Page 70 of Beau

Lady moved out of reach, heading for the door.

Aurelie sat up. “She needs to go outside.”

“I’ll take her.” Beau rolled out of the bed and followed the dog out of the room.

Aurelie laid back. No sooner had she closed her eyes than her cell phone chirped, indicating an incoming text.

She reached for it on the nightstand and stared at the message.

All thoughts of sleep flew out the window. Aurelie leaped out of bed and dressed quickly. She was tying the laces on her running shoes when Beau returned, carrying Lady.

He frowned when he saw that she was fully dressed. “Going somewhere?”

She looked up. “My informer just sent me a message. JBK Chemicals is dumping a dozen barrels of industrial waste into the bayou tonight at midnight.”

He shook his head. “You’re not going out there, are you?”

Aurelie finished tying her lace and stood. “I have to. Someone has to document what they’re doing;”

“Call the EPA.” Beau gripped her arms. “It’s their job to police the disposal of hazardous waste, not yours.”

“They won’t come unless they have evidence.” She met his gaze and held it. “I promise not to get too close. They won’t see me.”

“How do you know where they’ll be?”

“My informant sent me the GPS coordinates.”

“And how do you propose to get there?”

“Mr. Pearson’s skiff?” She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “I have to go. I need to make sure the skiff has enough fuel to get me there and back, and I need time to get there early so I can lie in wait for the bastards to arrive.”

“You can’t do this,” Beau said. “It’s too dangerous. Lansky and Slash are out there somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to finish the job.”

She stared up into his eyes. “This is what I do. It’s my purpose, the reason I lived through the crash that killed my mother. I lived to make a difference.” She lifted her chin. “I’m going. With or without you.”

“I can’t protect you if you’re halfway across the bayou. Fuck,” he muttered. “I’m going with you.”

Aurelie nodded. “We have to hurry. It’s almost midnight.”

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?”