Bayou Bishops Box Set: Books 1-12

CHAPTER 3

“So there’s a dozen guarding the parameter,” 8-Bit said, pulling out a deck of cards and laying them out on the floor. “Here seems to be the main house. Three other buildings here.” He set the cards in their respective locations. “There were only three men spotted, but let’s assume two goat fuckers per shack to play it safe. Now,” he said, handing the deck of cards to The Seer. “Show me your vision.”

Revelator took the cards and knelt next to the makeshift map then set one down. “We start here. Then we go here and then here.” He pointed at an area. “That’s where Raphael is.”

Nitro angled his head at him. “Raphael?”

“The name of the one we’re extracting,” Revelator said.

“This a dude?” Hurricane wondered.

The Seer shook his head. “Didn’t see that.”

“Child or adult?” Nitro asked.

“Didn’t see that either.”

Bishop waved his hand. “Doesn’t matter. Boy girl, woman, man, we’re extracting and we’re hauling ass out.

“So, about the implications here,” 8-Bit said. “I got the intel you asked for on these dick-scabs. They call themselves Midnight Grinders. Fourth generation black marketeers, thick ties with The Red Krabs, the Carpetbaggers, and the Atchafalaya Blackguards. And they’re loosely connected to The Diablos De La Guerra. So, in light of our little Bat-tie with these dip-fucks, what kind of mess you wanting to make?”

Bishop eyed the layout for several seconds, absently nodding. “Messy enough to know this is Bayou Bishop judgment.”

“With a lot fucking more where that comes from,” Nitro muttered, his hunger riling Lesions.

“So, we can stomp the basin floor with them?” Hurricane asked, hopeful.

Eveque nodded. “Think that’s exactly what we need to do. We’re gonna bring in the whole team for this job.”

“Now you fuckin’ talkin’,” Hurricane said as Bishop knelt on the floor. “Me, Rev, Hurricane and Lesion for the extraction. Two-man teams on the out-houses. Shank and Bacon here. Spook and Patches here. Traps and Spar here. 8-Bit, you’re in our ears with eyes in the sky. When we’re done…” Eveque stood, eying Nitro. “You and Bullets level the whole fucking area.”

Hurricane shouted “laissez le bon temps rouler!”kicking up Lesion’s adrenalin while the Seer raked his hair and eyed Eveque. “Any word?” he heard him ask.

Eveque pulled out his phone and looked, shaking his head. “I’ll call and check.”

****

Bishop stepped outside and dialed Shank again.

“Was about to call you and let you know there’s nobody here. First thing I saw was the boat gone.”

“What the fuck.”

“I’m here now, looking for signs of struggle, anything. I see nothing, like they both just decided to leave.”

“Without telling a fucking soul?” Bishop hissed, his fear kicking up as he wondered where the fuck Beth was. “I need you to call every fucking person you can think of and find out where the fuck they are! You hear from anybody? Beth? Ma-Ma?”

“The Belle Eveque and Ma-Ma were supposed to be meeting with some of the ladies from the swamp last I heard.”

“Where?”

“At the main house.”

“She’s not answering her fucking phone, fuck!” he grit. “Call around, I’m calling my brothers.”

Bishop paced further away from the hotel room, not wanting to be heard losing his shit.

“Lazure, where the fuck is everybody?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t reach Beth or Ma-Ma. Shank said Maggie and Cherie weren’t at Revelator’s where they were supposed to be. Neither are answering their phone and Rev’s having some real doozy visions that have him at the end of his rope.”

“I’ve been with your brothers at the Dry Dock all afternoon doing inventory and orders, staying away from parties at the Main House. You try Luseah or Katrina?”

Bishops blood boiled just at her name. “Trying now. Call me if you hear anything.”

“You still in New Orleans?”

“Was planning to send a clear message to these fucks. One extraction and no prisoners. Nitro and Bullets will level the fucking place after. These demons are tied to the Red Krabs, the Carpetbaggers and the fucking Atchafalaya Blackguards. We’re doin’ a surprise, surprise, motherfuckers. The Bat-tie will be our final message. You good with that?”

“Hm. I trust you.”

“Good. Ask my brothers what the fuck they know about the whereabouts of Maggie and Cherie when you hang up. Call me if they know jack shit.”

“You tried Spook?”

“Doing that now.”

Bishop hung up and glanced over his shoulder after he hit Spook’s name on his phone.

“Eveque.”

“Where the fuck is Maggie?” he muttered.

“She’s at that party your Belle Eveque is throwing with the ladies.”

“I was just told she was with Cherie!”

“No, I dropped Maggie off at the Main House.”

“Where are you?”

“Mama and Papa’s, checking on them. What’s going on?”

“I don’t fucking know, but Revelator had some visions about blood and Cherie leaving. He’s on the edge, I mean on the fucking edge. God, let this not be happening this second. Maggie didn’t call you or say anything?”

“No. I’ll head back right away and see what I can find out.”

“We’re in New Orleans, returning back for supplies while dealing with this shit.” Bishop said.

“When are we doing this?”

“I thought fucking tonight but with the women missing and nobody answering their fucking phones, I don’t know. I’ll call soon.”

Bishop hung up and dialed Savvie.

“Hey Pops,” she answered.

“Baby-girl, where’s Beth?”

“I think at the Main House.”

“Where are you?”

“Uhhh, well, Lucas wanted to show me around the swamp.”

“Have you talked to Beth?”

“I didn’t think I needed to ask, we were just—”

“Did you talk to her, Savvie, I can’t find her.”

“No, but she was at the Main House.”

“You saw her?”

“Yes. They were all doing their party thing. What’s wrong?”

“Did you see Maggie and Cherie?”

“Maggie, Beth’s sister?”

“Yes.”

“Um…no, I don’t think I did.”

“Maggie wasn’t at the party?”

“I mean…I left kind of early I didn’t think I needed to hang around.”

“Put Lucas on the phone.”

“Uh, okay.”

He waited through whispering before he got a low, “Hey, I was just—”

“What the fuck is going on over there, where is Beth? Why isn’t anyone answering their phones at the Main House?”

“Not sure, you want me to go check? About to enter a dead zone so talk quick.”

“How far from the Main House are you?”

“Like fifteen minutes.”

“Go. Call me the second you get there.”

“Got it.”

He hung up and turned, finding Revelator pacing behind him, laser gaze boring into him. “She’s gone, isn’t she,” he muttered.

Bishop stormed toward the hotel room with Revelator following. “I’m not sure where they are, but we’re leaving right now to go and fucking find out. Can’t reach Maggie, Beth, Ma-Ma, no-fucking body. You see that in all your seeing, Revelator? Everybody fucking disappearing at the same time?”

“No,” he said as they entered the room.

“Let’s head back to the swamp and get everybody ready. 8-Bit, sound the Reveille. We meet at the Main House immediately and return here at the witching hour unless other shit comes up.”

“What shit’s come up?”

Bishop pulled out his buzzing phone and his heart dropped at seeing My Belle Eveque on the screen. “Where the fuck are you?” he answered.

“At the Main House, what’s wrong?”

“I fucking called you fifty times.”

“I’m sorry, I put my phone charging in the kitchen and forgot. What?”

“Where is Maggie and Cherie and why is Maggie with Cherie? Bacon was supposed to be with her.”

“Because Cherie asked for a woman and it seemed like a harmless request. Maggie volunteered since she was there, please tell me what happened?”

“They sent Bacon on some errand and then both left. No note, no phone call to a fucking soul, just gone. Revelator saw a vision of her leaving and I need to fucking know if that’s what this is. We need to find her and Maggie. We’re on the way back now. Stop everything and get everybody on this till we find them. Call me the second you know something, but do not go anywhere without one of the Twelve with you, do you understand me?”

“I do, I promise to be safe. I love you.”

“I love you,” he muttered, hanging up. “Let’s fucking get out of here.”

****

Lesion’s heart thumped like a young boy’s when Tully ran toward him down the pier leading to his shack, squealing in joy. He dropped his bags at seeing she intended to run him over with one of her earth-moving kisses. A groan of hunger escaped him as their bodies collided and his being devoured everything it’d been craving behind his back.

He slid his fingers under her hair, holding her as he indulged in exhilarating lip and tongue explorations on her neck. He still wasn’t sure if the constant need to taste and eat her was as necessary as his mind and body insisted it was. His cock assured him it was as she responded with those sounds he craved. “I missed you so much, I love you so much.”

“Tully,” he whispered, his fingers flexing in her silky hair. It smelled of his beloved oils, every bit of her did. “I missed you,” he confessed, yanking the soft material of her dress down. His gaze consumed her breast before his mouth did the same.

“Yes,” she gasped, pulling his hair and causing the head of the snake to push against its cage. She fought her way to her knees, yanking on his jeans to get them open. He looked around as she got his cock out, hurrying back to the sight of her grabbing hold of him and sucking till he pressed at the back of her throat. Three inches remained and she seemed intent on getting it into her mouth. Her little cries and the rake of her nails up and down his torso brought several groans as his fingers tightened in her hair. This unlocked more of her insatiable need as heat boiled in his balls and he cupped the back of her head, helping her get the rest of those inches into her perfect mouth.

She yanked his jeans lower and got her nails on his balls. “Oh fuck!” he seethed, opening his legs more. “Suck it, fucking don’t stop.” His fingers clenched in her hair harder and he squeezed his eyes tight as the orgasm detonated a million watts of pleasure. For endless seconds, he didn’t even recognize himself or the sounds straining out of him.

Another sound shot panic through him and he froze and pulled her up, looking around.

“What?” she whispered out of breath, her hands finding their way under his t-shirt again.

“Let’s go inside.” He didn’t know what he heard, sure it was nothing worrisome.

Before he could get himself back in his pants, she picked up his two bags and hurried down the pier.

“Tully, I’ll carry it.”

She gave a giggle. “No Sir, I’ll do it. Oops, not sir, I forgot you don’t like that title. Did you ever decide on a title? Besides Lesion, I mean?”

“No titles,” he said as he managed to take one of the bags from her as they made it to the door. “Lesion. That’s my name. I like when you say it, why would I want you saying anything else? He eyed her pretty smile. “Is there something wrong with my name that makes you need another one?”

He opened the door and she hurried in and set the bag down, back on him with kisses and moans, hands yanking at clothes. He kicked the door shut, remembering the little talk he had in his head on the way home. He hadn’t made love to her and the more he went, the more he realized he needed to explain what that meant to him and made sure it meant the same to her, even though he was sure it did just in Tully language. But he wanted to establish it formally and not leave it to chance. The problem was, he wasn’t ready for marriage and wasn’t sure what sort of arrangement was fitting for what he did want.

“Tully, wait,” he whispered, holding her by the hands before him. “I need to talk to you before we do anything more.” Letting her suck his cock before the talk could easily be construed as selfish or contradictory on his part given the talk he wanted to have. “Tully, stop,” he insisted when she pushed on in mindless hunger that was about to suck him under.

She finally pulled back, desire flushing her eyes and cheeks. “What?” she asked, her tongue swiping over her plump red lips.

“I need to talk to you.”

Her gaze lowered to his chest, then lower.

“Tully, we need to talk before we do anything.”

“What do you want to talk about?” she asked, bringing her gaze back up to his, only to wander over his face.

“Us.”

This brought her sparkling eyes right to his. Amazing how much power they held over the chemicals in his body. She turned and hurried to the bed and sat. “I’m ready to talk about us. Tell me.”

Tell her. He turned and locked the door then made his way to the chair at the small table, knowing he wasn’t strong enough to be on that bed with her, especially when she had that mischievous look in her eyes, ready for his punishing pleasure. “What I want to do with you…and…have done, usually requires a man and a woman to be married. And,” he hurried at seeing her smile. “Since I’m not ready for…something as big as and permanent as marriage but know something is required, then this means we have to come to some kind of suitable arrangement. In the Twelve,” he hurried, needing her to hear the whole thing. “There is a rule that we can only be with a… suitable woman and are forbidden to dabble for mere fun.”

Watching her smile crumble was like watching a mighty oak as it slowly collapsed in the swamp. The inability to understand why or how to stop it had his muscles frozen in silent anguish.

“So…you don’t want to marry me?”

The collision with devastation happened so suddenly, he didn’t know how to react and before he realized it, she was out the door, sobbing her way down the pier.

His phone buzzed and he pulled it out his pocket. “Eveque? Any news?”

“We found Maggie. She was in Opelousas, stranded at a station where Cherie left her. From what I know, Maggie had a vision about Revelator dying. And her son being alive.”