Bayou Bishops Box Set: Books 1-12

CHAPTER 24

Sahvrin finally made it to the dry dock and helped load all the supplies onto the boat needed in the swamp. When it was finished, he called the men together, wanting to touch base.

At the table under the big oak tree, he put his foot on the chair, too wound up to sit. “Just wanted to go over everything before things get away from us. I’m putting it all in our box but wanted to talk about a couple things. The first one being the guns and when we want to run that. Once we figure that out, I’ll make the first shipment date official. We have two Roulettes waiting for interrogation at the Weigh Station. When we want to handle that?” he asked, looking at Lazure.

“Tonight. When the women and kids are asleep.”

“Good,” Sahvrin said, looking at the rest who all nodded in agreement as well. “Please tell me one of you has information on her father or anything surrounding that? She’s been asking.”

“Nothing you’d want to tell her,” Bart said. “I found a connection between stalker Julien and him.”

“What kind?”

“Mostly that the father knows his family well and they have financial links to Roulettes. That’s about it, nothing definitive yet.”

“Keep digging. I may ask Juliette to call her father and pose as a concerned friend she met while down here just to see where his head is.” He looked at Lazure. “What about the guns shipment? Any plans?”

“Preferably before a hurricane and since the current one shifted tracks, do it while we can, I say. We’ll still meet The Twelve tomorrow night at the party and begin mobilizing The Horde.”

“Sounds good,” Sahvrin said. “Beaux should be at the house soon enough with Juliette for any questions you might have for him.”

“Good, and once that’s done, he can help with preparations.”

“What about Savvie,” Bart wondered. “When we breaking the news to her? Katrina suggest anything on that? And what about her and Lucas?”

“Who and Lucas?” Zep asked, making Sahvrin wonder who else he thought Bart meant.

“Lucas and Savvie,” Bart said, with a serious laugh. “Those two are falling hard man, something needs to be said before it gets too far. That’s fucked up.”

“They’re not technically related,” Sahvrin said, hating to even deal with it but needing to.

“But Lucas should know better, he knows the truth,” Lazure said.

Sahvrin dropped his foot off the chair, pacing a little. “Hard to control that kind of thing Lazure. I ask him to help make her feel welcome, and well…he did a great job of it.”

“You never see the boy interested in girls and now this?” Lazure said with wide eyes.

“You can’t be more surprised than me,” Sahvrin assured. “I’ve had front row seats with it and it’s like watching a boat sink. Beth thinks it’s sweet.”

“I have to say I’m glad to see his testosterone works,” Jek muttered.

“You had doubts?” Sahvrin asked, incredulous.

“Maybe a couple.”

“So is Katrina and Savvie going to be living at the guest house indefinitely?” Zep asked.

“What the fuck does it matter to you?” Sahvrin asked.

“Whoooa, back up,” Zep said, eyeing him.

“Savvie mentioned you entertained Katrina and I honestly don’t give a shit if you want to fuck her, but take it to the swamps, don’t you dare fuck my daughters mother where she would know. She’s already seen too much of that shit, she doesn’t need her own uncle doing it too.”

Zep kept his head down, but the tight line of his lips said he was too pissed to speak. “Didn’t realize you had feelings for Katrina still,” he finally muttered, eyeing him.

Sahvrin shook his head and aimed a finger at him. “Don’t fucking play games with me, not about this. I mean it.”

He finally raised both hands, looking him in the eye. “I hear you loud and clear big bro. If I wanna fuck her, I’ll take her deep into the swamps where nobody can hear her screaming orgasms.”

“Thanks brother, I really appreciate that. Always nice to know you have my fucking back.”

“Hold the fuck up,” Lazure said, eying Zep now. “What the fuck are you saying? You don’t fuck your brother’s ex anything,” he yelled now. “You can have any woman you want in Breaux Bridge, but don’t you fucking disgrace this family by doing something like that.”

“I hear!” Zep yelled back. “I wasn’t intending that if it makes a fucking difference.”

It didn’t. Not to Sahvrin. He knew his fornicating adulterous brother too well. He fucked whatever he wanted, single, married, widowed. Young, old, handicap, it didn’t matter. He’d been a fucking disgrace to the family.

“So, what about business,” Jek said in the following silence. “We’re still switching to modifying weapons for the shit storm coming?”

“Absolutely,” Lazure said, looking at Sahvrin. “Can you manage that?”

“Yeah,” he said, not really thinking about it. “I got it.” They didn’t have a choice.

“Once we meet with The Twelve,” Lazure said, “you’ll get the current resource numbers from Nickels, after he gets it from the Keepums so we know exactly what we need.”

“I’m going to tell Savvie tonight,” Sahvrin said, deciding he didn’t want to wait another minute. “She’s terrified of her fake dad, and it’d give me no greater pleasure than to let her know I’m her father and she doesn’t have to be afraid.”

“I support this,” Lazure said with a nod. “She needs to know that.”

“Agreed!” Bart said. “Then I get to be Uncle Bart!”

****

Sahvrin was exhausted by the time they finished unloading the boat at the main supply house in the swamp and made their way back to the house. His body ached with the need to touch His Petite and the idea that he could suddenly need anybody as much as he did, boggled his mind.

He needed more rest, that’s for one thing. He’d been pushing too hard, too long.

He remembered the phone he’d bought Beth, feeling in his pocket to make sure it was still there. He pulled out his phone and dialed Juliette.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“With Beaux at the house like you said to be.”

“When’d you get there?” he wondered.

“About an hour ago, why?”

“Did you meet Beth and Savvie yet?”

“I sure did, they’re with us now.”

“Us who?”

“Beaux and me?”

“Where?”

“We’re playing in the soap house, Mr. Fifty questions.”

“Sorry,” he said, rubbing his eyes with his thumbs and index fingers. “I need a favor.”

“Anything,” she said, and he knew she meant it.

“I need you to call Beth’s father and find out where his head is, fish around for information indirectly. Maybe pose as a friend she made here during the festival or something.”

“Can do. Just need a number.”

“I’ll get Bart to text it to you. Don’t use your real name obviously and block your number.”

“He may not answer.”

“Well…try, then we’ll figure out what to do if he doesn’t.”

“Got it.”

“How is everybody doing?”

“Beth is good,” she said. “An ange, as you say, and my Lord, you didn’t tell me she was so gorgeous.”

“She is,” he said, the pure truth of it making him smile.

“And Savvie, swamp-heavens, she’s your little twin!”

“You think” he asked, laughing. “I was thinking more like yours.”

She sucked in a breath. “I’ll take it!”

He laughed nodding. “I’m telling her tonight. Savvie, I mean.”

“Ohhh, really?”

“After finding out she’s terrified of her imposter dad, yeah. She needs to know she’s safe because she’s mine.”

“Ohhhhh, now that was some sexy daddy talk right there.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“You want me to tell Your Petite?”

“You can if you want.”

“I do want. And I hate to break it to you big bro,” she muttered. “But Lil Lucas and—“

“I already know.”

“Shoooo, you realize he’s not technically related to her, right?”

“Yes. I do.”

“Good cuz…they are for real and there ain’t no hidin’ it.” She snickered. “It’s kind of hilarious to watch, the poor darlings.”

“I want to know as much as I don’t.”

“Awww, is daddy worried?”

“Very.”

“Lucas is a sweetheart!”

“I know he is and that’s why I’m worried about him.”

There was a brief pause and a “Ohhhhhhh, I seeeee. Oh Sahvrin, Savvie is literally love struck with him.”

“I fucking hope so because…”

“Oh honey, I know, I know, and I’m right there with you. But I know what I’m seeing.”

“So did I all those years ago. Things fade.”

“I’m not gonna pretend there aren’t risks in love, bubba, there are, and it’s everybody’s duty in life to take those risks at some point.”

“And are you?” he wondered, remembering her Beaux theatrics.

“Meh who, me? I’m married to the alligators!”

He chuckled. “Call me or text me later with whatever you learn about her father?”

“Will do.”

“Pulling up in five now.”

“I’ll let the desperate one know.”

****

After sending Beaux to help with preparations and getting Juliette to babysit Romeo and Juliette, he finally got His Petite alone. They were still in the soap house and the scents had a soothing effect on his nerves. He walked up behind her where she played with soap jars and wrapped his arms around her, moaning into her neck. “I missed you,” he murmured, nuzzling his mouth on the warm skin. The feel of her fingers running in his hair was fucking heaven. Almost as divine as the delicate sounds of need in her throat.

“I’m going to tell Savvie tonight,” he said before he went past the point of no return with her.

She turned and looked at him. “You are?”

At seeing the approval all over her face, something loosened in him. “Yes. After you told me she was scared, I decided I needed to.”

“I agree. And I needed to tell you something else,” she said, putting her hand on his arm as a light entered her eyes. “She told me that her mom told her about life in the swamp and she used to pretend that her and her mom lived here by themselves with nobody telling them what they could do or where they could go and nobody to hurt her mother. Sahvrin,” Beth gasped, tears entering her eyes. “That was so pitiful to hear.”

Her happy reaction confused him. “How is that good?” he wondered, feeling like he was missing something.

Her face immediately fell. “Oh, it’s not good, sorry, I didn’t mean to seem like it was. I just thought you would want to know she had dreams of living out here because you were worried she might not like it.”

“She was a child dreaming things she has no real idea about,” he said. “When did she tell you this?”

“When Lucas went drive the phones to the middle of nowhere, I talked her into making brownies with me. She wanted to go with him. Oh, and their love condition has gotten worse,” she warned. I saw Savvie kiss Lucas on the cheek.”

Panic hit him. “In front of you?”

“No! I…I slept later than I meant to, I’m sorry, and I hurried out to find them and they were on the dock. I decided to watch them for a moment, see the real deal and she leaned and kissed him. On the cheek,” she clarified.

“What did he do?”

“Well…” she began seeming to force a serious look, “…he stared at her at first and Savvie told me later that he asked why she did, and she said she’d done it because he was the most beautiful person she’d ever met and so kind to her and she just wanted to thank him.”

“She said all that to him?”

“No, sorry!” She grimaced a little before clarifying. “She said it to me, explaining why she’d done it but when he asked her why, she froze and all she could say was I’m sorry!” Beth put her hand on her chest. “But wait,” she whispered. “Lucas told her he wasn’t sorry, and he kissed her back on the cheek.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “I think it was their first kiss. Like ever.”

Fucking great. “And why is this so amazing to you?” he wondered, confused as fuck now. “Fuck, I’m sorry,” he muttered, seeing his words stung her. “I told you to sleep, all of this is on me.”

“Sahvrin… Savvie is—”

“For real, I know. Juliette says the same thing. And like I told her, we can be wrong about what we’re so sure about.”

She nodded, considering that. “You’re right, I…I’m being… I’m thinking of all the wrong things.”

“No, you’re thinking of the right things, and I’m thinking of the wrong things. It just so happens that the wrong things happen instead of the right things in life, and if you don’t think about them, you can’t do a damn thing to stop it.”

She nodded again, then shook her head. “You’re so right. I don’t know what I was doing. Am doing.” She turned to the counter for several seconds. “Oh and then we made brownies and I let her lick the bowl,” she said quietly. “Said her mom never let her do that because she had a germ phobia and I told her my mom did too,” she said, her words straining. “But my dad used to let me do things when she wasn’t looking and Savvie was happy. I felt amazing that I was able to do that for her.”

Sharvin hurried over and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m fucking sorry Angel, forgive me.” He pressed his lips into her temple. “I’m exhausted and down to my prick instincts.”

She took a huge breath and seemed to hold it then let it out slowly, wiping her eyes, turning to him. “Why don’t you go get some sleep. I really should’ve considered how that would make you feel, I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t, as usual.” She covered her face with both hands, her tears coming again. “But I saved you some brownies.”

Her whispered words crushed him more. He took her head between his hands. “Thank you. So much,” he said, kissing the backs of her fingers. “For being here, for being you.” She lowered her hands finally. “There you are. Give me these lips.” He devoured them and didn’t stop till she forgave and forgot his stupidity.

“Do you think,” she gasped around his kiss, “that I should…be there when you tell Savvie?”

He pulled up, breathless, staring at her. “You think?” he wondered, really not sure.

“Are you…having Katrina there?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head, stroking her face.

“Are you telling Katrina that you’re telling her?”

He considered that and shook his head. “I’m just going to tell her. I don’t trust her not to do something stupid.”

Beth nodded. “I agree. I don’t need to be there, I don’t even want to, I mean I do, I’m just thinking…”

“Tell me,” he said, kissing softly at her lips.

“Just that…she might feel better having me there.”

“You think so?” He smiled on her mouth. “You’re going to make a wonderful mother,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose and making her smile.

“I was thinking that too,” she said, like she’d not thought of it till recently.

Mon Dieu, this woman. He wrapped her in a bear hug and lifted her with a groan. “I can’t wait to get you in my room.”

“First Savvie?” she asked.

“First Savvie, yes.”