But Not For Love

  BUT NOT

  FOR LOVE

  A Clint Wolf Novel

  (Book 9)

  ___________________

  BY

  BJ BOURG

  www.bjbourg.com

  BUT NOT FOR LOVE

  A Clint Wolf Novel by BJ Bourg

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

  Copyright © 2018 by BJ Bourg

  Cover design by Christine Savoie of Bayou Cover Designs

  PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  CHAPTER 44

  CHAPTER 45

  CHAPTER 1

  2:30 p.m., Thursday, October 12

  Chateau Parish District Attorney’s Office

  Allie Boudreaux picked nervously at the orange paint on her right thumbnail as she sat in the waiting room of the district attorney’s office. She had filled out the slip requesting that the DA drop charges against her husband, but the secretary said the prosecutor wanted to meet with her.

  Allie couldn’t imagine why she had to meet with the prosecutor. Jake’s lawyer told her she was the victim, so she was “driving the train” and could end this case whenever she felt like it. The trial was scheduled for next Monday and she was ready for it to be over. After his arrest last October for beating her, Jake had spent three weeks in the hospital and six months in jail before his parents finally agreed to bond him out—but only under one condition. They had made him promise to go straight into rehab and swear to never touch drugs or alcohol again.

  Jake had made the promise, and he’d kept it. After completing a three-month program, he came out cleaner than he’d ever been since the day they’d met. He had sent word through his mother two months ago saying he wanted a second chance at being a father to their son Sammy, and she had agreed to meet him face to face. After a long conversation over dinner—one that Jake had cooked himself—she’d agreed to give it another try.

  Allie quickly straightened in her chair when the door burst open and two women walked in. One of the women was tall—at least five-nine—a blonde, had blue eyes, and she was beautiful. She wore a silk blouse, light blue business pants, and a matching coat. She was clearly in charge. She took her seat across from Allie and placed a file folder on the desk.

  The other woman was about three inches shorter than the first woman, had dark hair, and wore a lot of makeup. Her dress slacks were loose-fitting and she had on a long-sleeve turtleneck sweater with a logo over the left breast that read, “DV Counselor.”

  Allie felt frumpy in their presence. She tried to smooth out her wrinkled sun dress with hands that shook, wishing she’d at least thrown it in the dryer before putting it on earlier today. It was cold in the building and there were goosebumps on her legs. She wished she’d worn a sweater like the DV Counselor. Maybe if she was warmer, she might not be shaking as much.

  “I’m Britt Lucas,” said the tall woman in a soft but firm voice. “We’ve spoken once on the phone, remember?”

  Allie only nodded, remembering how the prosecutor had tried to talk her into coming to the office and giving a statement. Not having the courage to tell the prosecutor no, she’d agreed to come in the next day, but she hadn’t shown up. She’d been ignoring the calls from the DA’s office ever since.

  “Ma’am, you do realize we’re here to help, right?” The voice was soothing and gentle. “That we’re on your side?”

  “I…I guess so.” Allie shoved her hands between her thighs and sat on them in an attempt to hide the trembling.

  Britt pulled a notepad from the folder and flipped to a blank page. “While we have you here, I’d like to go over your statement for the trial next week.”

  “Um, about that…” Allie hesitated. “I…I don’t want to go forward with the case.”

  “And why not?” Britt’s face had hardened. “Jake beat the crap out of you with a pipe wrench and then he tried to kill a cop. Why on earth wouldn’t you want to go forward with the case?”

  “Well, he was high when he did that and he got help for his problem. He’s been clean for a year now and—”

  “That’s because he’s been in jail,” said the other woman, whose name badge identified her as Natasha Lee. “Look, sweetie, Jake is a dangerous man. This is our one and only chance to stop him. If we don’t put him away now, he’s going to kill you or someone else.”

  Allie fidgeted in her chair, indicated with her head toward the drop slip. “I…I signed that because I want to drop the charges against him. He’s different now. He’s changed. I know Jake. I know he means it this time.”

  Natasha opened her mouth to speak again, but Britt held out a hand and stopped her. Allie’s heart began pounding in her chest. She tried to act brave, but was afraid the front of her dark-colored dress was bouncing.

  “Look, Allie,” Britt said, “I want to protect you, but I need your help. I need you to show up in court—”

  “I’m not.” Allie said it with a confidence that surprised even her. “I’m not testifying against my husband.”

  “I don’t want you to testify against your husband,” Britt said calmly. “I want you to tell the truth.”

  Allie shook her head. “I’m not going.”

  Allie watched suspiciously as Britt leaned back in the chair and studied her. She didn’t know what the tall woman would do next, but it couldn’t be good for her or Jake.

  “We sent investigators out to your house to try and serve you a subpoena,” Britt said. “The neighbors said you had moved.”

  Allie nodded.

  “Where’d you move to?” Britt asked.

  Allie wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “I…um, I’d rather not say.”

  “Do you still live in Mechant Loup?”

  Allie shook her head, biting her lips to keep from talking. Jake didn’t want anyone to know where they were living, and he had warned her more than a few times to keep that information to herself.

  “Don’t give them our address, no matter what. You understand?” he had said before she’d gotten out of the car. “I don’t want the government knowing where we live.”

  She had told Jake she understood, and she was careful to list her mom’s address on the form she signed to drop the
charges.

  When Allie didn’t answer, Britt leaned closer. “How’d you get here today?”

  “What do you mean?” Allie fidgeted in her chair again.

  “Exactly what I asked you—how’d you get here?” Britt shot a thumb toward the front of the building. “Who’s waiting in the parking lot for you?”

  Allie felt her hands start to sweat again. “No one’s waiting. I…I came here alone.”

  “Very well,” the prosecutor said, taking a deep breath and standing to her feet. “I’ll be right back.”

  When Britt was gone, Natasha scooted her chair closer to Allie, and Allie felt herself shrinking inwardly.

  “Look, I understand you forgive Jake and I know you love him,” Natasha said softly, “but he’s a dangerous man. Please help us help you. He’ll eventually kill you if you don’t help us stop him.”

  Tears welled up in Allie’s eyes and she could feel her chin trembling. “I…I don’t need any help. Jake’s a good father. Sammy and me…we need him.”

  “If you don’t care about yourself, at least think about other people he might hurt someday,” Natasha pleaded. “Think about the officer he tried to kill. Please, it’s your civic duty to stop this animal.”

  Allie lunged to her feet. “Jake’s not an animal!”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that—”

  The door opened and Allie spun around, suddenly afraid again. Britt was standing there with a man in a suit. There was a gun on his hip and a badge clipped to his belt. The name on the badge read “Carney” and it indicated he was a DA investigator. Fixing her with a hard stare, Carney handed her a piece of paper. She took it, cocked her head in confusion.

  “What’s this?” she asked, glancing down at the document. She saw Jake’s name on it and some dates—they were the same dates as the trial.

  “This is a subpoena ordering you to appear in court on these dates.” Carney leaned closer to her and placed a thick finger on the date. “And if you don’t show up in court, I’ll show up at your house to arrest you.”

  “Me? I’m a victim! Why would you arrest me?”

  “Just show up in court.”

  Carney left the room and Allie turned to Britt. “What is this?”

  “You’ve been served with a subpoena to appear in court next week, Mrs. Boudreaux,” Britt said in resignation. “I know I can’t force you to testify against your husband, but I can make you show up in court and I can put you on the witness stand. What you do once you get up there is your business, but I hope you tell the truth.”

  “But…but I already told Jake’s lawyer I wasn’t going to court.”

  “You have to show up now,” Britt said. “If you don’t, I’ll ask that a warrant be issued for you. My investigator, Rory Carney, will then arrest you and bring you to court anyway. Do you understand?”

  Allie gulped and nodded in silence. “Can I leave now?”

  “Sure.” Britt frowned, said, “I’m not dropping the charges, Mrs. Boudreaux. I’m going to do my damnedest to protect you and this community from the likes of your violent and dangerous husband—with or without your help.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Allie Boudreaux whisked through the lobby at the district attorney’s office and out into the parking lot. The sun was bright and it was unseasonably warm for October. The sleeves on her sun dress extended to her elbows and she could feel sweat pouring down the insides of her arms as she made the block and turned a corner. She didn’t know if she was sweating from the heat or the fear of lying, but she shoved her sleeves up and groaned in relief as the wind cooled her damp flesh.

  She slowed and glanced over her shoulder as she made her way down the block and approached the parking spot where Jake waited in the car. She couldn’t afford to have the prosecutor catch her in a lie. She didn’t know if she could go to jail for lying to a prosecutor and she didn’t want to find out.

  “Did you drop the charges?” Jake asked when she pulled the passenger door open and slipped hurriedly inside.

  “They said it didn’t matter.” Allie turned to look out the back windshield, studying the sidewalk behind them. She sucked in a mouthful of air when she thought she saw Investigator Carney standing behind a tree on the corner.

  “Well, did you?” Jake’s voice was starting to rise.

  Allie looked at Jake and then glanced back toward the tree. If it had been that Rory Carney fellow, he was gone now. She sighed and settled into her seat. “They said it was their choice, not mine, that I couldn’t tell them what to do.”

  “That’s bullshit!” Jake punched the steering wheel and Allie jerked in her skin. “My lawyer said you could stop this trial if you wanted to. He told me you could drop the charges and then simply refuse to go to court.”

  “They said they were going to go ahead with the trial anyway.” Allie tried to calm her pounding heart. She had been afraid of the prosecutor, but that was nothing compared to how she felt now. What if Natasha Lee was right? What if Jake did kill her? What would happen to Sammy then—?

  “Answer me, damn it!” Jake revved up the engine and exploded out of the parking spot.

  “What?” Allie’s voice was shrill now and she winced. She didn’t want to sound fearful, because she knew that only angered Jake more. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t hear you.”

  “How could you not hear me?” Jake swerved on the tight street to avoid hitting the side mirror on a large truck. “You’re two feet away from me!”

  Jake zipped through the city streets until he reached the main highway, then turned right and headed south. Allie watched the needle on the speedometer approach eighty miles per hour. She clutched onto the door handle.

  “Please slow down, Jake.”

  “Did you sign the drop slip?” There was venom in Jake’s voice. “You never answered me, so that leads me to believe you didn’t do it.”

  “I did…I did sign it, but they said it didn’t matter.”

  “Did you tell them you lied?”

  Allie hesitated, knowing he would be even angrier.

  “Well, did you?” Saliva sprayed from Jake’s mouth.

  “I…I just said I wanted to drop the charges. I said you were a good father and that you had gotten help and—”

  “Oh, that’s just great! I told you to say you lied. That’s the only way they’ll drop the charges.” Jake turned his attention from the highway to glare at her. “I knew you couldn’t be trusted to do this one simple thing. You’re completely useless. I should’ve never given you a second chance.”

  Allie pointed ahead. “Please, watch where you’re going.”

  Jake kept his eyes trained on Allie. She glanced at the highway. The car was drifting across the white line, heading for the row of mailboxes that lined the shoulder.

  “Look out! You’re going to crash!”

  Jake slowly turned his head toward the front windshield and guided the vehicle back into his lane of traffic. The needle was now creeping toward the ninety-miles-per-hour mark, just as they were quickly coming upon a slow-moving truck. Although there was oncoming traffic, he swerved into the left lane and jerked back just in time to narrowly miss an eighteen-wheeler that was heading in the opposite direction. The truck driver sounded his horn and Allie shrieked in terror.

  “Please slow down,” she hollered. “I’m scared!”

  “If I go to prison, you’re going to be scared all right!” Jake’s veins were bulging in his temple. “You were supposed to do one simple thing. All you had to do was walk in there and drop the charges and my lawyer said this would all go away, but you couldn’t do it, could you? One simple thing!”

  Allie was bawling now and begging Jake to calm down. She kept telling him how much she loved him and reminding him of his promise to never hurt her again.

  “You promised we’d have a good life together, that we’d be happy,” she said between gasps. “Please don’t hurt me.”

  “Did I say I would hurt you?” Jake swerved around another line of
cars that were travelling at, or above, the speed limit, but still too slow for his current mood. “If I wanted to hurt you, you’d already be hurt.”

  Allie took several quivering breaths and began to calm down. Maybe Jake had changed after all, because he would’ve certainly hit her by now in his past life. Nothing more was said between them as they traveled the last ten minutes to the Cool Ridge Community, which was located off of the main highway on the eastern side of Central Chateau.

  A tiny community, Cool Ridge was located at the end of a long two-lane highway named Ridgeway Road, and it was set far beyond hundreds of acres of sugarcane fields. While the community was beyond the fields, their house was right in the middle of the sugarcane. The dirt road that led to their humble abode was a few miles before the community and to the left of Ridgeway. It was one of three old farm houses that were butted up to the endless rows of cane, and it was where Jake’s father’s helpers used to live years ago, back when whole families of employees resided on the property.

  Nowadays, those working the Boudreaux farm consisted mostly of high school dropouts who lived in Cool Ridge or middle aged men with no ambitions. An old beat-up truck would drive through the community early in the morning to pick up the workers, and then would drop them off late in the evening. The three farm houses had long been abandoned, and it was within the nicer of these that Jake decided to call home.

  Allie had mounted a weak protest when he first proposed the idea of living out here in the sticks, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “The law is constantly gunning for me,” he’d said, “and this is the only place where we’ll be safe from their harassment.”

  Jake hated Melvin Saltzman and Clint Wolf vehemently, and he wanted to stay as far away from them as possible. Melvin was a patrolman with the Mechant Loup Police Department, and Clint was the chief of detectives, so Jake vowed never to step foot in that town again, unless it was to kill the officers.

  Allie frowned wryly as she thought of Clint. He and his wife Susan, who was the chief of police, had been especially nice to her and Sammy. Not only did they buy them lunch and pay their electric bill, but they also put her and Sammy up in the shelter Susan ran in order to keep them safe from Jake. Susan then helped her get a job and an apartment, and it was the first time in her life when she’d felt truly independent. She scowled. That all changed when she gave Jake a second chance.