Page 44 of Beau

“I’ll take any help I can get,” she said. “Are they in law enforcement?”

“Not exactly,” Beau said. He didn’t know how much to tell her, but he wanted to tap into the resources Brotherhood Protectors had available to them. The sooner they did, the better.

“My friends are former military men, like me, from various branches, all former special forces. They belong to an organization called the Brotherhood Protectors. They have special assets available to them that could help us search through the backgrounds of people you’ve come into contact with. They might also be able to keep up with the sheriff’s department. They could tap into information about the case and feed that back to us in a timelier manner. That way, we won’t have to stop at the sheriff’s office several times a day.”

“That sounds good. Anything they can do to help would be great.” Her eyes narrowed. “So, they’re protectors? Is that like bodyguards? Or are they more like private investigators?”

“A little bit of both. They’re also capable of rescuing people in tight situations, like if somebody was kidnapped and held hostage. Those of us who were in Special Operations on active duty performed missions like that. We went in and extracted individuals who were held as prisoners or hostages for ransom.”

Aurelie stared across the console at him. “Are they performing these functions in a civilian capacity now that they’re out of the military?” Aurelie asked.

Beau nodded, bracing for when she realized his connection to the brotherhood and her.

Her frown deepened, and she tipped her head to the side. “Your cousin said something about your new job.” She shot a narrow-eyed glance toward him. “Are you working for the Brotherhood Protectors with your friends?”

The woman wasn’t stupid. Beau wouldn’t pretend that she was, and he wouldn’t continue to lie. “I am.”

“Sounds interesting and exciting,” she said. “Is there much call for that kind of service?”

“More than you think,” Beau said.

“It’s sad to think there’s enough trouble at home that we need a service like that. But I guess I’m glad there are people like you and your friends who are qualified to handle it.”

He glanced in her direction again, trying to read into her expression and body language.

She stared straight-faced at the boat factory as they approached.

He had no clue what she was thinking, which made Beau even more nervous than if she’d blasted him for not telling her that he was her bodyguard.

Whatever was going through her mind, he would weather it when it hit. Right now, he needed his team to work on finding out who had attacked her, who had trashed her home and was continuing to send death threats. If it pissed her off that her father had hired him to be her bodyguard, she’d have to get over it. The goal was to keep her safe. He needed all the help he could get.

He pulled into the parking lot at the old boat factory.

Aurelie frowned. “This is a boat factory. Why are we here?”

Beau parked and turned off the engine. “This is the Bayou Brotherhood Protectors’ headquarters.”

“Then why does that sign say Boat Factory on it?” she asked, her voice sharp, impatient.

He turned off the engine and stared at the building. “Because it’s also a boat factory.”

“Humph,” she muttered.

Based on the tension in her tone, Beau had to believe she knew.

At least now, he could work openly with his teammates.

She could be mad and even hate him. He told himself that as long as he kept her safe and alive, it didn’t matter.

But it did.

CHAPTER 9

Aurelie didn’t wait for Beau to come around and open her door for her. As soon as he parked in the parking lot at the boat factory, she pushed open the door and dropped down. Inside, she was steaming. She focused on keeping her face from showing what was going on in her head.

Beau worked for the Brotherhood Protectors.

She should’ve known. This had to be her father’s work. Then she remembered. She could not remember telling her father the name of her protector. Yet, her father had known his name was Beau.