Page 18 of Beau
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.