufficient evidence or keep witnesses alive long enough to take him to court,” Remy said.
The knot in Beau’s gut tightened. “And he was in Aurelie’s cottage. Did they find anything on the video footage from the chateau?”
“Yeah.” Remy’s tone didn’t bode well. What could be worse than having Johnny Lansky after Aurelie?
“Were they able to identify the man in black who attacked Aurelie?”
“Yeah. Ever heard of Slash Duon?”
Beau’s stomach roiled. “Fuck.”
“Right?” Remy continued. “He was at the masquerade ball. They identified him by the dragon tattoo on his left hand.”
“How the hell did he get in?”
“They figure his ticket was purchased under the name of a recognizable donor, and he had an ID made to match.”
“So much for security.” Beau shoved a hand through his hair. “He was in the ballroom and probably followed Aurelie when she left the building.” He was still kicking himself for not sticking with her when she’d gone down the hallway leading to the bathrooms.
A goddamn hitman. He could easily have stabbed her, snapped her neck or shot her before tossing her into the bayou.
“As soon as I heard those two names,” Remy was saying, “I passed them to Swede. He’s been running background checks on some of the corporate talking heads Miss Anderson met with in her efforts to protect the bayous. He didn’t find much on the internet, but when he took the names to the dark web, he found images of some of her CEOs at parties in New Orleans.”
“By chance, was Patrick Holzhauer at JBK Chemicals one of those CEOs?” he asked.
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Remy said.
Beau braced himself, knowing the parties weren’t what was important so much as who was there with the CEOs.
“Here’s the thing,” Remy said. “In each of the images, the different CEOs were with Manny Marceaux.”
“As in the Cajun Mafia kingpin, Manny Marceaux?” Beau breathed in and back out. “When I was a kid, my father told us stories about the Marceaux family in New Orleans. He warned us that whatever we did, stay away from them. And Manny was the worst of them. What is he…in his seventies now?”
“Rumors on the dark web say he’s got cancer,” Remy said. “Some think he’s making a big push to get as many of his people in place as he can before he dies to make sure the family carries on, even without him to lead them.”
Beau shook his head. “Then what’s his end game? Why pick on a bayou activist?”
“She’s causing problems with the people he has in place. Maybe he’s getting kickbacks from the companies.”
“And when the EPA shuts them down, they don’t have money for payola?” Beau paced the length of the porch and back. “Still, she can’t warrant two of his best hitmen.”
“Sorry, buddy,” Remy said. “Your client hit the jackpot on the best of the worst. Do you want me to send backup?”
“Yes.” Beau groaned. Aurelie was already chafing at having him running interference. “No. At least not yet. Let me bring Aurelie up to date and let her get used to the idea before we overwhelm her.”
“Will do,” Remy said. “But don’t wait too long to ask for reinforcements.”
“Roger.”
“Out here.” Remy ended the call.
Beau stared out at the bayou, the water so still it reflected the puffs of white clouds drifting overhead.
“Fuck,” he muttered and turned to find Aurelie standing in the doorway, dressed in navy slacks, a white silk blouse and black heels. She’d pulled her dark hair back into a neat bun at the nape of her neck. She’d applied makeup that accentuated her beautiful brown eyes and a dark red lipstick.
She held Lady in her arms, a frown denting her forehead. “What’s wrong?”
Where did he begin?
“I think you should cancel that meeting with Holzhauer.”
“Why?” she asked. When he hesitated, her lips pressed into a thin line. “I have a feeling I’m not going to like this.”
“I know you’re not going to like what I have to say.” He hooked her arm and led her into the house, closing and locking the back door. “Let’s get Lady to the vet. I’ll fill you in on the way.” He didn’t stop until he had her out the front door and locked it securely, although hitmen like Lansky and Slash wouldn’t let a little thing like a door lock stop them. It wouldn’t even slow them down.
By the time they reached the vet’s office, Aurelie sat perfectly still in the passenger seat, still holding Lady, stroking her in short, jerky motions.
“Two hitmen,” she whispered. “You’d think I’d killed one of the Marceaux family to warrant two hitmen.” She looked across the console, meeting his gaze. “All because they don’t want me to protect the bayou?” She shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense. I’m nobody in the grand scheme of things.”
“Apparently, you’re somebody who threatens the Cajun Mafia.” He slid out of his seat, rounded the truck to her door and helped her to the ground.
Aurelie clutched the little dog in her arms. “As much as I don’t want to be bullied into stepping back from my one-on-ones with the CEOs of the companies with the worst track records with the EPA,” she started, “I think you’re right.”
Beau cupped her elbow and walked with her toward the entrance of the vet clinic. “Right about what?”
“I’m going to postpone my meeting with Holzhauer,” she said as he held the door for her. “Anything I have to say to him will be trumped by whatever hold Manny Marceaux has on him.” She walked into the clinic and stepped up to the counter.
Once the receptionist took her information, she sat beside Beau as they waited to be called into an examination room.
Less than a minute later, a vet tech led them into a room with a stainless-steel examination table and two plastic chairs against the wall.
Lady shivered so violently in Aurelie’s arms that Beau feared she’d rattle some bones loose.
The veterinarian entered. A tall man with an average build, he smiled and asked why they’d brought the dog in.
Aurelie told him about Lady, who had appeared matted and hungry in the kitchen of the house they were renting.
“Do you know how long she’s been on her own? May I?” The vet took Lady from Aurelie and checked her over from nose to tail.
“The man who owned the house died a couple of months ago. She could’ve been overlooked by the people who discovered the man’s body, or she could’ve been grieving for the old man and ran scared into the woods.” Aurelie shrugged. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Other than a few fleas and a little razor burn, she appears to be fine. Without a stool sample, I can’t check for worms. Given the fact she’s been living in the woods, possibly subsisting on bugs and vegetation, I’m inclined to put her on a flea and tick deterrent, de-worming medication, an antibiotic to take care of anything she might have picked up and a nutritional supplement until she puts on a little weight.”
The vet handed Lady to Aurelie. “She appears to have held her own in the wild. A few weeks of healthy food, lots of cuddles and she’ll be fine.”
They picked up the medications at the reception desk and added a bag full of dog treats. Beau paid the bill.
The vet reappeared. “You know, we should run the microchip reader and see if we can locate her owner.” He nodded to the receptionist.
She rummaged in the desk and pulled out a reader, turned it on and handed it to the vet.
The vet ran the reader over Lady, moving slowly until a number appeared. “Ah,” he said. “She does have a microchip. Let me see if we can locate the chip company and find the owner.”
The veterinarian sat at a computer terminal and entered the number in a registry database.
Aurelie held Lady, stroking her fur, her brow wrinkled.
Beau slipped an arm around her waist, holding Aurelie lightly, knowing she was already attached to the dog.
“Here it is,” the vet said. “The dog belongs to Robbie and Myra Pearson. Do you want the phone number so you can call and let them know their dog has been found?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Beau said. “The dog’s owners are deceased.”
The vet frowned. “I’m sorry. Would you and your wife like me to take the dog and turn it over to a shelter?”
Aurelie half-turned away, shielding Lady. “No.”
The vet smiled. “If you’re keeping her, you’ll want to get in touch with the microchip company and have them change the contact information in case the dog gets lost again.”
“We will,” Beau took the bag of medications and left with Aurelie.
Once out in the truck, he turned to her. “What now?”
She stared at the vet clinic. “I don’t know. I feel like I should be meeting with my team, working on ad campaigns and lining up interviews with local celebrities to get their buy-in for saving our natural resources.” Aurelie turned to Beau. “But right now, I just can’t. All I want to do is hole up in the cottage. Out of sight.” Her brow furrowed. “Two hitmen? Wow. I guess I should feel special.” She snorted. “All I want to do is what Lady did and disappear into the woods.”
Beau’s heart pinched hard in his chest. He wanted to make the world right again for Aurelie. The only way he could help would be to take out two hitmen and the leader of the Cajun mafia. How difficult would that be?