CHAPTER 14
Pearson’s skiff appeared seaworthy enough, but it was secured to the dock with a cable and a combination lock. With no way of knowing the correct code, Beau searched the storage shed for something to cut the cable. After digging through an unorganized array of tools, he found a set of bolt cutters and hurried back to the dock to cut through the cable.
That was just the beginning of their challenges.
The small outboard engine attached to the skiff was old and oily. Beau shined a light into the fuel tank. It was as near to empty as it could be without being bone-dry.
He remembered seeing a five-gallon gas can in the shed, hurried back and lifted it, breathing a sigh as liquid sloshed inside it. The gas can was full. He found a bottle of stabilizer on a shelf nearby and grabbed it, too. Pearson might not have used the boat in months, possibly years.
Beau emerged from the shed into the night air. “Aurelie?”
“Coming,” she called out, her voice coming from inside the shed. She stepped out, carrying two dark green life jackets. “Thought we might need these.”
When they returned to the dock, Beau climbed into the skiff and poured the gasoline into the fuel tank.
Aurelie dropped the life jackets on the floor of the skiff and climbed aboard.
Beau glanced up briefly. “Will Lady be all right on her own?”
Aurelie’s brow dipped low. “I didn’t like leaving her. She probably thinks she’s been abandoned again. I heard her howling and scratching at the laundry room doggy door as I walked away.”
“You secured it so that she couldn’t get out?”
“I did,” Aurelie said. “She was very unhappy.”
“It’s better that she stay here.”
“I know,” Aurelie said.
Balancing the gas can with one hand, he dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Here,” he said, handing it to her. “Call Remy and put him on speaker.”
She found Remy’s number at the top of his favorites and placed the call, setting the sound on speaker.
Remy answered on the first ring. “Ready for that backup?”
“Yes.” Beau filled him in on the text Aurelie had received. “You already have the trace option on my cell phone. Get someone out on the water ASAP. Have them follow but keep a distance. We’re heading in to set up before midnight.”
“Do you want me to send someone over to protect Miss Anderson at the cottage so you can go to the location alone?” Remy suggested. “Or we can send someone else and leave you and Miss Anderson at the safe house.”
Aurelie shook her head. “My informant trusted me with the information. I won’t let him down. I’m going.”
“Okay, then,” Remy said. “I’ll gather a couple of our guys and see you out there.”
“You’re coming?” Beau asked.
“Besides you, I’m the most familiar with navigating Bayou Mambaloa. I’ll get right on it. Out here.”
Beau was relieved Remy would be one of the men who would have back. The Navy SEAL was a highly trained combatant and a seasoned Cajun.
When the fuel tank was full, Beau set the gas can on the dock, then added stabilizer and screwed the cap on.
Gripping the plastic handle tightly, he pulled the cord. The engine rumbled and died.
He looked for a way to prime it, found a squeeze bulb and squeezed it several times before trying again.
When he yanked the cord, the engine turned over once and died again.
On his third attempt, the engine rumbled, coughed and then roared to life, belching oily smoke for the first minute.
Aurelie handed him one of the life jackets. “Put this on.” She already had the other one on and had taken a seat on the middle metal bench, facing him.
Beau patted the gun he’d stowed in his shoulder holster along with an extra magazine full of rounds. He slid his arms into the vest and buckled the straps, checking to ensure he could still reach his pistol. It was a stretch but doable.
Aurelie leaned over to untie the lead from the post on the dock.
They only had fifteen minutes to get to the coordinates and find a suitable vantage point before midnight. If they didn’t get going, they wouldn’t have the lead they needed.
He slowly backed the skiff.
As he reached the end of the pier, a flash of white raced across the dock, flew through the air and landed in Aurelie’s arms.
“Lady!” she cried out. “How the hell did you get out of the house?”
The dog licked her face, her tail wagging her entire body.
“We can’t take her,” Beau said.
“We don’t have time to take her back to the house.” Aurelie met Beau’s gaze in the starlight. “I won’t leave her on the dock.”
Beau hesitated for one second, then whipped the little boat around. Using his cell phone’s GPS, he pushed the little skiff as fast as it would go, aware of the time they had left and the distance they needed to cover.
Fifteen minutes until midnight, as they neared the coordinates, Aurelie’s cell phone chirped softly. She stared down at the screen and gasped. “Turn back!” she yelled over the sound of the engine. “Turn back now! It’s a setup.”
“Hold on!” Beau goosed the throttle, turning the rudder at the same time to send the little skiff into a tight spin. He almost tipped it up on edge in his attempt to reverse course.
Before the little boat could right itself, a larger boat slammed into its underbelly, flipping it into the air and slinging its occupants overboard.
Beau plunged into the inky waters of the bayou. He wasn’t under long before his life jacket brought him to the surface.
The boat that had hit them turned and raced toward Beau and the overturned skiff.
Beau couldn’t swim out of the way fast enough. His only option was to go down. He fumbled for the buckle on his life jacket, pinched it loose and slid his arms out. As the sleek black bass boat powered toward him, he caught a glimpse of the lettering on the front, then dove deep beneath the surface.
The heavy engines roared over his head, missing him by a narrow margin.
Beau swam to the surface as the bass boat skimmed to a stop.
A big guy, matching the same build as the man who’d tossed Aurelie into the bayou, reached over the side, grabbed Aurelie by her life jacket and hauled her into the boat.
No!
Beau kicked hard in an attempt to swim for the bass boat.
A man yelled. “There he is!”
The next moment, bullets pelted the water around him.
Beau dove beneath the surface and swam away from his position before resurfacing in the shadow of the overturned skiff.
The bass boat circled the area where he’d been, a man firing a military-grade rifle into the water.
Beau counted four men and the driver. The lump on the deck had to be Aurelie.
Treading water, Beau pulled his handgun from the holster and aimed at the man with the rifle.
When he pulled the trigger, nothing happened. Even if he could swim fast enough to reach the bass boat, he was one man against five.
His hopes sank to the bottom of the bayou as the bass boat turned and sped away with the woman he loved.
Loved?
Was he in love?
How could he have fallen so fast?
Because she was smart, loyal, beautiful and cared about her family, her state and the bayou. So much so that she put her life in danger to save it.
Whether or not he loved the woman, Beau had failed to protect her. He prayed they wouldn’t kill her immediately, that they’d give him enough time to rally his forces and get to her before it was too late.
This couldn’t be the end. They were only just beginning.
A whining sound echoed from beneath the overturned skiff.
Lady!
Beau dove under the side of the skiff and surfaced in the pitch-black air pocket.
The sound of little paws desperately paddling in the water made him reach out into the darkness for the little dog Aurelie had grown so attached to.
Beau’s fingers encountered a floppy, wet ear. He grabbed it and pulled the animal toward him and into one arm.
Lady clawed at his shoulder, trying to get out of the water.
“Hey,” Beau spoke to the pup. “It’s okay. You’re going to be all right. Help is on the way.” At least, he hoped it was.
Kicking his feet to keep his head above water, Beau pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and clicked the button on the side.
Nothing. Which meant it no longer emitted a signal.
Remy was smart. He’d know to aim for the last location the finder app had located Beau’s phone.
Beau just had to stay afloat and not attract the attention of any resident alligators.
For the next few minutes, he remained in the air pocket beneath the skiff.
If Remy had mobilized soon after hanging up with Beau, he’d be on the bayou by now, making his way toward Beau.
When he arrived at the last location the app had seen Beau’s phone, Remy and his crew would see the skiff and look for the bodies.
Beau would be ready. He’d seen the first four numbers of the boat’s registration number following the LA for Louisiana. If he could find the owner, he might find Aurelie. Whatever they did, they had to hurry.
The hum of an engine vibrated through the water, growing louder.
“Sorry about this, kid,” Beau said to Lady. Holding her tightly in his arms, he dove down and came back up on the outside of the skiff.
An airboat approached, its massive fan roaring. It slowed as it neared. A floodlight blinked on, shining down on the water’s surface.
“Boyette! A voice called out.
Relief flooded through Beau. He raised his free hand. “Over here!”
The beam of light swung toward him, skimming across the water until it found him, blinding him with its intensity.
Beau kicked to keep his head above water, held Lady with one arm and shielded his eyes with the other.
The boat circled and sped toward him. As it neared, the driver kicked into reverse to bring it to a stop within a few feet of Beau and Lady.
Hands reached over the side.
Beau shoved Lady into a pair.
“What the fuck?” Gerard Guidry straightened, holding the wet animal out in front of him.
Lucas and Remy leaned over the side, grasped Beau’s wrists and dragged him up onto the deck of an airboat.
“Where’s Miss Anderson?” Remy asked.
“They rammed our boat, fished her out of the water and left, firing what appeared to be an AR-15 at me in the water.”
Lucas handed him a towel.
Beau dried his hands. “Get Swede on the phone. Now.”
Remy pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called the Brotherhood Protectors computer guru, placing the call on speaker.
Swede answered immediately. “Did you find him?”
“Got Boyette here,” Remy said and handed Beau the phone.
“Swede, the boat that rammed us and took Miss Anderson had a Louisiana registration. It was coming at me fast, but I think the numbers after LA were 5031. It’s all I got. It was a bass boat, if that helps.”
“Got it, running it through Louisiana’s DMV database. Hold on.”
Beau counted the seconds. The longer it took to find her, the greater the chance they wouldn’t get there in time.
Hurry, Swede.
“I have several hits on those numbers. They all belong to the same company. A marina located in a town called?—”
He knew before Swede said it. “Bayou Miste?”
“Yeah. That’s the one,” Swede said. “Thibodeaux Marina.”
Beau pulled his phone out of his pocket to call his cousin Ben. He started to punch the buttons when he remembered the phone was dead. He had no way of accessing his contacts. “Swede, give me the cell phone number of Benjamin Boyette.”
“I can do one better,” Swede said. “Setting up a three-way call with a Benjamin Boyette of Bayou Miste.”
“He might not answer if he doesn’t recognize the number,” Beau said.
“I have the caller ID set to Brotherhood Protectors,” Swede said.
The line rang once. “Ben Boyette speaking.”
“Ben, it’s Beau. I need your help.”
“Name it,” Ben said. “Whatever you need, I’m there for you.”
“The Cajun mafia have Auri. They’re transporting her on one of Thibodeaux’s new bass boats.”
“Bringing up the tracker app as we speak,” Ben said.
A message popped up on Remy’s phone, caller ID indicating it was Senator Anderson.
Beau shook his head. “We have an incoming call from Senator Anderson.”
“I’ll hold,” Ben said.
“Holding,” Swede said.
Beau pressed the button to hold current calls and answer the incoming one.
“What the hell happened?” Senator Anderson’s voice boomed in the night air. “I thought the Brotherhood Protectors had my daughter’s protection under control. Then I get a text message. If I don’t publicly withdraw my bid for reelection in the next hour, they’ll conveniently forget where they left her in the backwaters of the bayou. No one will get to her before alligators do. And if I call in law enforcement, they’ll weigh her down with cement and throw her in.” The senator sucked in a shaky breath. “At first, I thought it was a joke. Then they sent me a photo of my girl.” His voice choked.
Remy’s phone chirped in Beau’s hand as a text message came through.
Beau brought it up, his heart sinking to the bottom of the bayou.
Auri sat on the bank of the bayou, tied to a tree with a rope, her eyes closed as if she were unconscious or...dead.
Beau enlarged the image, studying her face.
Her cheeks still had a lot of color in them.
She was alive.
Beau clung to that little bit of hope.
“I’m drafting my withdrawal letter,” the senator said. “I have an emergency call out to a Baton Rouge news reporter, asking him to meet me in front of my house in thirty minutes. My daughter’s life is worth more to me than a political office. I just don’t think it will be enough. What if they don’t tell us where she is in time?”
“Senator Anderson, Beau Boyette here.” He searched for words to reassure this man that his daughter would be okay. Unfortunately, he couldn’t guarantee the outcome. Not when they were working against the clock and the men who’d taken Aurelie were brutal killers. “We’ll find her.”
“Do it. She’s all I have.” The senator ended the call.
Beau unmuted the other two callers, who were on hold. “Ben?” he said.
“All boats are accounted for at the marina, but one,” Ben responded.
“Can we see the path it took through the bayou?” Beau held his breath, praying for the right answer.
“Yes,” Ben said. “I’ve been talking with Swede.”
Swede’s voice came on the line. “I can set it up for you to see what Ben sees on the tracker app.”
Beau’s heart swelled with even more hope. “The entire path?”
“Yes, sir,” Ben said. “From the moment the boat was rented at Thibodeaux Marina by a James Smith.”
“By the way,” Swede said. “I ran a check on the driver’s license the man used to rent the boat. The man on the license has been dead for a year. Murdered in New Orleans.”
“I need that map now,” Beau said, “or Miss Anderson will be the next murder victim.”
A message came across on Remy’s phone. Beau brought it up, clicked on the link and a map filled the screen. “We’re in business. Let’s find our girl.”